It appears a number of Gas & Electricity Companies will not offer the best tariff if you do not have a Smart Meter.....Blackmail FS

we have always had pre-payment meters as they are easier to run being on a low income a year or so ago, could be longer, we had an eon smart meter put in for the electric, at the time we had the old style key that you had to take to a shop to top up, the key goes back into the meter and that tops it up so a smart meter was in, and we could "top up" online, pretty good. around two weeks ago the smart meter was just showing "000s" everywhere, for the time, and all readings over the last couple of months the eon website was really terrible to use too, payments were being made but not going to the meter etc we tried to make a top up last night, just got a circle while the page was loading, nothing happening, we checked the online bank and payment went through then this morning the electric went off after ages on the phone, they gave me a code to enter into the meter, this got us back on but smart meter display still showing no info my other half the account holder rang them this evening, we need a new smart meter, and how stupid is this........ we cant have one meter swapped for another they have to install an old type meter with key first and then come back another time to put another smart meter in SO MUCH FOR PROGRESS!! its a good exercise in time wasting though I think more than likely, we will stick with the key meter.

My energy supplier is Eon Energy. They have been very aggressive to try to provide me a smart meter. They come and visit me and want to talk to me but they never make an appointment. They call me all the time. I am most upset that they also decided to get in touch with my psychiatrist. I have no idea how they even know the name of this person and the contact details. Needless to say that I am horrified. I have sent Eon Energy a SAR request but no reply at all. I have contacted them by sending them letters and complaining about their behaviour but no reply. I have chatted with them online and I got the transcripts. All Eon Energy wants to do is to talk to me. But I don't like talking. I feel that my privacy has been violated. I don't think Eon Energy needs to contact any medical professional and get my medical records so that they could provide me a smart meter. I don't think I even need a smart meter. How would I handle this matter? Information Commissioner's Office? Energy Ombudsman? Or something else?

So I take care of Gas/Electricity switching for my grandmother, so her account is linked to my e-mail address as I submit meter readings online for her and such since she's basically a technophobe for anything more than a TV, and when I checked my e-mails this morning I had one from EDF saying "Thanks for booking an appointment to have Smart Meters installed" I hadn't made any such appointment online, and my grandmother had made no such appointment on the phone either, so EDF had simply taken it upon themselves to book a Smart Meter installation for her in 2 weeks time. Fortunately I was able to login to her account online and find the not very obvious link to cancel the appointment (When you go into the appointment, there's huge buttons for rescheduling it to another time, but the link to Cancel is somewhat hidden. It's basically in a sentence that said "Or if you'd like you can Cancel your booking" with the word cancel just being a Hyperlink), but it's certainly worrying that they're now just forcing appointments on people without even asking and, had I not been able to check my e-mails due to being on holiday or away with work then in 2 weeks time some stranger would have just turned up at my grandmothers door telling her he was there to change the meters. The main reasoning behind not having smart meters at the moment is simply due to the number of stories I've seen in the past year or two about poor installation jobs leading to gas leaks, boiler breakdowns, electricity surges damaging equipment, etc. Last thing we want to risk right now is for someone barely trained turning up, rushing a meter swap and leaving asap and then a woman in her late 80s being left with no heating in the current weather conditions. Just thought I'd post this as a word of warning for anyone else with EDF to keep a lookout for.

As a landlord I am continuously surprised at what tenants will allow them selves to be conned into, this tale hurts my sense of fair play to tenants and I hope you guys can help. My friend is the 4th tenant T4, in a shared flat above a shop in south London (shop also owned by LL). It seems to be on individual contracts. The LL assigned my friend T4 with the responsibility of paying the metered supply water bill to the water company (lets call them WC as I am not sure who they are as yet). She calls WC and they arrange 1/4ly DD of £300. Although they did not change the name on the bill it remains the name of the previous tenant even though now T4 is paying the DD and collecting the other shared contributions from the T1, T2, and T3 At some point it is discovered that the shop below, with a loo and a kitchen, are on the same meter, and that the WC has them on a commercial rate. T4 asked the WC to come and see what was up and they confirmed single meter, commercial rent, and that meter had not been read correctly since june2018 and they in fact owe 2K in back charges. So T4 and her pals have been paying the water for the shop since June last year, the LL knew this but did not tell T4 or her buddies. They have spoken to resolver who have said because the water comes in via the shop, then they must pay commercial rates - its about twice what a normal water bill should be - now I think resolver probably cannot think outside the box here... Anyway what to do? I am tempted to advise T4 to just stop paying and give the WC the LL name and address as the bill payer. I feel like LL has committed a fraud by a) not telling them they were paying for the shop, and b) not paying to have a 2nd supply added to the flat. T4 is moving out at the end of April 19 and wants to try and resolve it so that she does not have to pay these ridiculous water charges. WC seem ambivalent, (as you would expect, they are making the dough right now) LL said tough **** sort it out with shop below. T's 1-3 are spineless and my friend T4 is trying to sort it out. Any advice?

