Pre Payment Meters - any advice please

sunshine777_2

Hello Everyone.

We have had pre payment meters in the past with Scottish Power and they used a system of ‘billing’ as well as the pre payment meters. I never liked the fact that once you left the property you could be faced with a bill despite always keeping the meter fully in credit.

I have read that some companies do this ‘back billing’ (I think it is called) and some don’t. Please can I ask your first hand experience of this – I did fancy trying British Gas and were wondering what they were like on pre-pay.

We can’t really change to credit meters as we are only in the property six months (we have to move a lot for work).

Any advice would be really appreciated, as I really want to make the right choice.

Thank-you

[Deleted User]

if your prepay meter is an Actaris Kbd meter it will support the " no standing charge " option where the meter deducts the standing charge in Tier 1 (screen H on the meter).Using that option you wont pay any standing charge for the 6 months you are not at the property.The other prepay meter I see is the Landis and Gyr model which I dont think will support the no standing charge option and deducts approx £1.85 a week .I will have to check that myself next week to be absolutely sure if I m correct. These are the two prepay electric meters in use in my area ,yorkshire/lincs

seafarers_wife

All suppliers have to send out statements even when your on a prepayment meter. Usually the reason for a balance (debit or credit) is due to when top up payments were received and if estimated reads have been used. As a general rule of thumb, your statement balance should reflect how much you have on your meter when the statement is produced. However if it's an estimated read that will cause a false balance, and if payments have been recorded as being received after the meter reading date again this can show a false balance.

As long as you gave an accurate meter read when you move in, and supply a meter read on the day you move house or change supplier you shouldn't end up getting a bill to pay when you move as long as you always keep the meter in credit, a if you went into the emergency you would have to pay that back on your bill. If there is credit on your meter when you move you would be entitled to get that back as you've paid for something that you've not used.

Terrylw1

As the above says, ensure your readings on moving in and out are accurate and ensure they have been used on your bill. Its a legal obligation on suppliers to work this way and its termed a statement rather than a bill by Ofgem.

Back billing occurs where they discover missing consumption or an incorrect level of charging. With a pre payment meter the latter is the more likely to occur because the supplier has to ensure that their tariff prices match up yo the meter, if they do they will discover it and back bill but they will notify you of this and add a debt. Changing suppliers also means new payment cards/keys are needed from the new supplier and they have to ensure their tariff prices match up...don't use your old card/key or you pay the wrong supplier and your correct one has to get it transferred and you don't want that hassle.

Also, be very very wary of suppliers that offer to remote change your tariff from 1 rate readings to 2 and back again e.g. e7 to standard and back again. This caused massive data problems and it was stopped at industry level as there was no compliant process to get it updated so any meter readers knew. Bgas tend to add readings together to get around this but that's not correct from a compliance point of view (which they should know!) And when you change suppliers again you can look forward to a lot of problems.

That's not to say Bgas are bad, its just something go be careful with if it arises.

sunshine777_2

Thank-you for all of your replies.

I will just make sure everything is correct when I move in, thanks again.