On 26 January we were sent an estimated energy bill for more than £1,000 by SSE which is roughly three times our usual usage. When I pointed out it that we had sent readings and the estimate was too high, the bill was revised up to £5,043.

We supplied SSE with meter readings when we moved into the property in 2019 and have sent it regular updates, often as photographs, so it is possible to see exactly what our usage has been over the past three years.

However, there has often been a huge discrepancy between the actual readings and SSE’s estimated ones. We explained this to various departments and were recently told that our account had been passed to back billing and “final demands” would be suspended.

Today we received a legal action warning notice letter which told us to pay now “or you may lose your electricity supply”. It also warns SSE could “put a record of your payment default on your credit file”.

We need someone to help sort out this serious problem as we are being threatened with bailiff action over money we cannot possibly owe.

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CW, Sunbury-on-Thames

What a mess – but one we have been able to clear up. The shocking bill you received was a “catchup bill” issued after SSE’s back billing team established that the estimated readings your account has been based on since you moved in were lower than they should have been.

Under back billing rules a supplier cannot charge for energy used more than 12 months ago if you were not correctly billed for it. This reconciliation process has resulted in a £3,285 credit to your account which, along with payments you have made, has reduced the amount owed to £1,274.

A spokesperson for SSE Energy Services, which since 2019 has been owned by Ovo Energy, said: “We’re very sorry for the shortfalls in service this customer experienced.”

SSE has offered a £200 credit as a goodwill gesture which you accepted albeit grudgingly. You say SSE’s customer service “failed in every way” and feel your complaints were only taken seriously once we got involved.

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