I'm with Scottish Power pre-payment meter with key. Put £15 on card as usual. The gas meter read "error call help". So rang up and had the gas machine replaced with a new one. The person on the phone said they'll give me +£10 credit. Got new card in the mail later. Placed £5 to test. No extra +£10 credit, just the £5 I put on, and I still have the receipt of the original £15 and the old card. What are my options if they say they can't do anything about the £15? Not too bothered about the promised credit.

I have been living in my current flat for approximately 5 years. Firstly with a partner and recently by myself. During this whole time I have had a pre payment meter taking debt every time I top up for a previous tenant. Through my own laziness and stupidity I didn't pursue the issue. I tried to at first but couldn't figure out where to start and about a year or so ago the 'debt' being taken off was a negligible amount (approximately 50p-£1 for every £10 I topped up). However, recently the rate that the debt is added seemed to have escalated to £2-£3 per £10 topped up. I should have pursued this much sooner I realise this, but I would really like them to stop charging me for a debt that has never been mine and to recover some or all of the money that I have paid towards this debt that is not and never has been mine. Is anyone able to advise who I should contact and how I should go about this?

Hi Caggers! I have a friend who is at the end of her tether with Scottish Power. She has a Gas Key for prepayment, however, has not used gas for approximately 6-9 years, possibly longer. This was due to the boiler breaking down and this was the only usage of gas, therefore she only uses electric immersion for the water heating. SP sent an invoice for money owing and after she quizzed them due to none usage they told her it was for X amount of standing charges for the gas meter. The agent for SP told her to ignore the bill due to none usage of gas and therefore she accepted that until she received another demand. Once the next agent told her a different story she requested the gas meter to be removed from her house. This request was made approximately 6+ years ago and was never actioned, until April 2018.Now of course they are demanding the standing charges for the last 6+ years at approximately £465. After numerous calls chasing up the removal and she was always told they were going to send somebody to do the removal. After many years of waiting they now sent her a bill for the entire periods of standing charges, which she disputes as she requested the removal, common sense eh? Now due to the hassle factor she has agreed to pay weekly when she tops up with her Electric Key to stop the hassle, but they do not appear to register these payments against her account as they have now issued a DC to chase her for the 'debt'. Now she contacts SP to inform them she has already made 3 payments to the account which they confirmed, but since then they know nothing of these payments and the DC keeps hassling her. Firstly, can she fight SP to actually cancel this debt in the first place as her request for removal was ignored? Secondly, how can we get this monster of a company to realise her payments already made need to be linked to her 'gas account' although she never buys gas? Any help would be greatly appreciated. regards stuscfc

Had a new water meter fitted outside my property on the pavement 18 June 18. Water pipe to the house sprung a leak. Confirmed by Portsmouth Water board as being before the internal stop cock. Now they want me to pay for repairs even though there was no leak before fitting.

