Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

2160p

Hello I am a total newbie. I had a tennant who moved out and was using UL, after several problems with last meter reading they gave me a payment for grief caused, although to this day I have yet to part with a penny and this is since May/June. The problem is the flat has been empty since then and apart from the odd visit to see all is ok (turning on nothing but the lights) the boiler has been switched off at the mains. I recently done another meter reading and they are saying (aprt from meter rentals!!) £50 Gas! and £70 Electric!!! They want £80 Plus VAT to test meters which I feel is total catch 22 blackmail. Any Ideas folks? It's seriously stressing me out.

footyguy

2160p wrote: »

Hello I am a total newbie. I had a tennant who moved out and was using UL, after several problems with last meter reading they gave me a payment for grief caused, although to this day I have yet to part with a penny and this is since May/June. The problem is the flat has been empty since then and apart from the odd visit to see all is ok (turning on nothing but the lights) the boiler has been switched off at the mains. I recently done another meter reading and they are saying (aprt from meter rentals!!) £50 Gas! and £70 Electric!!! They want £80 Plus VAT to test meters which I feel is total catch 22 blackmail. Any Ideas folks? It's seriously stressing me out.

As the landlord, you are responsible to pay the utility bills for the property whilst the property remains unoccupied. For energy, you will be charged at the tariff you have agreed with the supplier. If you have not agreed any tariff with the supplier, you will be charged at their default tariff ... which is usually their most expensive.

If you think the property is going to remain empty for a period, then like always, consult a comparison site to find the best deal or deals for you.
(Comparison sites may not allow you to enter zero consumption, and if that is the case, use 1kWh per year instead)

Btw, as the property has remained empty for over 6 months, you need to advise your insurance and they may (a) increase your premium, (b) decline to continue cover or (c) impose additional terms (e.g. to ensure you turn the heating on 24/7 at this time of year )

Also you will start to get clobbered by council tax too. Many councils now charge 150% the usual dual inhabitant value for non-occupany.

2160p

Well thanks for the Tennant agreement info but I think my point was how I'm totally being ripped off for services I've not used and how I've to pay more if I want the meter checked.

NigeWick

2160p wrote: »

Hello The problem is the flat has been empty since

But, there will be a monthly fee for each service. There is only one company(Ebico) that just charges for electricity or gas used.

Cardew

2160p wrote: »

Well thanks for the Tennant agreement info but I think my point was how I'm totally being ripped off for services I've not used and how I've to pay more if I want the meter checked.

Every company charges for a meter accuracy check, and you get your payment back if the meter is found to be faulty. By all accounts it is very rare for a meter to be found faulty.

It is easy enough to do a rough check of your meter. Find a, say, 1kW load(like an electric heater*) and with all other electricity in the house switched off(including fridge/freezer) run it for 30 minutes and it should show 0.5kWh(units) shown on the meter.

* ensure that the thermostat doesn't cut in on the heater, place it outside.

You can also buy a power monitor for £10 or so that will also achieve the same rough check.

footyguy

NigeWick wrote: »

But, there will be a monthly fee for each service. There is only one company(Ebico) that just charges for electricity or gas used.

I have just consulted a comparison site for electricity supplied in the East Midlands region, and I can find 4 different suppliers that have zero standing charge, 2 of which are cheaper than Ebico

So, as I suggested, consult a comparison site to find the best deal
(The CEC as one allows you to filter zero standing charge tariffs only ... but just show them all for your usage, and see which is cheapest )

NigeWick

footyguy wrote: »

I have just consulted a comparison site for electricity supplied in the East Midlands region, and I can find 4 different suppliers that have zero standing charge, 2 of which are cheaper than Ebico

Thanks for that. I looked before joining Ebico and at that time it was the only one *I* could find. The reason I'm with them is that our solar panels produce enough electricity from May to October to heat our water so no gas use at all for those months.

I'll be moving on to Ecotricity when my current contract expires as they will be producing gas from grass and I can afford to be more green. I'll also be having their electricity as we'll have an electric car and when visiting daughters and going on holiday I can charge for free up to 52 times.

another_casualty

Is proving very difficult !
I gave reading a couple of weeks back. This was over the phone.
Laborious , but I got there.or so I thought .
I received an email telling me , the reading was wrong.

So , on Monday I had a long drawn out affair on my hands and knees doing it all over again. I took photos, these were forwarded to another dept . Higher up. I was promised a solution ( Ie a bill)!on Monday .

However, they now want me to take all of the pictures all over again.

I took pictures of serial no. Of machine also . They are useless.

I don't want a huge bill. Apparently the property has been empty for 2 months.

Why can't they just send a meter reader around ??

Also, I'm in a rented flat since 30 November .
I will mention it to the landlady at some stage .

Rant over

Thank you

Edit: I have now sent them the clearest pictures yet. 2 readings, plus serial no.
I have politely told them, if it is not sorted they should send someone arounf.
If not, I will look for another supplier.
Spending 20 mins on hands an knees in small spaces is no fun.

System

They do send us round, but not very often .Today I have been reading a few UW meters , mixed in with my usual BG, Scot power EDF. They are a pretty appalling supplier IMO. Their addresses are abyssmal , worse than Scottish Powers and they are useless too.. Their rates are shocking on prepays too and most of the customers I see are poor souls who somehow have been lumbered with UW on prepayment believing they are cheaper than the rest. Some local agent signs people up for commission I believe, a practice I thought had been outlawed. My advice to UW customers is firstly get them to do a bit of work and exchange the prepay meter, then get of UW altogether.
You sound like you are reading an Eco 7 meter. These can be easily read wrong so don t give UW more reasons to mess up your bill. You just want day and night reads..not total and make sure you can tell the day rate from the night rate.Many meters do not give a clue which is which but many default to show the active rate on the screen. even photos will not help in getting the day and night reads unless the meter is an old analog one. If needed you can see which read advances in the daytime hours between 8 am and 12 pm, then you know which rate is the cheap night rate

another_casualty

Thanks for that Martin .
Thing is, I'm only supposed to be renting this flat I'm in for 6 months .
The landlady rates utility warehouse . Maybe she doesn't realise the previous tenants didn't read meter for a while, or did she not?

The pictures are ultra clear this time around , so it'll be interesting to,see what the bill will be like . Looking at your post , it may be better to cancel th direct debit I set up.
Is it best to let the landlady know now ? Or wait till bill comes?
Thanks