Old Coin Electric Meter

[taznstacey]

We live in a shared house with 2 other people.

We have a Coin Meter for the Electric. We spend up to £9 a DAY on electric, yet he says its not fixed?

Surly there must be a way we can figure out if he is doing it?

If we ask for a bill or a key meter, does he have the right to keep the coin meter going?

[taznstacey]

We all complained to him last night, and about half 6 this morning we heard him come in. Now the electric isnt going down as much.

[hallowitch]

http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Consumers/CI/Pages/Resaleofgasandelectricity.aspx

 

 

you may find somthing to help you

[rebel11]

Hi taznstacey

 

Welcome to CAG

 

The guys will advise as soon as they are available. That is clearly not right, there is no way you use £9 worth of electricity a day. Even if you used 15 units at 30p a

unit it would cost you £4.50. I doubt the usage for the whole house would be 15 units and I doubt the cost per unit would be as high as 30p a unit.

 

Shelter - should be able to provide good advise - http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice

 

CAB - http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/family_parent/housing/tenancy_agreements.htm

 

Don't let the matter rest. He's profiting from the rent, thats fair, but he shouldn't be profiting from the Utilities you use.

[rebel11]

Could you explain a bit more?

 

We all complained to him last night, and about half 6 this morning we heard him come in. Now the electric isnt going down as much.

[taznstacey]

Could you explain a bit more?

 

Yesterday, there was £9 put in the meter box through out the day (still managed to shout 'electrics gone' 3 times ). And we all sat watching it go down at a rapid rate. We went to bed, after putting in another £1 and this morning about half 6ish, we heard the front door slam. (everyone else was in bed so we know it was L/L) and now the electric isnt going down as much as it was yesterday. He said on the phone last night that he would prove to us today that it wasnt going down that quick, so we think he has tampered with it?

[rebel11]

http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Consumers/Documents1/1970-mrp.pdf

 

Basically a landlord cannot profit from reselling energy to you.

[rebel11]

I'm not sure how long you've been there or how much monies you've put into the meter. It might be worth taking a meter reading, I'm not sure if you took one when you moved in.

[taznstacey]

We have been here since September. Me and my partner where the only ones living here and £5 electric would last a week or so. 2 other people moved in, about a month ago, and since then the electric has been up and down. Me and my partner have already complained to the L/L about this previously, and now all 4 of us have complained.

I just dont know where we stand by asking him for a Bill or a Key meter.

Last month, the Bill was £72 and in the meter box was £80 and he pocketed the £8, is that fair?

We are all at the point of breaking and dont know what to do about it.

[rebel11]

Hi taz

 

http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/EnergySupplyandPost/energysupply/managingbills/lanlord

 

Put in a written request to the landlord, send it recorded. Then contact Consumer Direct, the landlord clearly needs to return some of the monies and install an

updated meter which he can't tamper with. It won't cost anything to update.

[45002]

taznstacey

We have been here since September. Me and my partner where the only ones living here and £5 electric would last a week or so. 2 other people moved in, about a month ago, and since then the electric has been up and down. Me and my partner have already complained to the L/L about this previously, and now all 4 of us have complained.

I just dont know where we stand by asking him for a Bill or a Key meter.

Last month, the Bill was £72 and in the meter box was £80 and he pocketed the £8, is that fair?

We are all at the point of breaking and dont know what to do about it.

 

To change the meter to a utility company,you would need LL permission 1st and someone would have to pay the costs of having utility meter's fitted with all the necessary wiring...

 

Ask yourself,who's going to pay for that lot ?

 

Landlords coin meter are the pain in the butt and is a way of ripping off the tenant and filling greedy LL pockets with extra cash..

 

There are only 2 ways really to go about this,if your LL wont listen to you..

 

Find some where else to live and where the gas and electric is billed to"the tenant" you via utility meter

 

or

 

Sue your landlord via small claims at you local country court for over charge,you would need to take regular meter reading/details and work out how much the over charge is ?

 

This happen to me many years ago with the gas and i stopped using it and the LL had the meter taken out and gas sealed off

 

I been all electric since and are billed by a utility company

Edited November 29, 2010 by 45002

[dx100uk]

surely you should not all be on the same meter either?

 

dx

[rebel11]

Energy companies routinely change out of date meters, in fact they have on going programmes to update customers with modern meters, it would cost the landlord nothing at all.

[Surfer01]

Highly illegal for the LL to profit from the meter unless he has a supplier's licence and that is very unlikely. It reads as if he has his own coin meter installed. To provoke a reaction state that you think the meter is faulty and that you need it to be inspected. Put this is writing and also ask for the unit tariff plus daily standing charge. he does need to supply thsi otehrwise you can rasie an officila complaint. If a meter operator does arrive they will definitely change the meter as coin operated meters are well our dated and past their sell by date!

[45002]

Energy companies routinely change out of date meters, in fact they have on going programmes to update customers with modern meters, it would cost the landlord nothing at all.