Good afternoon all, I hope that the good posters in this forum will be able to advise me on how to resolve a problem that my neighbours and I are experiencing with the electricity meters for our flats. Please bear with me while I give you the background to this problem. In our apartment block (total of 9 flats, 3 on each floor) our meters are in a locked/coded room, with the management company's logo on the door. Residents are given full access to the room. On Monday 16th July 2018, I experienced several power outages. When I investigated further, I found an electrician working inside the locked room on behalf of one of my neighbours, who were having power issues of their own. He turned off the isolator fuse switch underneath the meter that was clearly labelled for flat 125 (my flat is 137). This cut the power to my flat completely. Their electrician explained that the meter that is labelled to my flat is actually supplying electricity to flat 149. The meter that is labelled for flat 141 is actually supplying electricity to flat 125. My neighbour in flat 149 is unsure which meter should be theirs. Chances are my neighbours and I have all been either dramatically overpaying for our electric or massively underpaying. In the case of my neighbour at 141, he had what he believed was a pre-paid meter. This meant that even though he was topping up the meter, he was actually paying for 125! From speaking with the neighbours about this they are all with different suppliers: 125 - British Gas 149 - Spark Energy 137 (myself) - nPower 141 - British Gas I first notified my management company (I am the lease holder of my flat) about this on 16/07. They were adamant that it was my energy provider's (nPower) responsibility and nothing to do with them. nPower then confirmed that the MPAN for the meter labelled as 137 was registered to my flat, completely ignoring what I told them about it being physically incorrect. Interestingly, speaking to my neighbour 149, Spark Energy are adament that my meter is registered to them but for 149. Since then I've had two nPower meter people out. The first one was a complete waste of my time. The second basically replicated the issue and said that there was nothing more that he could do. After a 3 hour phone call to nPower on Friday morning the manager I spoke to (who was dealing with my complaint) said that the only way to resolve this would be to get an electrician in myself. I do not have the money to pay for the no doubt large 3 figure sum involved to put this right. I've also been told by several people (including a Customer Service Agent at my DNO) that a private electrician wouldn't be "allowed" to change any of the cables. I've also confirmed with my neighbours that we are unwilling to pay for something that isn't our fault and has likely been the case since the apartments were built in 2006. What would you recommend to do next? Really don't know how to proceed. Thanks Jamie

Hi, am new to place, wish you all well. My problem happened weeks ago, the B Gas Revenue Protection Team lock pick in to my shop and took my meter away and said i am suspicious for Tampering their meter. The Meter was outside the shop front behind the counter table, when they come to get the meter reading, i always let them in straight away. What i had in mind was "Since i haven't done anything to the meter, it shouldn't be a problem with it anyway, if they want to check, let them do it." The reason they think i tampered the meter is because the gas usage in my shop is lower than the average usage around my shop. (My shop is new takeaway in the area, only opened less than 1 year so not many business going on, that's why the usage was lower than other shop.) BUT They come back today with the test results which said "The test results shows Diaphragm Has Not Been Tampered." but in their Conclusion it said "In My Opinion, The Meter Has Been Programmed Reverse." (They said there is some wearing in side the pinion this is why they think the meter has been reversed before. though i still have no idea how this works... how can a meter reverse and still working?) (I had been ask them if they know when the reverse happened, the Company who did the check said they don't know when it happened but the guy who brings the report said it happened after i took over the shop, no roughly information of month) and now they took my meter away and asking me to pay 5300 before they can reinstall the meter back if not they will call the police and bring me on court. i have called British Gas to ask what is really happening and why i got accused for it when i have no idea about it. but they always passed me through to the guy who took the meter away. I HAVE NOT done anything to the meter, and I CAN'T Afford to play 5000 now to get my business back on running... and the business is my only income... they stopped it now which means there is no way i can make 5000. I really need some advice of what i should do.... i don't want to take this blame since i actually haven't done anything to the meter. and now my only income, my business has been closed because of this....

N power fitted a prepayment meter even though I was not in debt because of estimated readings. Before they did so they left a warning notice saying my gas was unsafe to use because of leaves in floe(Sep 2015). I had not used gas for sometime as boiler was broke. N Power were aware of this. I never fixed boiler and moved out last year so prepayment meter was never activated. 6 months after moving I receive a bill for over £800 in standing charges. I have been to ombudsman who were useless even contradicting himself and inaccurate amounts and dates. I have appealed but no joy. My question is should a prepayment meter have been fitted if an at risk notice was attached or should my gas have been disconnected and hence no daily charges?

