Today I called Cymru Water because we have a £300 credit on our bill (we pay £50 a month direct debit) and wanted to adjust our direct debit since we had such a large credit. The rep immediately said our meter must be slowing down since we have 7 people in our house and were apparently using too little water for that many people. (possibly correct) So they are going to replace the water meter. Oops, darn, but oh well. Our problem is this: They say that once the new meter is installed, they will check the readings every few weeks and then use these numbers to 'correct' our past bill (up to 7 years). We are arguing over this because we do not feel they should be able to guess what our usage was for the past year or two and make us pay for their meter possibly slowing down. They have no way of going back in time and knowing exactly how much water was used. It was their mistake and while we have no problem ensuring that we pay what we use from now on, we are angry that the company can just say 'we think you used this much water while your meter was slowing down so give us the money.' And since we have a £300 credit, they will take it from that. The rep said they would generally not make a customer go negative on their bill. I asked for a refund of our credit then and they do not appear to plan on giving it to us. Can Cymru Water back bill us on guesstimate of water usage and not an accurate reading of the meter?

Hello all any advice would be appreciated Had a visit from someone claiming to be from Scottish Power yesterday morning asked to see his badge which he held out still attached to lanyard. I asked to take it for full inspection he refused. Was suspicious as I am not an SP customer but with SSE/Ebico but realise im in a Scottish Power area. I let him look at meter and he then stated it had been tampered with and bypassed. I could not believe what I was hearing. I regularly put money on my key (it was a modern prepayment meter) my usage is fairly light due to my health I have a chronic arthritic condition so mobility is an issue and as a result spend a large amount of time in bed. I do keep a close eye on my power usage as I often have to rely on family to put money on it. I couldn't believe what I was being told and the usage has always appeared correct and stated this to the SP guy. He then produced a pad and started saying I can deal with this right now who is your supplier?. At this point I began to worry I was being spoofed and asked him to leave he replied by calling me a thief accused me of tampering with the meter and began threatening me. I closed and locked my door and immediately called the police NE number two officers came within fifteen minutes and confirmed the meter did appear to have been tampered with. SSE came and changed the meter within an hour and left with the police. here I am about to speak to SSE after doing some research on the issue am worried I will be hit with the blame and bill for this. To clarify its a private let and the owners agent tells me its not the landlords problem and the former tenant abandoned the property owing rent I have been sole occupant for nearly four years. Thanks in advance for any advice Phil

Hi , Wonder if anyone can help me. I have just moved into an electric only flat with economy 7 meter. Have noticed just the high rate moves and not the low rate on the meter even if I put on my heating,washing and water at night. I had a look at the meter and I think the clock is wrong . Have attached pictures, can anyone tell me what time the meter is reading I took these pictures around 00:15. I assume the pointer at the bottom is how you tell the meter time which is current on 15:00 however am not sure any help will go a long way Many thanks

