In a nutshell….
Over the last 3 years you have dutifully let the meter reader in or, left your completed ‘meter reading card’ in the window….
Each time a new bill arrives you have to call your supplier to give them the correct figures…
Each time you have this conversation you have a subsequent conversation about the fact your meter is an old, dual rate, one – from when the last owner had the place, they had storage heaters which used old Economy 7, nighttime, tariff. This conversation always ends with said supplier sending someone round to read the meter and to ‘make arrangements for a new meter to be fitted’. The meter exchange does not happen. Again… & again (repeat to fade…)
Overall though, this is a minor frustration, the bill is accurate and your payments are such that the credit run up in summer covers the winter months..
However, late last summer, you get the bill, you notice our credit balance is unusually high – circa £500 above the expected.
You check the figures and realise that someone has transposed the Economy 7 tariff reading (the one that does not move as it’s not used, and they still have not changed the meter…) with the correct tariff.
Being diligent and honest, you do the math, work out the correct position and ring the supplier.
The first thing the young lad on the phone says is ‘oh, that’s quite a credit, would you like us to refund some of it…?’
You say no and appraise him of the situation.
He looks back in the records, can see the previous readings, can see what happens and so, it is time for corrective action!
Lo! They send out someone to read the meter.
Double Lo! They finally actually swap the meter for a new one.
Ta-Da! You get a new bill, expecting all to be correct at last…
Nope – you’re now in credit to the tune of £900 more than expected…. It would appear that, instead of revising the credit on the acct down, to account for the correct figures you gave them, they have credited the account with that amount…

WWYD? 😉

Move suppliers? 🙂

Wait for a while to see how quickly they notice…?

Order a new frame

Bung the money in a savings account and forget about for 2 years – if they realise then its there and you can pay them back. After that time I’d spend it. SOunds like you’ve invested too much time in trying to correct their mistakes as it is.

I’d stick it in a savings account, hang onto it for a while to see if anything comes of it and switch suppliers as soon as I was able to (depends if you are tied into a contract or not).

It’s one of those situations where you are honest, explain the situation, give them ample opportunity to correct it and they still mess it up.
Swings and roundabouts, I reckon. You have been lucky this time, so make the most of it.

If you don’t feel comfortable wit keeping the money, keep it for a year or so until you are sure there’ll be no comeback & then give it to charity.

This isn’t Scottish(No)Power, is it?

Interesting – you’ve all said pretty much what family and friends (all good, moral, upstanding types..) have said…
Me? I’m of the ‘Sod, em, we (really) have done all we can – take the ‘refund’ and bank it for a while’…
Mrs MM is far more honest and upstanding…
Think we’ll wait for the next bill and see what, if anything, has occurred….

stick the money in premium bonds. if you have to give it back you won’t have a cash flow problem but your lucky money might carry on being lucky

stick the money in premium bonds. if you have to give it back you won’t have a cash flow problem but your lucky money might carry on being lucky

Liking that idea BigJohn, liking that a lot…..
Or, off to the casino and drop the lot on red…… 😈

Beers are on you next time we’re out then, smashing! 😉

Yeah, invest it in lottery tickets. If you win big, awesome.
if not, well, some you lose. Let the company know you tried to invest their money for them but it’s a dynamic market.

Beers are on you next time we’re out then, smashing!

LOL! Next time we’re out? – you know me, I only ride every other month – less now as Mojo tell me my forks won’t leave until later this week…

tried to invest their money for them but it’s a dynamic market.

– LOL again!

Mojo tell me my forks won’t leave until later this week.

Next week it is then!

Keep it in a savings account, them move suppliers in a couple of months

Open all the doors and windows and turn the heating on full.

When I last moved house, I sent a final meter reading to N Power and promptly got a bill for £3,300. I spent the best part of 6 months arguing that this was outrageous and that the £100 per month we had been paying for an all electric house was more than enough. It finally transpired that they had changed the meter 2-3 years previously. I had to go back to the old house and find the closing readings from the old meter which were on a tatty paper tag stuffed down behind the meter, I sent these and they sent me a cheque for £2,300 with which I bought a motorbike. 😀