Hi i have arrears on my gas and electric and failed to maintain previous agreements with them due to health reasons . They said they have been to court and will be fitting prepayment meters even though this is not what i want said it's too late to agree anything now that they can't give me a date when they'll come it'll be when ever they can, they won't give me a day. they were rather rude on the phone.

last year I helped my grandmother switch from EON to Scottish Power to save some money on her energy bills, in October of last year when they requested meter readings we noticed that the previous meter reading showing on their website was in the region of 6000 units lower than the reading we had just taken. We contacted Scottish Power using their online contact form and explained the situation, they requested a photograph of the meter showing the serial number and current reading, then confirmed that the serial number was correct and that the meter read was indeed anomalous. At this point they requested we take photographs of the meter reading every day for a week to check if there was an issue with the meter reading too fast, we provided these at the end of the week the usage seemed normal, Scottish Power determined that the previous supplier had given them an incorrect opening meter read. On 2nd November Scottish Power advised that they would go back to the previous supplier and request that they amend their final meter read to a correct one and that within 28 days the opening meter reading on the Scottish Power account would be corrected. Shortly after my grandmother received an amended final bill from eON for £90 which showed they had amended their final meter read to the one specified by Scottish Power. After this was paid we just assumed that the issue would be resolved. Come late December Scottish Power sent an automated mail requesting meter readings so we took these, upon logging in to the website again we found that the online account still showed a meter read 6000 units too low. I replied to Scottish Power's e-mails on the matter on 25th December and received a response on 2nd January apologising and stating that they would once again get in touch with eON to have them amend their final meter read and that the issue would be resolved within 28 days. I immediately replied to this e-mail on the same day, advising Scottish Power that the previous supplier had already amended their final meter reading and that the issue was with the Scottish Power opening read, and that any changes needed to be carried out by Scottish Power. I never received a response to this mail. I sent another mail reply on 13th January, beyond the automated "We will respond within 48 hours" there was no reply forthcoming, and the online Scottish Power account still shows a meter reading 6000 units short of what it should be. As far as I can tell what's happened is that either Scottish Power have made a mistake when opening the account, as it appears from the amended final bill that eON did provide a correct final read originally, or shortly after opening the account a Scottish Power meter reader came to the property and read the meter, because the meter is at floor level they mistook a 6 for a 0 and then amended the meter read downwards themselves. We just want Scottish Power to amend the meter read on their system so that we can submit accurate meter readings without running the risk of being charged for 6000 units of usage that has already been paid to previous suppliers. Long term this issue also prevents switching providers as the new provider will be given the incorrect meter reads and the problem will start all over again. All communication with Scottish Power so far has been in writing via e-mail and we'd prefer to keep it that way so that everything is recorded/documented. I was planning on following the Scottish Power official complaints process this weekend, before that I was wondering if anyone here had an e-mail address for the Scottish Power CEO that I could try and contact on my grandmothers behalf and see if they can get this issue sorted out faster.

