Expensive coin meter???

gimmeitback

Hi all,

Two days ago i moved into a flat above a shop. The electric is on a coin meter. I put in £3 which moved the dial up and went back to my old house as i was moving the rest of my things the day after.

when i returned the electric had completely run out, god knows how long for and the only thing switched on was the fridge! I then put in another 7 or 8 pounds which took it to the max reading. This was basically almost gone by the end of the day.

I topped up again through the night and 2/3rds of it was used through the night.

The dial says each pound coin will get me 2.5 units. Is this normal? I have been reading a bit about things but not sure what to do.

I have my own fuse box in my flat so dont think others are running off of mine (there are two bedsits above my flat, all three of us are above a shop).

Here is the intresting bit though. There is no lock on the meter, meaning at the moment i have just been opening the draw, taking out my pound coins and putting them in again.

Anyone have any ideas about what to do? Could i get a bill anyway but just use the coin meter to keep the electric running? Should i tell the landlady? Should i just leave it and keep doing what i am doing? Should i contact the supplier (if i can find out who it is) and ask them?

Any ideas would be great, thanks in advance for your help guys.

ic

1 unit = 1kWh, any normal supplier will charge you around 12.75p for this (depends on where you are in the country). So your meter is charging you 40p per kWh, or 3.1 times a normal rate. I suspect that your landlord has installed this meter and then pays a single bill to his electricity provider for the three flats. Talk to him and find out if this is the case.

chrisb1357

Hi,

Not sure if i can be of any help but we use to live in a flat and was on a coin £1 meter.

The flat was in a converted house and the landlord use to pay the electric and gas in a one bill for the 2 flats. In both flats there was a £1 meter installed and the landlord would come out every few months to empty to then pay the main one bill. We use to put in around £6 a week and that was running genral house stuff like PC, TV lights etc and we found that we got a good amount of usage out what we put in.

I also think that a landlord has to set the rate that he pays and not over charge. Our landlord use to charge the same rate as british gas did

Chris

gimmeitback

Thanks for the help, for now then ill just keep emptying the coin collector and putting them back in!

Chris, £6 a week seems what about most people have said they spend.

also, ic, do you think its worth asking the two upstairs how they pay for their electricity? do you think maybe the landlord will come round to empty it and give me two thirds back? unlikely i know but just never had to use a meter before so not sure of some of the tactics.

Landlady seems nice enough although i have only spoken on the phone. I told her the window frame was broken and she sorted someone to come on monday so she seems decent enough.

gimmeitback

ok, also just heard the girl above go out and had a quick word. She said she uses around £40 a month just using lights and hot water in a bedsit above. Her meter has got a lock on it but she has never met the landlord and has never seen them come around to empty her meter.

Do i have to get permission from the landlady about changing the meter to a pre pay one?
also, i think they are just trying to pocket the extra money as the girl above said they put the full council tax in her name and she had a summons to court saying she owed £7000!

glider3560

gimmeitback wrote: »

Do i have to get permission from the landlady about changing the meter to a pre pay one?

That won't be possible at you don't have an electricity supply that is registered with a supplier. Your landlady is selling you your electricity so it isn't possible to change the meter or your supplier.

There is, however, an article kicking around that says about landlords not being able to resell electricity at a higher price than they pay. I'm sure someone else will post a link.

kippen_noedel

Relevant Legislation
section 44 of the Electricity Act 1989
section 37 of the Gas Act 1986.
The Utilities Act 2000
Maximum Resale Price (MRP) as of 1st Jan 2003

Consumer_Focus wrote:

The Maximum Resale Price is the maximum that your landlord can charge you for gas and electricity which he has purchased from a supplier and sold on to you. It is set by the industry regulator, the Office of Gas and Markets.

Anyone who buys gas or electricity from an authorised supplier and sells it on cannot recover more than they paid originally. How the landlord recovers charges depends on whether your consumption is recorded by a meter.

If your usage is recorded by a meter your landlord should bill you for the units used plus your share of any standing charge at the same price as he paid his supplier.

If your usage is not recorded by a meter the landlord should apportion costs according to the floor space you occupy and the appliances you use. The landlord must demonstrate to you that the method he has used to apportion costs is reasonable.

What can’t be recovered?

The bill that your landlord gives you for gas and electricity must only be for the cost of gas and electricity consumed. Any other charges such as an administration charge for billing or charges for lighting common areas must be billed separately and are not subject to Maximum Resale Price.

gimmeitback

Thanks for your help guys. Do you think the best thing i can do then is to just keep refeeding my coins in seeing as i have access to any coins i have put in, essentially my electric is free as the moment.

I was thinking about putting my own padlock on the meter now, then i would know if they come around when i am not here and try to collect money (which they are not allowed to do, they have to give notice). If they say that i owe them loads of money for the bill then i can ask them to produce the bill for my flat which will show the rate and amount of electricity used.

I have taken a photo of the meter and will do weekly ones as long as i live here so that should help any dispute in the future.

Its basically, do i carry on like that, or should i contact the electric supplier and get them to check the meter, or speak to the landlady and say the rate is too high (even though i am technically not paying for it!)

I think carrying on like i am is ok, then when the bills come she can only say i owe her what the standard rate should be.

Any other advice? i really appreciate all your help.

Andy_WSM

gimmeitback wrote: »

Its basically, do i carry on like that, or should i contact the electric supplier and get them to check the meter, or speak to the landlady and say the rate is too high (even though i am technically not paying for it!)

Any other advice? i really appreciate all your help.

Option 3, speak to the landlady is the only course of action. Yes, the rate is too high. Tell her that. Tell her how much money, per day, you have put it in - maybe the meter has just gone faulty.

Technically, pocketing the cash is theft, you have after all, used some electricity and the coin meter is clearly the agreed way of paying for your consumption.

This isn't a dispute between you and an electricity supplier, the meter has nothing to do with them. SPEAK TO THE LANDLADY.

Fire_Fox

I think you need to find out if the flats are legal - if they have been converted properly the council should have reassessed each for council tax. I would contact electricity suppliers to find out who the property is currently with and if it's all on one bill, and also the council tax department as residents are legally responsible for paying this not absentee landlords (even if the AST says otherwise). Do you have a copy of gas safety certificate, if you have gas in the flat? And is your deposit lodged with a scheme?

gimmeitback

Firefox, there is no gas in the flat, just electric. If i contact the landlady regarding the price how am i supposed to know (if she even does change it) that she will change it to the correct rate?

Can the electricity supplier tell me the correct rate?