Prepay meters

Premier_2

ViolaLass wrote: »

Because according to you, it makes more sense to lose the profit from me being a customer ...

No what I said is that it makes sense to them to lose you as a high risk non-paying customer

As I said, a non-paying customer/consumer is worse than having no customer.

Try again!

ViolaLass

Premier wrote: »

No what I said is that it makes sense to them to lose you as a high risk non-paying customer

As I said, a non-paying customer/consumer is worse than having no customer.

Try again!

It seems strange that other companies, EDF and BG, for example, seem to have managed to work out a way around this that involves one of them getting and retaining my custom. It doesn't seem that complicated to me. And no, I don't think that just because they'll be giving me what I want.

Premier_2

ViolaLass wrote: »

It seems strange that other companies, EDF and BG, for example, seem to have managed to work out a way around this that involves one of them getting and retaining my custom. It doesn't seem that complicated to me. And no, I don't think that just because they'll be giving me what I want.

They have different business models to attract different customers, and price accordingly.

I believe BG would require you to be a customer for 3 months, unless you have just moved from a BG supplied address where you have been a customer.

EDF appaer to be prepared to lend to anyone without any checks or proof of ability to pay.
We all know what irresponsible lending led to in the financial markets, even if they do believe it currently makes financial sense. I'm sure the banks did at the time too...

ViolaLass

Premier wrote: »

I believe BG would require you to be a customer for 3 months, unless you have just moved from a BG supplied address where you have been a customer.

Not according to what they've told me. That's the point of the credit check, I'd have thought.

But, to be honest, I'm a bit bored of arguing this. I've found a solution, no one seems to be going out of business, nPower get me bad mouthing them to all and sundry but don't risk anything on me. Everyone wins, it seems.

t0rt0ise

KimYeovil wrote: »

What rot! What sort of idiot draws lots to decide where they should flit? There are far more important criteria that take priority over the negligible cost of changing meters.

Many people are allocated housing and have little choice.

Also there's nothing bizarre about wanting things to be more equal.

t0rt0ise

Premier wrote: »

No what I said is that it makes sense to them to lose you as a high risk non-paying customer

Luckily not everyone prejudges as you do. Not everyone who lives in a house whose previous occupant had a prepayment meter installed is also a high risk non-paying customer. I certainly am not. I've never had any debt in my life.

mattcanary

NPower are a bad company anyway. What they think is a sound "commercial decision" as Premier puts it, is hardly gaining them the right sort of customers if they lose quick-paying (quite possibly via Direct Debit) customers just because they are not prepared to do a credit-check and fit a prepayment meter. Another one of their daft policies - just like the charging more for gas used in the summer than in the winter. It's hardly helping their reputation, which is extremely poor as it stands anyway.

Tomo85

Some energy suppliers, including Npower don’t want to remove prepayment meters from rented properties because rental properties are higher risk for debt and PP meters are a guarantee that the customer will pay for the energy they use.

That is why irrespective of a credit check they wont want to remove the PP meter as once the 'good' credit check person moves out at the end of the tenancy after 6months for example the next tenant moves in might have a poor credit history.

If the new tenant doesn’t want to have a PP meter it is very hard for a energy supplier to force a PP meter to be fitted at an address, normally taking around 6 months to get a warrant by which time the tenant could have build up a large debt then just move out and no consequence except for the majority of customers who pay as we have to pay higher prices for issues like this which suppliers face.

So I agree with Npower not changing the meters, it might impact a few customers, but reduces the risk of debt which in turn can mean better prices for the majority who pay!

t0rt0ise

Tomo85 wrote: »

So I agree with Npower not changing the meters, it might impact a few customers, but reduces the risk of debt which in turn can mean better prices for the majority who pay!

Most Housing Association and council tenants don't move every 6 months. To lump everyone in together is mean and short sighted.

Tomo85

Which is why energy suppliers state you have to be a customer for 12months in a rented property or look at the history of the property and see what the turnover of customers are at that address and if that is high then look at the debt history of those customers to make a formed decision on how high the risk is.
Energy suppliers would prefer to have credit meters in properties as they have a cheaper cost to serve plus have greater value from customer who pay via Direct debit etc however if there is a potential risk that customers wont pay then they wont remove the meter.
If customers dont like it there are suppliers out there who will remove.