Eon Prepayment meter - Want to switch to a credit meter - help!

mattcanary

Martin - I hope you take this as far as you can. Eon's policy regarding the removal of prepayment meters needs to change!

SwanJon

MartinPC wrote: »

Malc,

Correct me if I am wrong but are utility providers not required, by regulation, to inform customers of changes in tariffs and within a specified time period of perhaps 60 days of the tariff change taking place?

Yes - I take it you are now grasping at straws? What relevance do you think this has?

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

davidgmmafan wrote: »

What I cannot understand is this is, or will soon be, a change of occupier situation. This policy is even worse with regards to the OP. The first post on this thread says new person moved in but E.On want £50. Surely this is absurd? This person had nothing to do with the meter being installed. Potentially they have to pay £2-300 more if you take into account the fact they won't get DD discount and can't have the most competitive online tariffs.

The second case I can understand somewhat, as the account holder did incur the debt. Again though the landlord is moving in, given that he had NOTHING TO DO WITH the prepayment meter being installed, why should he have to pay the £50?

At least now E.On know they will be losing customers over this. Personally in both cases I'd still complain, if thier policy is daft then its only fair that it costs them money to defend it.

Hi davidgmmafan

The charge of £50 is made for any non-essential meter change, prepayment or credit.

Generally, a meter will already be in place whenever someone moves into a property. If the customer requests a different meter, we usually impose the charge unless it is either faulty or due for a statutory change.

The charge is to cover the cost of the engineer's visit to carry out the work.

Malc

MartinPC_2

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc wrote: »

Hi Martin

Just to clarify; whilst the account remains in your name, it's very unlikely we will agree to change the meter. Consequently, we will not be able to take any form of payment from anyone against a possible future meter swap which may or may not go ahead.

Once you have given up responsibility for the electricity and a new account is opened in the landlord's name, he can apply for a meter change. If this is agreed, we will accept a credit/debit card payment. You can pay this if you wish in a similar way to that suggested by echoecho.

As long as you give permission to take the fee from your card, we will be happy to do this but only when we have agreed to change the meter.

Hope this clarifies this particular issue Martin.

Malc

I'm sorry Malc but your, Eon's, reasoning, ineed argument, to this falls flat on it's face.

In this day and age of online shopping we pay in advance for products all the time without any cast iron guarantee that we shall receive the products as per the order, we pay in advance for air tickets and hotels without any cast iron guarantee the flight will not be cancelled or the hotel will not burn down, this is life and is normally covered by the vendor's fine print.

My landlord has been asked, by Eon, to pay in advance for a meter change but you, Eon, in this thread, state that Eon are not able to take payment, from anyone, in advance of a meter swap that may not take place and Eon cannot cast iron guarantee that any such meter change shall take place as scheduled, there could be industrial action, the country could be snow closed, the engineer's vehicle could suffer a breakdown etc. etc. etc. and should the order not be delivered literally every other business in the land has the ability to refund the payment to the card, every business except Eon it seems.

I and my landlord have both confirmed to Eon that I am vacating the property and the meter needs to be changed, I am responsible and prepared to pay for this change but Eon have a policy that they will NEVER change a meter if the account holder is moving house.

I'm sorry Malc but your, and the other Eon experiences I've endured, are reminiscent of bull poo!

techra

Hi there

It has been good to read your posts, like you I have fallen into arrears with EON, not by much but due to redundancy and the fact I was £400 in credit with them I stopped my direct debit. Only to find out that the next bill came in for £120.00 in debit (!). Not sure how that happened but they don't seem to care really. They have requested that I have a prepayment meter installed and guess what. "there will be no charge for installation and removal from EON and there is no minimum period that I have to have the meter for". This is what I was told by the collection agency. It sounds like I need to get this in writing before I agree based on your postings :cool:

MartinPC_2

techra,

Thanks, that's the information I have been hoping for.