Hello all, Thank you for taking the time to read my post and any advice appreciated. My parents own a Chinese takeaway and live in the adjoining house next door. They moved in 17 years ago after the initial contact with British gas to inform them they have moved in (which I think I did for them as a teenager) they have not had much contact since and just paid bills as and when they arrived. Always assumed one meter for the takeaway and the residential house as they both share the same door number. In all truthfulness I think they probably knew that something wasn't quite right but with limited English without relying on others they never tried in earnest to peruse the reasons why their gas bill felt cheap. a man came to the door a couple of weeks ago and asked to see the gas meter. My father showed him to the box which is attached to the outside of the house as that's the one that's always been read by British gas. He asked for access to the box that they usually show the npower for electric but they couldn't find the key at the time and takeaway was open. The man said he would be back but wouldn't give my father a business card. All he got was a bit of paper with a mobile number and first name. I come back from holiday abroad and my father tells me about this man. I wasn't keen to ring a random mobile number on a piece of paper and my father couldn't even tell me what company he was from (I accept he may have tried to explain himself to my father but surely he should've recognised that there was a language barrier and his point may not have been communicated) I did my own investigations and we realised there was an additional meter. I rang citizens advice and M meter number helpline and concluded that the meter is not registered and must be for the takeaway only. The meter which has been registered with British gas is actually for the residential part of the property. I then called uswitch to seek some advice on getting the meter registered (as citizens advice suggested picking a supplier). They did a bit of digging for me and I've been talking to Eon about registering a shipperless supply. In the meantime my father was waiting for the gentleman to return armed with instructions to find out where he was from. He did return tonight, with a warrant. This time he had the police and all of his ID and helpfully gave my father a letter as he cut off the supply to his livelihood and took the meter away with a number to ring on Monday. I briefly got to talk to the gentleman on the phone as my parents rang me in distress. It sounded like this gentleman feels like he has made all the communication he needed to before taking the meter away. However, I've not seen any letters or correspondence from British gas. He claims to have been to the premises on numerous occasions and couldn't get access but the takeaway is not open before 5pm so if he came during regular working hours that would indeed be the case. He told me that the options were to "pay the bill tonight" or "be cut off" but we've had no additional bills and when I queried said bill on the phone to prevent being cut off he said he "hadn't worked it out yet". Having now read the only piece of written correspondence that has been left, it seems that my parents have been accused of tampering with their meter and they need to ring a phone number on Monday to settle an amount that is before reconnecting. I'm not disputing that there is a problem that needs to be rectified. However, I feel that to come and cut the supply off at 5pm on Friday night, knowing that their business can't run over the weekend and no one is around for them to seek help is quite out of order. Perhaps I should've called the mobile number first rather than seek third party advice but I honestly questioned the identity of the man who came round and wouldn't leave a business card or official letter. If the meter wasn't registered to British Gas was he allowed to take the meter? As I said I was in the process of talking to Eon to sort out the supply. I think the issue is murkied by the fact that the residential property and takeaway both share the same door number and apparently it is British Gas business which supplies the address. Thank you for taking the time to read. Haven't been able to sleep because of it. Any advice greatly appreciated.

We rent retail premises which has a totally separate flat above it. A box on the wall at the rear of the property contains the electricity meters. British Gas were 'kind' enough to update the meters to digital style meters a couple of years ago, leaving the old meters in place but in the process they connected BOTH properties to one new meter. This means that British Gas are now billing the tenants of the flat at a domestic rate and ourselves in the shop on a business rate for the same electricity. We have it in writing from British Gas that this is the case, despite this, they were unable/unwilling to do anything about it, so we took our case to the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman agreed BG should rectify the problem, but it did not happen, BG ignored the request and the Ombudsman tells us they have no power to force BG to carry out their recommendations. British gas have promised numerous times to come to meet us at the premises, so we can show them what has been done but never turn up, obviously BOTH bills are incorrect, since each bill is for the electricity used by whole building since there is now only one meter. Does anyone at all have any suggestions as to how we can get British Gas to take some action?

Hello fellow CAGers, I'm trying to help my Uncle here. He received a notice to apply for a warrant with a £300 debt. However, he paid the debt in full 2 days before the hearing. EON went ahead with the hearing and got a warrant. Two days later they (or their agents) created huge panic with my Aunt and Nieces when they used a locksmith to break into the house to fit a prepayment meter. The meter is on the outside of the house and easily accessible so there was no reason to break in. (I understand they may want to inspect appliances). My question is what can be done? The warrant was obtained illegally/immorally and the representative must have confirmed to the bench that the debt was outstanding and cannot have exercised due diligence to confirm that the debt was outstanding or they lied. A complaint was made to Eon a few weeks ago and they have not responded despite saying they will reply within 5 working days. I'm thinking a lot of wrongs here. No debt, warrant obtained illegally/dishonestly/negligently, tort, alarm and trespass. Thoughts on next course of action?

I have repeatedly tried to get a smart meter installed and British Gas has failed to do so. They attended the property, and then said they needed access to next door too and would arrange access. They have failed to do so. They have repeatedly missed appointments at installing a smart meter at all. They have however tried to sell me a new boiler, even lying and claiming that my present boiler could "blow up". Their words, not mine. An independent gas inspector burst out laughing. Anyway, what is the legal perspective of this. It is impossible to monitor energy use with an ancient gas meter in the cellar. My lodger burns energy like god knows what by having the heating on 28c at 4am and cannot see the results of it - I'm getting fed up with £800 per quarter gas bills.