I have an oral warning from an staff of BG revenue protection team to cut off my gas supply if I do not pay £9k by Wednesday. He changed to £10k after my so many calls to him in the past few days. I was accused to tamper their gas meter which is located in my shop unlocked in a cabinet, that I do not do. I was showed the proof of tampering by a company called scienco in Bristol. Ok, the story is that. a year or 2 ago, there was a BG guy came and asked to see the meter. So he was shown where the meter was and was left alone. After 5 minutes or more, I was wondering what he was doing and taking so much time there. I went out to ask him and he said the blue seal on top of the clock of the meter had sign of being tampered. so I checked it and told him there was no scratch as he told me. I asked a friend of mine and my wife to look at it. They all said there was nothing, no mark. then he said to me the meter seemed not working cos it did not move while he was there looking at it. so what he would do is to have the meter taken away for test and I would be informed. Since then, there was no letter from BG and everything was forgotten. Two months ago, there were 2 BG guys came to my shop to ask to see the meter. So they were showed to the meter. I was alone at the shop and staying with them at the very beginning after they arrived. I mentioned what happened the previous visit by their colleague. I told them about the blue seal on top of the clock of the meter. and i even put my finger on it to show them. And they told me it seemed fine to them but they need to inspect it thoroughly. I left them and went back to do my work. When I looked out from inside of my shop. I noticed 1 of the guy was pushing very hard on something with his whole body. I thought it was weird so went to ask them what they were doing. They said he was getting an imprint of the serial number on the top of the seal with something like a blue tac. Actually I saw him doing that when I was looking at them. Before they left, I was told it seemed the meter was in good condition. He found nothing suspicious but to be sure the meter would be taken away for test to find out if it was slow. Then I told them it was ok. I did not check the meter at all cos i was so busy then and also of the guys' assurance of the state of the meter. a week or 2 later, 1 of the BG guy came back and asked the meter to be taken away straight away. I told him no because my shop was about to open in an hour and I needed gas to do preparation. I told him off why he did not send me a letter to arrange it and he said he did. I had never received any letter from him whatsoever. So he called me sometimes later and we arrange the date. My wife was so suspicious about it so she called BG on the following to confirm about the meter removal. They came back on 26/11/13 and took away the meter and replaced it with a new 1. Even then the BG guy still kept on telling me the meter seemed ok. as far as he said there was no damage of the blue seal. Last week, the BG guy came to my shop and showed me the report. It clearly showed there were damage of the blue seal and a scratch on a metal which was said inside the meter. I was so shocked because I did not do it. My mind was blank and he went to give me an estimate how much gas I STOLE for the last 6 years. He said a figure which was more than £6k. of cos I stard to challenge him about the tampering and the estimate. Then he was so pixxed off and he changed the estimate to nearly £9k. Then he left with an oral warning, pay up or cut off on wednesday. and he did not even give me any statement or invoice of the estimate and the warning letter too. He demanded me to pay to him directly. I told him I had not have £9k in my saving and i needed to arrange with BG about the payment. But he said there was nothing to do with BG and i had to pay him with cash or visa card but no cheque allowed. we started to get panic and angry. what can we do? pay up the amount that I do not owe or let them to ruin my business with no gas.

Hi Forum. I am currently a BG customer, for three years, prior to that EON for a additionalr three years. Myself and my better half live in a tiny two beds (chocolate box) cottage, single fuel (electricity), No gas main, multi fuel stove burner which keeps the house reasonably warm in colder months. For many years we have always disputed and questioned the high costs with both Utility companies. After many years of being made to feel like we are going mad, and with the suggestion from both companies "are you sure you want to go-ahead with the meter check, it will cost you if you are proven wrong" attitude by both EON & BG we finally decided to proceed with a meter check, we were advised that this check would be via an independent! It was actually carried out BG themselves. Results - The engineer who attended professionally used the phrased "goosed" to confirm that as we had suspected over many years, the box is fast running. BG took over a week to acknowledge this and the reaction to resolving the faulty equipment has been disappointing, enough for me to ask for senior member of staff to deal with the matter. BG have now offered a monetary value, zero interest applied, no additional compensation applied, just what seems to be monetary payment with regards to over payment (I do not know the formula used to calculate their offer?) EON initial response was very professional to begin with, but now the worm has turned and they have become some may say, quiet bullish in their opinion. I am aware of the complaints procedures that I have to follow, I have logged a case reference with CAB, I will use the 14 days period of notice, followed by an additional 8 weeks if I am not satisfied with conclusion. Thereafter the ombudsman directly. I have been advised not to let the faulty meter be taken away, this advise actually came from the regulatory body who will determine further checks on the meter if we fall further into dispute with our current suppliers, I understand that meter examiners are employed by SGS and a point of contact here advised at no costs let them take the meter until we are satisfied fully with the outcome of dispute. The same kind contact advised me that beware that on the day, if the meter happens to perform correctly then it may not work in your favour!!! So right now I am confused about how best to approach this case! once I have exhausted the official process of complaint with the energy companies; Q can I claim compensation in excess of what would be the standard overpayment due to the fast running meter? Q are we entitled for interest to be applied to any overpayments made? Q should I allow the meter to be replaced? Q should I request a checking meter sit side saddled to my current meter? Q is their a maximum claim applicable to this kind of case and can I use effect on lifestyle (true) etc etc to make my claim for compensation stronger? Sorry for so many questions but I am now feeling a little bogged down with different opinions, at least BG by offering a figure is acknowledging the faulty meter. I look forward to the forums responses. Kindest regards

Electricity meter reader wanted URGENT!! Have you had experience as an electricity meter reader? or Are you currently employed as an electricity meter reader? or Have you experience within the electricity industry? We urgently need the help of an experienced meter reader to give an opinion and possibly a written report on a discrepancy in the reading of a modern six digit digital meter. We also need somebody qualified within the electricity industry to carry out an independent verifiable "kettle test" at a domestic property. We will be happy to pay for this service, expenses and any written report which is produced. If you feel that you are qualified to help us – or if you know somebody else who is, please contact us urgently on our admin email address: admin@ConsumerActionGroup .co.uk please put "meter reader" in the subject line. Thank you

