First Utility - Check you gas bills

ahll

Hi,
I have recently moved to First Utility and my bills seem to be huge since I moved so I keep checking them.

I just got Jan bills and again it is high so I rang them and it turns out that they had made some error and Gas reading have been estimated instead of using the customer reading. I am suppose to supply then with meter reading at the end of each month online, which I did.

It turns out that because they have not used the reading that I gave them and have estimated instead they are trying to charge me for 300 gas units more than I have used. The guy I talked to admitted this. He also told me to ring my bank and get my DD payment put on hold for 1 month until FU adjust the bill next month. Well banks don't do that.

FU know about the system error and don't seem to be prepared to do anything about it !

Is this happening to anyone else ? He seemed to imply that this was a big known issue

bloss0m

I had these jokers tried to get me to have a free meter and save £250 a year, they adamant they weren't selling me anything. They wanted to know who I was with wanted to see my meter and 15 minutes later they finally got the message I wasnt interested

t1jfd

I switched to 1:U through MSE link Simplyswitch in November and received my £40 cashback last week. Switch process was slow with electricity first and gas 5 weeks later, but first two bills have been accurate based on my readings submitted monthly. I calculated my annual savings to be nearly £200 compared to my old EOn tariff but I have to stay for 12 months to get the chequeback discount.

However customer service is very, very poor, I can never get through on the telephone and email response is 2-3 weeks - they must be very busy! Also 1:U website has been down for a week now so I can't submit my readings.

ahll

t1jfd wrote: »

I calculated my annual savings to be nearly £200 compared to my old EOn tariff but I have to stay for 12 months to get the chequeback discount.

However customer service is very, very poor, I can never get through on the telephone and email response is 2-3 weeks - they must be very busy! Also 1:U website has been down for a week now so I can't submit my readings.

whats the chequeback discount ?

So does that means you couldn't get your jan meter readings in then ? If so guess they are estimating for you as well....

I have been told to enter my readinmgs at the end of each month.

Airmike23

cheque back discount depends on your tariff with them, the isave range of tariffs that have been popping up at the top of the comp sites since about oct 2011, (versions 8,9 and 10), as well as Ifix all offer £80 annual discount for elec and £100 for gas, or 13% of your spend on each of your fuel, which ever is the lowest of the two. This as noted above is sent out cheque form once 12 monthly direct debit payments have been made. The reason loads of folks are switching to them is the quote on a comp site includes the rebate in the savings figures, thus skewing the next 12 months spend making the FU quote appear to be much lower than a lot of other company's when it's all on the premise of, not so great deal in coming year, but we'll refund potentially a sum of £180.

If signed up by FU door to door rep they are pushing Smart as Standard which is horrifically expensive, but they sell on the basis they will install smart meters which, according to the blurb, the energy savings trust states that a household will save 5-10% on their energy bills by having them installed. Again after a year you will get a rebate by cheque of £264. The £264 rebate and the "fact" that smart meters will reduce consumption by 5-10% ios what they are hooking people on a the door, on a comp site Smart as standard, for my usage at least, is 62nd result of 82 tariffs available from all the power co's. Also an interesting fact is if you miss the appointment for the smart meter fitiing they charge you £65, and there can be a charge for the meter exchange itself also.

[Deleted User]

Hi Airmike23. I think I will switch to First Utility just to get a smart meter fitted along with the brilliant and accurate monitor which comes with them.Once its in fitted I can switch supplier I presume.No way would they pay out to have the meter changed again. I realise that the smart meter capability would end if I switch tho as First Utility would remain as the server.Is there any flaws in this plan airmike23?

t1jfd

I had eON Smart meters fitted in July '11 including the info display unit which is great. My eON contract ended in October and they changed me automatically to a more expensive energyonline tariff so as I said above, I used MSE Simplyswitch link (£40) and changed to first utility. 1:U cannot use eON's Smart meters but I still have the display unit which has "traffic lights" and shows instant useage plus meter readings, which I send regularly to 1:U - not just at the end of the month. I'm not going to have 1:U Smart meters as it's no problem submitting regular reads.

I'm on iSave v8 which gives me £90 electricity and £90 gas chequeback at the end of the year, provided you stay with them. This builds up monthly at £7.14 +VAT each and is shown on monthly bills. Other tariffs give you a capped % of your useage. iSave v8 has a high daily standing charge, but low unit costs so for a relatively low user like me, it's best. I'm saving £130 p/a compared to my old eON tariff not including the Simplyswitch £40.

p.s. Problem with submitting online reads was overcome by deleting 1:U Cookie and logging back on so all's well now!