Hi Everyone, I have been trying to have Smart Meters fitted by edf since last August. Initially, they were not available.. Fair enough. Then in November, I was given a date of 16 December 2016 for removing the existing meters and replace them with "Smart? Meters". Whilst the swap out happened, the new meters were left non-operational and not actually commissioned either.. Failed appointments after failed appointments, and here we are at the end of June with a commissioned Gas Meter, not a commissioned Electricity Meter, and no Room Display Unit (which as a disabled amputee with a heart condition was the initial appeal for the Smart Meters, as my meters are in the basement and I cannot get down there to read them to see how much Gas and Electricity I am using..) I have finally had to resort to the ombudsman, and just wondered if this was a common issue with edf or utility companies in general..?? I look forward to hearing other people's experiences.. Keep Smiling.. James

Thank you for reading. I have a problem with my electric meter. I will try to keep this brief, I have a low reading and a normal reading and it appears that I have only been billed for the low reading (I'm worried it may be since I have been in the property 8 years). The low reading is registering units during the DAY and NIGHT!. So I am assuming I am being charged for my day time usage at the lower price. I have notified British Gas, but only after there was a problem with them excepting my latest meter reading. They are going to fit a new meter and bill me based on my last true reading, but how can they do this if this has been happening since I have been in the property (worse case scenario) and I have been paying but at the lower rate. They are ringing me this afternoon to discuss billing so am still in the dark. I'm so worried about this, any advice would be appreciated:!.

Greetings Ladies and Gents how often should Landis and Gyr 5235A / Ampy Automation 5235A Electric meter be replaced? The meter is the cheapest no frills anti-reverse digital electric meter they cost around £20 when they were introduced. I read somewhere ??? that it should be replaced every 10 years, however when I spoke to my current energy provider they said 2031 (25 years), that Centrica note above the meter was the provider when the meter was installed. Please click on the Image for larger and readable 800 X 600 (122KB) picture.

Hi Guys, I'm was a customer of GB energy, and after finding out they're I bust followed the advice to take a meter readings. However when I went to get the electric readings I found that my meter doesn't display the numbers and is faulty. GB energy will not respond and Ofgem keeps cutting me off when I try to phone them. Any advice please?

Hi All, Thank you in advance for reading my story. Back in February we had the meter reading guy taking the reading. For some reason he spent more than 10 min in the storage under the stairs. He left and after 2h we got a revenue protection investigator knocking on our door. He said a report has been received for meter tampering. After checking the meter he confirmed that a plastic protective cover is missing and this allows for the meter to be fiddled with. This was the first time that we were made aware of the issue and the investigator said it was not unusual with these type of old gas meters for the cover to get loose. The gas meter was changed in a few hours and a few weeks later we received a demand to pay £1400 for change of gas meter and gas used but not recorded by the meter. We had a couple of gas leaks when National Grid replaced the main gas pipes a year ago. We had many engineers coming and going trying to resolve the issue. We have no idea when this protective cover has disappeared and what has happened. We are being wrongly accused of tampering and the payment demands keep coming. I am speaking to a manager from SSE to try and resolve the issue but not sure where this will lead to. I have reading and bills from last 2 years and our gas consumption seems normal and in line with national average. Can anyone advise what further action we can take as last letter is a Statutory Demand and threatening with bailiffs and Rights of Entry Warrant, as this is really distressing especially when we have not done anything wrong. Thank you. Nick

Hello folk, I called my electricity supplier (extra energy) to tell them I wanted to go onto an economy 7/10 tariff, they told me that they can't do it because it meant replacing my meter Am I being lead down the garden path?

Hello I am in dispute with The UW over the erratic and high bills I have been receiving. Since early September I have been emailing the CEO office and trying to sort out what is going on . In the past year my so called smart meter has never been read by anyone other than me and I am not sure how to check it. They send very long wordy emails saying how good they are but do not answer my concerns. Eventually they suggested fitting a test meter. A meter inspector was sent to read my meter and he said that my smart meter was very old and that particular type was unreliable. An appointment was made, confirmed by letter,email and text but no one turned up so I decided to call them. After a long conversation with no explanation another appointment was made for today and guess what - no show. In the mean time I decided to change supplier, after all enough is enough. Initially UW objected but the new supplier says they are taking over both gas and electricity later this month. So after this lengthy pre-amble; should I contact Uw and tell them about the no show or do nothing and see if it swops over to new supplier?