I moved into my house several months ago and I changed gas supplier from NPower to First Utility as soon as I arrived. The bills from First Utility showed a different meter point reference number (and a different meter serial number) than the previous bills from NPower. After the first few meter readings I gave online to First Utility, they started refusing the readings. I phoned them and they said they did not supply me. I called the Xoserve helpline who told me I have two meter point reference numbers listed for the property and one of them is likely obsolete. When First Utility took over, they recorded the wrong MPRN (I know because NPower's MPRN does indeed correlate to the meter serial number written on my meter). My question is - what is the chain of events. How can First Utility start billing me and then stop (they've refunded the money now). How does their system allow them to accept an obsolete MPRN and then what triggers their systems to belatedly recognise that and stop billing me? NPower continued to bill me because "their" MPRN had not been officially taken over. A question for someone in the industry, I guess.

Do i have to pay for a prepayment meter to be installed for a debt recovery and current usage? My energy supplier spark told me i had to pay 140 pounds to have 2 prepayment meters fitted for collection of my debt and current usage, i am classed as vulnerable person and therefore got into debt and because of bedroom tax i am waiting to move but not getting any were thanks

just looking to see if anyone has had this problem or any idea why its happening. long story short for near enough 2 years if i have say 70p left of normal credit i like to stick the key in for the emergency to be added so it doesn't run out if i forget which is likely i have 2 small kids running about. for the first year i lived here when i did that it added the 70p to the £5 so the balance would have been £5.71. now whether it be 70p 20p or 83p when i put the emergency in *poof* is disappears and only gives me the £5. finally got them to agree to a meter change after complaining every week for nearly 2 years hoping to sort it. nope, had 94p just there put the key in to add the emergency so it didn't cut off when id be doing the school run in the morning and again its only showing the £5. my 94p disappeared into thin air. haven't changed tariff, no T&C changes from them i feel sick at how much they've got from me over all this time. i've already fired off an email to the CEO as im fed up of dealing with the lackies on the phone and twitter. sorry for rambling tell me this shouldn't be happening

Writing on behalf of a friend here: Friend been overseas since 2008. Flat pretty much empty most of the time in last 6 years, just basic ticking over of normal electric supply in the flat. I have been helping with post and maintenance whilst friend overseas. Unfortunately, friend became sick and was un-contactable for almost a year. In this year, EDF kept sending high estimates. Due to my own personal reasons I missed going to the flat for many months. In this period there were many red letters and threats. When I finally read all his post I rang EDF and explained the situation: that the flat was empty, that the estimates were grossly exaggerated, that EDF needed to prevent a warrant of execution. The alleged outstanding bills were only approximately £300. But EDF would not speak to me as I am not the owner. EDF ignored my pleas. EDF then entered the exterior vaults and removed the meter. And posted a key for a pre-paid meter !! EDF continue to send bills and demands for the alleged outstanding bills and also for their charges to remove the meter. SO: Now I have a lawyer with POA for friend. Can we write: demand to know the accurate reading of the removed meter demand compensation for the removal of the meter demand the meter is re-instated It does not seem correct that EDF can remove a meter for estimated readings, which must have been so much lower than their estimates. Can anyone offer some advice here, please.