I have it in writing, from Eon's 'knowledge centre', their staff instructions, whereas it clearly states "We will not remove meters fitted to collect debt built up with E.ON" and, in writing, Eon have stated a reason for refusing my instruction is because there is a history of arrears on the electricity account, well history lasts forever!

Can you please categorically confirm that the collection agency, during 2010, have informed you that there will be no charge to have the PPM subsequently removed and if you have been put under the impression, or more than an impression, by Eon's sub-contracted collection agency that you may have the PPM removed at a later date?

Thanks
Martin

MartinPC_2

In my previous posts in this thread I was replicating a scenario that developed during March/April 2010, the only difference being is that my previous posts were in the position of the tenant when in fact I am the landlord in this scenario.

During April Eon’s appalling, indeed arrogant, customer service particularly irritated me, they simply could not realise common sense, I had tried everything thus I issued a ‘Money Claim Online’ claim against Eon for the cost of removing the prepayment meter and whilst Eon, back in April, submitted a written defence to the County Court Eon failed to appear in County Court for the case hearing of earlier today.

Eon’s previous written defence to the court included their staff directives regarding the removal, or not, of prepayment meters and these staff directives clearly state “We will not remove meters fitted to collect debt built up with E.ON”, my previous tenant was, and others still are, being lied to by Eon’s representatives being told that these meters can be subsequently removed once any debt is cleared.

Despite Eon failing to appear in court today I still needed to prove my case to the court, this I did and a print out of this thread constituted part of my evidence, thanks ‘techra’, the judge took particular interest in your post, and the court ruled in my favour, I won the case, on the basis that if Eon are involving, putting the onus of responsibility upon, the landlord for the removal of the meter then Eon should have involved the landlord, likewise, in the installation of the meter in the first instance.

This was one court’s ruling on one individual case however this court were clearly of the impression that Eon’s policies are flawed when they put the responsibility, and cost, of removing a meter upon an innocent person and Eon should display more responsibility before installing these meters with such a flawed policy, i.e. if the customer is a renting tenant then Eon should seek the authority of the property owner, and confirmation that he/she will accept any costs, before changing meters in rental properties.

My, any, tenant informed that they can subsequently have the meter removed might not think it necessary to ask, or inform, the landlord, if they can subsequently have it removed then the landlord needn’t know anything about it, well that’s the theory but just try getting Eon to subsequently remove that prepayment meter!

The County Court have awarded me the costs of removing the meter, my court costs and my travelling expenses to attend court today.

davidgmmafan

There is one minor snag I can see with the judges view. If the tenant does not pay and the landlord does not consent to the meter being fitted then there's nothing they can do to force payment.

I suppose they could fit the meter and just not charge for the removal, but that kinda supports the view that prepayment charges should be higher which used to be the case.

On these particular facts I can see why it was felt E.On were unreasonable, indeed some firms will change a meter free of charge in a change of tenancy situation.

MartinPC_2

David,

Prepayment meters haven't always been around and if a customer fails to make payments due, as in the old days, the vendor and customer come to an arrangement to pay the debt off and/or the vendor takes the customer to court and the court orders the customer to pay the debt at X amount per week/month!

Eon's carefree attitude to insist upon prepayment meters is reminiscent of 'wheel clamping'

SwanJon

I'm glad that you got the result you wanted. However, I seriously doubt that the result will affect Eon, or any other supplier's, policy one iota.

MartinPC wrote: »

Prepayment meters haven't always been around and if a customer fails to make payments due, as in the old days, the vendor and customer come to an arrangement to pay the debt off and/or the vendor takes the customer to court and the court orders the customer to pay the debt at X amount per week/month!

Your example leaves out one major factor. A prepayment meter allows the end user (tenant or owner) to continue to get gas/electricity without being extended credit.

To 'come to some agreement to pay the debt off' assume that the debt will stop growing, which means that the meter must be removed entirely - it's what they did before prepayment meters