 

From what taznstacey has posted

 

There a utility meter which the LL pays the Bill and connected to that is a LL meter £1.00 slot meter,which one pounds coins are used to buy electric from LL

 

Very ease for LL to get £1.00 slot meters http://www.wydels.co.uk/product_type.asp?typeID=139 and get a electrician to fit it.

[Surfer01]

Either way the LL cannot profit from it!

[45002]

Either way the LL cannot profit from it!

 

Which LL is doing,so there are only 2 ways really to go about this,if your LL wont listen to the tenant

 

Find some where else to live and where the gas and electric is billed to"the tenant" you via utility meter

 

or

 

Sue your landlord via small claims at you local country court for over charge,you would need to take regular meter reading/details and work out how much the over charge is ?

[Surfer01]

I don't think either suggestion is a viable option especially as the LL can be reported to Ofgem or the enw equivalent of Energywatch. As for small claims court you would be wasting your moneyas at the end of the day you need to prove the excess and without receipts almost an impossibility. Correct action is to report and once Ofgem have secured a conviction then you can consider suing for compensation..

[45002]

I don't think either suggestion is a viable option especially as the LL can be reported to Ofgem or the enw equivalent of Energywatch. As for small claims court you would be wasting your moneyas at the end of the day you need to prove the excess and without receipts almost an impossibility. Correct action is to report and once Ofgem have secured a conviction then you can consider suing for compensation..

 

really im surprised,do you think it's going to be that quick in Ofgem getting a conviction,but anyway unless i missed something where does it say LL can get a conviction for over charging ?

 

and did you read All of this http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Consumers/Documents1/1970-mrp.pdf

[Surfer01]

If yu took the time to read through the Ofgem site properly, the LL can be fined for makiing a profit if the LL does not have a supplier's licence. This can then lead to a conviction. No one said it would be quick, but Ofgem normally respond to ths type to issue fairly quickly. Small claims court would be a waste of time until LL has been fined or convicted besides you woudl still need proof of what he was being charged per unit by the utiltiy company and how much he as putting in his pocket.

[45002]

If yu took the time to read through the Ofgem site properly, the LL can be fined for makiing a profit if the LL does not have a supplier's licence. This can then lead to a conviction. No one said it would be quick, but Ofgem normally respond to ths type to issue fairly quickly. Small claims court would be a waste of time until LL has been fined or convicted besides you woudl still need proof of what he was being charged per unit by the utiltiy company and how much he as putting in his pocket.

 

really,with all due respect i thing your living in cloud cooku land,if you think Ofgem are going to drop everything and go to court over one case and think that's going to sort out this current problem.

 

LL has a utility meter in his name,wired would run to fuse board,then after that LL has choose to put a £1.00 slot meter in,from that meter wired to tenants flat/room,this goes on up and down the country.

 

What a LL chooses to do after the fuse board is up to him as long as it's done via a qualified electrician

 

Please tell me how you are going to stop LL from doing what i have described

[Surfer01]

You are really going off at a tangent by grasping at straws to ridule my posting. Time you r-read my posts as your answer to the OP are not very helpful. At no time did I state that Ofgem will drop everything, but that it will be sorted in due course. I made statement of fact, but it seems that you are more instrested in siding with the LL.

Please go to to the Ofgem site and read what it states. It does state that the LL cannot re-sell electric for a profit which is what the LL is doing unless they have a supplier's licence although it does not prevent them doing whatever they like after the distribution board. I have been in the utility business for a lot longer than yourself so just maybe I know what I am writing about. I am sure that Nottslad will agree with me.

[dx100uk]

this is correct he would need a suppliers licence.

 

and not profit from it.

 

totally unlawful.

 

off to ofgem

 

i wouldn't wait TBH

 

tell him you want the money back and a proper meter installed .

 

dx

[45002]

You are really going off at a tangent by grasping at straws to ridule my posting. Time you r-read my posts as your answer to the OP are not very helpful. At no time did I state that Ofgem will drop everything, but that it will be sorted in due course. I made statement of fact, but it seems that you are more instrested in siding with the LL.

Please go to to the Ofgem site and read what it states. It does state that the LL cannot re-sell electric for a profit which is what the LL is doing unless they have a supplier's licence although it does not prevent them doing whatever they like after the distribution board. I have been in the utility business for a lot longer than yourself so just maybe I know what I am writing about. I am sure that Nottslad will agree with me.

 

Ridicule!

 

im not siding with anyone,who said i was in the utility business

 

Just living in the real world,do you real think every single LL in the uk goes by the law ?

 

LL do resell at a profit and there not much you can do about it,after the £1.00 coin meters are installed past the fuse board

 

A lot of tenants wont even know what there rights are

 

I have read Ofgem site and they cant police every LL.

Edited November 29, 2010 by 45002

[dx100uk]

gentman please this is not helping the user

 

please take this off thread.

 

dx