moved into a flat last year which had a prepayment meter for electric and gas and the supplier was British Gas. I didn't know this at the time as the letting agents didn't tell me they were prepayment meters until I was switching suppliers. I assumed it was a credit meter like I'd always used. I still decided to switch from British Gas (aka BG) to Scottish Power (aka SP) which had been my supplier for my previous flats. I arranged for SP to take over the supply of Electric and Gas. After about a month they'd switched over and SP sent a new electric key and Gas Card. I topped up the electric and gas with the BG key and Card once for both utilities in that time before switchover - not realising meters and keys might have debt on them from a previous tenant (only recently found this fact out!). I was talked through how to enable the new key and card and whilst on the phone I gave my electric meter reading to a SP advisor- he said it would wipe the credit already on the meter but that'd be it. I then happily topped up throughout the time I lived there and moved out after using SP for 6 months. I gave them my final meter readings and new address expecting them to just send a letter and saying both accounts were now shut. Instead I started receiving bills for over £200 for electric and £25 for Gas! The bills said I owed these amounts after being at the flat for just TWO MONTHS. I thought there must be some mistake this is prepayment meters and I topped up regularly when I needed to, kept top up receipts and never went into emergency credit. I rang SP's prepayment dept twice and they kept admitting it must be a mistake and they'd sort it out. They also said they'd disregarded my start meter reading for Electric as BG had given their own and they were using that instead. The start reading was higher then my final reading which seems to be the problem despite my readings being accurate. SP kept sending bills (and then a final demand complete with threat of a 'credit default'), then their 'debt recovery dept' rang twice and I said prepayment dept were 'sorting it' just like they told me. They'd clearly not bothered as then I get a letter from an LCS debt recovery agency. I ring them up (foolishly) speak to a very aggressive woman who wants personal details. I luckily don't give any except D.O.B. to 'prove that I am the correct person they're meant to be talking to'. Wish I'd not given that now. I said it's in dispute. A 'admin fee' of nearly £30 was also added and she claimed LCS hadn't added it but SP. I've since made a complaint to SP and yet this LCS sent a 2nd letter 'recommending to our client that your account be considered for legal proceedings'. From reading the forums I know these are mostly empty threats but it still worries me. I don't feel this debt is mine. All I can think of is either the previous tenant had debt on the meter already and I just naively didn't realise or SP put up their energy prices and didn't adjust the meter. I've never owed anything in my life and never had a £200 bill for electricity. Please can people help me with the following questions: - Are SP legally obliged to update the meter with current prices before they ask for any money? - I don't know if the prepayment meter logs all start and end electric rates so they could go back through records and prove that the readings I gave were correct? - If there was a debt on the meter should both BG or SP have been legally obliged to tell me this? Or the letting agent? - Should I ring BG and ask if there was a previous debt on the meter or would they not tell me as I'm no longer at the property and was only technically a customer of theirs for a month before SP took over? - Did I legally take over any 'debt' by using the BG key once in the meter? And after I used the new SP key shouldn't that have reset the meter? Or would debt still be on the meter regardless of a new key and new supplier? - Are credit defaults as serious as they sound? Will these affect my credit rating in future? And are they difficult to get off a credit report once applied? Can both SP AND LCS put a default on me or just SP as they're the original 'creditor'? As you can see I really don't have a clue what to do and don't want to pay a debt I feel is unjustified and wrong (especially if someone else owes it and not me) and I don't want to go to court. Any advice on what to do and say or what to find out would be great. I need all the help I can get. And sorry I've typed a lot but I wanted to explain my problem thoroughly.

I am in trouble due to EON billing system . I am private tenant and since last two year having services from EON as economy 7 plan .Since i moved in this property i always had estimated bill i paid for one year but bills keep on increasing every time so i report them to take meter reading . But no one from EON arrived for 6 months . After 6 months of followup via mail and phone one representative came for inspection and found that meter is faulty .Therafter took another 7 months to replace this meter ( three times engineer gave appointment and not turned up). Now they replace meter and based on last one month reading they send me estimated bill of £ 2250 for year . When i called customer service they said they use some software to calculate this bill and i have to pay this amount . This is really put me in financial trouble now. if anyone have any idea how i can resolve this please please please let me know .

Hi, As above; Southern water fitted a meter to my 76yr Mother's house a few months ago, after 2 leaks at the meter point, the last one a few weeks ago, repaired all seemed well. Firstly; it looks like the yearly water will now rise from £290 to around £440 per yr. Secondly; she's now told the meter cannot be removed after being told if she didn't like it in a year's time, it could be removed. Thirdly; the last straw, because they increased the water pressure a few weeks ago for some reason, it appears this has burst a water pipe under the kitchen floor, and flooded the kitchen. They say they are not responsible for water damage inside the property. Questions; Are they responsible? Is they any action that can be taken? Can she get the water meter removed? Thankfully she has insurance, but how much work and £££ they cover is yet to be found out. Please, any help/answers will be gratefully received, Cheers.

I am registered disabled due to mental health and currently receive help from my mental health team and NHS psychological services 3-4 times a week. One of the things I have problems with is people coming to my home and tend to retreat into it as my 'safe' place. Even my social worker has only been here once and no friends visit and only my children come here. I have my electricity and gas from the same company since I switched to them years ago and I read my own meters on the last day of most months and type the readings in online and pay at the same time. I decline to have my meters read by strangers unexpectedly turning up on my doorstep. I am very frugal as I live on benefits, gas wise I don't have the hot water on (boil a kettle to wash up and have an electric shower) and didn't use the heating at all this last winter, managing without, only using the gas hob once or twice a week (eating disorder helps). I don't use much electricity either so my utility costs are very low. I realise that by law I have to let someone come and inspect the meters once every two years so when I was written to in May 2013 I made the appointment and the man came within the two hour time slot agreed in May last year and I showed him the meters which are inches apart. Now I have had a letter stating that the company need to come and inspect my electricity meter and that if I don't comply they will apply to the magistrates court and charge me £208 to cover costs. I managed to telephone them and apparently when the man came out he only looked at the gas meter and now they need to look at the electricity meter. They are beside each other and I get both electricity and gas from the same company! Please can you tell me, do I have a right to decline this new inspection as I let them in last year or do they have a right to look at gas one year and electricity the next? I wish I didn't get into such a state about people coming into the house, I feel I am ridiculous but know that I will find another visit soon distressing as I am struggling at the moment and these threatening letters and legal action is just as bad. TIA eta the company is e.on if it's ok to name them. They seem to be unable to check gas and electricity meters at the same time

Hi everyone I have been with E on for over two years and have in that time been using a pre-payment meter. I have recently been sent a bill for over £800.00 as they have said I have not paid anything since I moved in. I was completely floored by this as I have been filling up the key on a weekly basis and the meter has been taking the payment. I didn't think to keep every receipt but have a few of the paypoint receipts that show payment to Eon and I paid by debit card for all the transactions so could probable trace every payment that way. I am so worried about this - They are asking me in effect to pay for my electricity twice. The lady on the phone kept insisting that I had been getting free electric for two years - I don't see how this would even be possible with a pre-payment meter If I don't top it up the key electric goes off so the concept of it staying on for two years is laughable. E on sent someone to look at the meter and they are now receiving the payments but are holding me responsible for the previous payments not going to them. Has anyone any idea how I can trace where the payments went too ? On the receipts the meter number is the same and it states the payment goes to Eon Can they really make me pay for the electricity I have used twice? Any help would be gratefully received as I have had so many conversations with Eon but don't seem to be getting any where.

I recently had a new electricity meter replaced (at the request of nPower, our supplier) on the 10th April 2014. On the meter plus card the guy left it states: R (meter number) 39998 F (meter number) 04775 on the 9th July i submitted my reading online: 5247 On contacting nPower to find out my balance, she manually worked out the approx bill (39952 on 27th nov 2013) and based on the start reading on the card (04775 to 5247) This gives us an overall CREDIT of £700.00. She said it could be a few pounds either side, as it wouldn't be exact. On contacting them today, they have based on the bill on a start reading (on the new meter) of '0'. Is this right? Does the meter plus card hold any weight in respect of the readings? Is the reading on the card (marked F) the start reading of the new meter? nPower have passed it onto their 'back-office' which could take upto 28 days to resolve. but I was assured the manual reading was accurate (and certainly not out by £700) Please help with whatever advice you can please. Thanks James

Hello, My landlord has informed me that Npower will be attending some time next week to fit a prepayment meter. However, where the current meter is, I have no access to. I live in a farmhouse ajacent to a farm and the meter is in a buildiing on the actual farm (which doesnt belong to me) which is on private ground an has a gate with a lock on it. How am I supposed to access it to put credit on it? Are they allowed to do this? Can I request that the meter be moved to the house? Thanks.

I just received a letter from British Gas - "We would like to exchange your electricity meter. Every so often we are required to exchange your meter to ensure its continued accuracy and safety. Your electricity meter is now due to be exchanged and we need to arrange a date and time to come to your home and install the new meter...." Now - I have a gas meter with British Gas for my GAS supply And I have an electricity meter with EDF as my ELECTRICITY supplier. So why are British Gas writing to me telling me they are required to exchange my electricity meter?? just to try and get my electricity business too??? Curious. Before I throw the letter in the bin !!!

Hi, I'm a small landlord of a shop. The shop tenant returned the keys to me Sat 5th July and told me the elec was up to date. Shop had a clear 'To Let' notice on it with my phone number. I've received no letters or any other clue something was amiss. Today, I missed a call, picked up the voicemail after work, a guy purporting to be from Opus saying they have a Warrant of Entry and they will breaking in in the next 5-10mins. I frantically called back thinking they have caused damage to my shop. They used a locksmith to get in and replace the meter with a smart meter - without my consent or knowledge. They now say I'm liable and their standing charge is a down right criminal 95p a day!!! The shop is empty and I'm advertising for new tenants. Can they just break in like that now that the shop is back with me and not the previous tenant. They have left no paperwork. They could clearly see the shop was now empty (was a sandwich shop with displays/fridge etc). I've a witness who tried to call me several times to alert me to someone trying to break into the shop. She was yelling at them to call me - she pointed them to the sign saying the shop is for 'To Let' and previous owner has ceased trading last week. She said they didn't care and only after her yelling at them did they bother to call me. Any help with this. Thanks,

Account with British Gas for Gas, currently in credit and have been for some time. Bill is always estimated. They want to check the meter for so called safety reasons, no problem with that. However, they come out, nobody is at home, they leave a card saying when they'll be back and then don't come back at the time they say they will, this has happened several times over the years and as the occupant is registered disabled, getting to the door sometimes can be a task and by the time they do the gas person has gone. Last week they received a letter from face2face naming them or the occupier( reminds me of InterimJustica for some reason) Letter is headed British Gas & Face2face no signature at the bottom. It gives the details of the account number and dated the last week in April It goes on URGENT: WE ARE GETTING A WARRANT TO INSPECT YOUR METER Dear Customer. We are working on behalf of BRITISH GAS British Gas is required by law to inspect your meter every so often, and your meter is due for inspection. We've made a number of attempts to gain access to your property without success. We have also written to you on several occasions asking you to make an appointment for us to enter your property and inspect your gas meter. We are now serving notice in writing of our intention to make an application for a Warrant of Entry. This is in accordance with the Rights of Entry ( Gas and Electricity Boards ) act 1954, Section 2 ( Amended 1995) from .......INSERT COURT ADDRESS HERE) You may attend this application The purpose of our court attendance will be to apply for a warrant to enter your premises so we can inspect the meter in accordance with our rights under paragraph 23(2) of schedule 2B of the gas Act 1986 You should be made aware that if we are granted the warrant we have the right to enter your property, if necessary by force. If we do have to do this we will make sure your property is secure when we leave. ---It goes on to say: If we do not hear from you the warrant will be executed within 28 days of the application' who is to say they will be granted it? All very vague. Yours Faithfully Face2face Contact L-mited Authorised Officer of British Gas ----- Ordinarily the person named on the letter (they are NOT the owner) would have made an appoinment to let BG in but as BG don't seem to stick to their info on the card stating when they are coming back but then dont...then the occupier is pretty upset they've now got the faceless wonders face2face issuing threats and are reluctant to enter into any dialogue with them given it's British Gas who they are with. The letter seems wrong on several points, maybe it's just me but its sort of unclear who is wanting to enter, it quotes British Gas have to inspect your meter every so often...which im sure they do ( they dont say how often though? ) but then says 'we've made a number of attempts to gain access....but who? British Gas or face2face ? This is the first they're heard from face2face? It goes on to say they're also written? who has? face2face has not written previous from what I can gather. At the same time as this it is not clear if Face2face are authorised to check the meter? There is nothing on their website to say they're 'GasSafe' , what authority do they have? If it were me dealing with face2face I would make things as difficult for them as I could, no other letter has been received from them and the first contact and they send then above, useless articles they are. Any pointers/advice is welcome (other than to contact face2face which isnt going to happen) Thankyou!

EDF say I built up a debt of around £2.5K with them. This was despite my direct debit having been in place - they simply failed to collect the agreed amount for over a year whilst I was abroad. They say they notified me of this in emails, but they did not - I only started getting emails a few months ago when they realised their error. Basically they stopped billing me after changing to a smart meter, they must have got their records confused. I was exasperated by their conduct towards me, which included lies about having emailed me and not taking my code complaint seriously (I was requesting a bill revision to exclude debt more than 1 year old), so I decided to switch supplier. In April, I was accepted by Ovo and have been with them for several months now. Despite having written several times to EDF to point this out (and even having it confirmed by email) they continue to send letters threatening installation of a prepayment meter via a warrant. Can they obtain such a warrant? Do they have to let me know, is there a court hearing which I can attend? Can they install a prepayment meter at a property where they are no longer the supplier?

Hi , I wonder if anyone could shed any light on this - any comments much appreciated: I am a customer of Spark Energy and had my first electricity bill recently. While the meter readings are correct (not estimated), I am confused as I think they may be trying to bill me on 2 different tariffs. The situation is that I live in a house which has been converted into flats - 1 on ground (mine) and 1 on 1st floor. Our meter boxes are outside the property. Inside my meter box, I have 1 electricity meter (there is no gas in the property). However, this one meter seems to have 2 different MPANs - 1 beginning with 02 (which means Economy 7 tariff) and 1 beginning with 01 (which means Domestic Unrestricted, i.e. standard tariff). When I read the meter, I provided 3 meter readings as there were 3 already set up on my online account - reading 1 is Day, reading 2 is Night (these are both on the same MPAN), and reading 3 is Unrestricted (this is on the same MPAN). I got these just by pressing the button on my digital meter until the 3 different readings came up. I submitted these to Spark Energy and after much chasing the eventually issued me a bill. I am on the Economy 7 tariff (as I have electric storage heaters and thought this would be the most economical), so should only pay a Day rate and a Night rate. This is displayed on one page of my bill. However, a separate rate for "Unrestricted" use is displayed on a separate page of my bill which is very expensive. As I am on Economy 7, and have been previously with other suppliers, I should only pay a Day and Night rate - I have never come across being billed for Unrestricted before. From my experience, and looking at Spark Energy and other suppliers' websites, Economy 7 only ever has 2 readings - Day and Night - and "Unrestricted" is a separate method of metering for people who are on a single-rate tariff. Spark Energy's website says explicitly that "Simple Unrestricted means a single rate tariff that usually only has 1 reading, i.e, not Economy 7, Economy 10 or white meter" - meaning that Economy 7 and "Simple Unrestricted" are two different tariff methods so I think that means a customer cannot be billed by both methods. This "Unrestricted" is on a separate page to my Day and Night readings, suggesting that it is in fact a separate tariff to my Economy 7 plan and is double-counting my usage or unrelated to what I should be paying under an Economy 7 plan. When I asked the Customer Service Department they couldn't tell me what the "Unrestricted" rate covered or why it appeared on my Economy 7 bill which should only show 1 Day and 1 Night usage figure. They suggested that sometimes a property is billed for some parts separately and this is what the "Unrestricted" reading covers (e.g. if the property has a garage or immersion heater it could be wired to the meter separately) but this doesn't apply to me as my property is a very small 1-bedroom flat with a combi-boiler and no outbuildings. When I raised this as a complaint with Spark Energy, I was told that the Unrestricted usage was definitely mine, and that some appliance(s) must be wired in to the meter separately from the main wiring, and that this meant I had 2 MPANs and had to pay the standard Unrestricted rate on this usage. Spark Energy are unable to give me any information about what appliances are wired up to each meter, and they have said an electrician would be able to tell but they won't provide one (I am now trying to get my Landlord to send an electrician round to check). I am worried that things like the electric storage heating is hooked up to the Unrestricted MPAN meaning I am not benefitting from the Economy 7 cheaper overnight rate. ---------------------------- What I would like advice on is: 1. Can 1 input-only (i.e. non-export) meter have 2 MPANS? 2. Have I understood correctly that it is EITHER you are charged Economy 7 tariff OR you are charged Standard rate? Rather than it being possible for the supplier to charge you for usage under both rates? 3. Is it possible that two properties can be charged off the same meter, but under 2 different MPANs? (i.e. is it possible that the "Unrestricted" usage on my meter is to do with the flat upstairs?) 4. Can an electricity company make you pay for "Unrestricted" rates, when you have signed up for and only agreed to an Economy 7 plan? If you need any more information please let me know. Thanks guys!

Hey guys, I wonder if someone can help. Last time I was here, Ploddertom and wonkydonkey were brilliant when it came to reigning in the HMRC bully boys that attempted to steal £k's from me. I have posted this over at MSE. Although I am receiving helpful responses, there is a lack of definitive answers. I fell into arrears last year with electricity provider - Npower. We came to an agreement on a repayment plan but unfortunately as I am self-employed I defaulted on payments again. Npower then refused to budge. They wanted to fit a pre-payment meter. My son's use of the internet for study (examination period) made me reluctant to agree. Anyway, I was notified of Npower's - thru Utility Management Services - intention to make an application for warrant of execution. This would enable them to fit the meter. The court date was set for 20th May in a location 250 miles from my home. With work at a premium right now, and funds scarce I could not afford a 500 mile round trip on a weekday. The following day three cowboy's arrived, informing me a warrant had been granted and they wanted to execute it. They showed me a piece of paper - supposedly proving said warrant - but could not give me a copy. There was little I could do because although I could deny them access to the house, the acutal meter is on the outside of the premises. So I was forced to relent and let them fit it. Having done some research there are a few anomalies which I would like to address: i) I read on the CAB that you must be given notice that the warrant was issued and then given 7 days to make payment. I was given 1 day and not informed that the warrant was granted. Npower say that it says on their letter - notifying me that they will make an application for warrant - that they will call immediately at my property. This is true, but does it exempt them from the 7 days notice and notification of successful application? ii) The amount outstanding has increased by almost £900 since yesterday. When I phoned Npower, I was told that: £150 court fees £50 engineer fees £600 'other charges'. Is this all legitimate? iii) The debt collector couldn't provide me with a warrant and when I requested the warrant number from Npower they replied, 'You'll have to contact the court'. Is this standard practice?

After being with Scottish Power for over 3 years without any problems, I received a statement in September to inform me that, despite having paid the same amount (£69-70) a month for quite some time, my account was in debit by over £650 and that my direct debit would be £158 a month. This was very clearly wrong so I inspected the statement closely. It was then that I found the meter readings they had estimated for that bill had been swapped, leaving my night and day usage very different to those I was seeing on my meter. I tried to call them but was unable to get through I sent a detailed email, demonstrating the mistake and using their bill reading from the last statement to show how much it should have been with the unit prices given. I waited for several days to hear back but couldn't risk their new direct debit being set in motion before the matter was resolved so called again. The person I spoke to got rather upset by my tenacious attitude to my calculations being correct, even going so far as to tell me that I couldn't use the readings given in the bills Scottish Power had based all of their bills and charges on because they were only estimates. I calmly pointed out that, given the bill at an estimate and working out the extra amount up to the ACTUAL current readings would still be correct (being a maths teacher comes in handy sometimes you know!) I was told he would look into it and call me back the next day between 4 and 5pm. At 5:15pm I called them up again and spoke to someone who finally acknowledged that the readings had been changed, although he said it was quite some time back. To establish which reading was which I had to go through some procedures to get several spaced readings. I dutifully did this, calling back with my readings. He told me that, as the evening one showed movement of both readings, it wasn't good enough as it had to be only one. I pointed out that the other readings had only one moving but he wouldn't accept it and I had to go through the same procedure again with him phoning me. Once this had clarified the meters were the way I had said, an amended bill was sent through, illustrating the credit I expected to be in. I did not receive any new letter regarding my monthly payment I called them up and got verbal confirmation that my monthly DD would return to £69, which it did in October. This, I thought, was the matter resolved, although I was so disappointed with the way I had been treated and made to feel like I was at fault all the way through, not to mention the complete lack of apology from them for the distress and anxiety they had caused, that I looked into alternative suppliers. Imagine my surprise then to find they had changed my DD again this month, with no notice, and put it up to £93 (not a number quoted to me in any correspondence from them). As we have been living quite close to the edge this last few months, this could have taken quite a large impact on my financial situation, causing bank charges and return of payments. Would someone please give me some advice on what the best way to handle this is? I have cancelled my direct debit with the bank but don't trust their customer service to even listen before making judgement on whether I'm trouble. Is there someone higher up who would take this matter more seriously? If I hadn't been more than a little competent in understanding the maths behind how bills are put together I would have been forced to concede the advisors were correct and paid up £650+ that I didn't owe. I certainly wouldn't want this happening to anyone else if I can help it. Thanks

hi guys Wonder if you can all help me please. n power are currently threatening to install a prepay meter in my home due to not being able to afford there bills this has been going on for years. We was in alot of arrears few years back which we was paying on standing order every 4 weeks without fail and our bills was coming down nicely then out of the blue they said that standing order was no longer a recognized payment and we should now pay by direct debit. I explained that my husband gets paid 4 weekly and if we set up direct debit then they are unlikely to get the money but they insisted so we switch to DD and they failed to get money due to other bills taking it. We had a visit from someone on behalf of n power and after showing them all the letters and explained to them the circumstances they just walked out apologizing saying he can not enforce anything due to them changing payment and us paying for over a year by standing order. Can anyone advise on what to do because im really getting stressed with all the threatening letters with court and prepayment meters im not refusing to pay but they now want £200 a month electric and £150 gas a month and there is no way i can afford that :-x:-x:-x:-x