So, if you think that your bill is wrong, what should you do? We will try to answer this question in this post.
We assume that you are talking about the energy bill. Possibly, it could be your electricity bill. Also, it could be your water bill or internet bill. However, the possibility of incorrect internet bills is very low because you would usually pay the same monthly charge according to your package.
However, you will see a different amount every month for the electricity bill depending on the amount of electricity you have used. Therefore, it is very much possible that your bill could be wrong. On the other hand, it is also possible that you have guessed it’s wrong.
Also, some people report that they receive wrong credit card bills as well. So, to help you with all these bill-related issues, we have created this article with some tips on what to do if you think your bill is wrong.
So, let’s get started…
Check Properly If Your Energy Bill is Wrong or Not
Before you can jump out and think that the bill is wrong, you should be fully confirmed about this. To confirm that, there are a few things you must take care of first.
So, here is a list of things that you should be concerned about to know whether the bill is wrong or not.
Tip #1 Are You Using Any Energy-Hungry Appliances Recently
First of all, you should make sure whether you have started to use any power-hungry appliances. For instance, in winter, you might have started to use the heater more often. Also, it could be your new powerful vacuum cleaner. Also, in summer, you might be turning on the AC a lot.
In addition, it could be that you have bought a new home appliance, whether it is a washing machine, dishwasher, TV, or refrigerator recently. And, the new appliances are actually adding up those high bills. But, most of the time, we don’t realize that adding a new appliance to your house would also increase the bill.
Tip #2 Are There More People on Your House than Usual
Another source of higher than usual bills would be the new addition of people in your house. It could be that you have visitors at your house. And they would use more energy than usual.
Tip #3 Have the Season Changed
Normally, in many locations worldwide, people would not use the AC for a long time in winter. But, similarly, in summer, they would use AC or fans more often than not.
In addition, you might also start using water heaters during the winter, whereas in summer, it might not be necessary. And, those seasonal changes of usage will reflect in the monthly bill. So, if you see a higher bill than usual on a new season, you should not be worried.
Tip #4 Have You Installed New Electronics
It is usual that if you have installed or added new electronics to your home, the electricity bill will increase as well (if you use them, of course). However, most of the time, it doesn’t occur to us that we have added a few new lights, fans, TV, or other devices. So make sure you have got that covered.
Tip #5 If the Bill is Estimated
Normally, if you have a meter, then you would receive a proper bill every month. However, if you have recently connected and don’t have a meter yet, your supplier could send an estimated bill. As it is an estimate, the amount might actually be wrong. Also, depending on the location of your connection, the process of dealing with the estimated bill would be different.
But in most cases, you can contact the provider and say that you don’t want to pay an estimated bill. That way, they will send you an updated bill. Or they would add the bill on next month’s bill- given you have got a new meter by then. Normally, it should be written on the bill that is an estimated bill.
Tip #6 Billed For the Wrong Meter
If you have found out that your bill is not an estimated one, you should check whether you have been billed for the wrong meter. For example, if you have neighbors or live in a multistoried building, the power development board might have mixed it up.
There are many reports of such bills for the wrong meter. It could be that they have billed you for your neighbor’s meter. In this instance, you should contact your neighbor and see if their bill is correct or not.
Also, it would be best if you took a new meter reading yourself. And then compare it to the last reading. If you find a big difference, then it could be that you have received bills for the wrong meter.
Tip #7 You Have a Faulty Meter
Another good reason for the wrong bill could be that you have a faulty meter. There are a couple of ways to check if your meter is faulty or not. However, it is better to call a professional for this. So, if you think that your meter is giving false readings, you should contact the service provider.
Tip #8 Do You Have a Multi-rate Meter
In many countries, there are multi-rate meters available. In that case, there will be different rates for the energy you have used. In most cases, the rate would be high at day times and low during night times. So, you should consider that as well.
Tip #9 Multi-tier Rate
Normally, you will be charged for each unit/Kwh. But in some areas, the rate for each unit varies. For example, the rate for each unit could be 2 USD if you have used 50 to 100 units in a month. However, if you have used 101 to 300, then the rate would increase to 5 USD.
This is called a multi-tier rate. So, it could be that you have broken the previous threshold of the previous month. And now you are charged higher for each unit. This is actually not wrong. So you don’t have anything to do with it.
Tip #10 Have the Supplier Changed the Rate
Chances are your supplier has changed the rate per unit recently, and you have not noticed it.
Typically, they would contact you or share that announcement publicly on TV or radio or via other mediums before activating the new rate. But you may have missed the announcement somehow.
Tip #11 Back billing or Catch up Billing
If your supplier hasn’t sent you any month’s bill under special circumstances, then it would be due. In that case, they will add it to the next month’s bill.
This is known as catch-up billing or back billing. Still, you should contact them about the back billing situation. Because in some countries, you are not obligated to pay back billing.
What to Do If You Think Your Bill is Wrong
So now you know what to check if you think the bill is wrong. But what should you do after you have found out that the bill is actually wrong? Here are a few tips for you…
- Contact the supplier and let them know about the issue
- The contact number or address of the supplier should be on the bill
- Also, you can call the helpline of the supplier
- If you are leaving a written complaint, then you must include your name, account number, the amount of suspected error, description of the error, add any additional comments, and your signature.
What to Do If You Think Your Credit Card Bill is Wrong
In some instances, you might receive the wrong credit card bills. So, what can you do in this situation? There are a few things to do on your part. Those are…
- You should contact the bank or credit card issuer that has issued that particular card.
- Or contact the local credit bureau and let them know about the error
- You can also contact the local creditor in your area
- You can also get in touch with the state consumer agency
- Or you can let the creditor know in writing within 60 days of the bill was mailed about the error. Ask them if it is possible to change or modify
Final Lines
Getting the wrong bill is not a great experience, whether from your energy supplier or creditor. But we know that ‘to err is human’. So, there is a possibility that you might receive the wrong bill. In this situation, you have only one thing to do. And that is to contact your service provider.
But before you go ahead and contact them about the problem, you must check properly if it is actually a wrong bill or not. We have written this post to help you get an accurate bill every month. So if you have found out that the providers have pulled a fast one on you, this post should come in handy for you.
As usual, if you have any questions or suggestions, you can share them with us. Additionally, you can share this post with others to help them solve their energy bill-related issue.
More Posts for You:
