Meter issues

flexeh

Hi i already posted on CAG but thought i would try here too

Hi guys, wondering if you experts on here can help and advise.

We got the keys today to our new property from our landlords. We have 7 days left on the current property to vacate. Currently the address we are leaving is southern electric and the new property is Npower.

The problem is the new property has key meters for the gas and electric. So i called npower to discuss with them about the removal of these meters, and have normal ones installed. however they informed me there would be a 60 pound per unit. so 120 to swap them all in all i was on the phone for about 25 minutes!!!.

I explained the reason for wanting them removed. And that was we have a 8 week old baby, and the last thing i ever want is the electric to run out and gas before we actually get paid again.

i explained this, and the guy on the phone advised me of current direct debit plans that would suit us, and said that due to the fact we got a 8 week old baby, we may get help. As some people can get them changed under certain circumstances and criteria. so it led me to believe there was some hope.

He transferred me to a lovely lady who took details and tried to help, she also advised that metering services may help us. I did explain as well that not only is there a 8 week baby, the meters are in the cellar and my partner is terrified of them ( no idea why). So therefore if it did run out of money and it cut off, my partner wouldnt do it and would be forced to sit there till i got back.

She understood and was very sympathetic and helpful. she transferred me to metering services who would be able to give me a yes or no right away. When i spoke to the guy, he said sorry its 60 per unit. and there was no leighway. I went through it all again but this time with this guy, but unforutnatley he couldnt help, i even asked if i paid for 1 to be done cuz they do the other free, and he refused.

i advised i would be coming on consumer action group for some advise, and at this point he became a little paniccy, and thought i was going to issue a complaint and report him, i advised its not him his hands are tied and that i would be coming here to see if anyone has any ideas. He said if i wanted to make a complaint he would put me through, again i advised i got no complaint with him, in the end he spoke to his manager but yet again they said they couldnt help me. and spent 10 minutes explaining the benefits of key meters.

at the end of the day im just concerned for my little lad. if the power goes out or the gas and its cold.

has anyone got any ideas? i dont mind paying for the one to be done but i cant afford the two!

cheers guys

Joyful

You could always check with your last supplier that if you had them supplying the new property would they change the meters for free.
They will have history of you paying your bills.

flexeh

so its basically all about previous payments? so they can see we pay and they then change meters?

Joyful

Some companies like British gas will do a credit vet and if you opss it change the meter free of charge. Many companies charge you for the meters but sometimes for a previous company to retain you as a customer at a new address they will make exceptions. If you have a cood credit history with them you have nothing to lose by asking.

Terrylw1

Consider it this way.

The charge to the supplier for the visit is the same, so the credit check is not about that.

If you move into a house with a credit meter, do they credit check or insist on fitting PPM's. No.

Suppliers have only started charging for this in recent years as a way to boost revenue. They don't charge for other visits which cost them the same amount such as checking your meter details.

PPM customers are an easy target but they treat new occupiers the same as a bad debtor. You should question them on this part and raise a complaint if needed.

bob_bank_spanker

If npower won't do it for free (and they have no obligation to), switch to a supplier that will. British Gas will do it free of charge, subject to a credit check, and I believe EDF also switch meters free of charge.

The switch will take a few weeks, but as you have the keys now, there is nothing to prevent you getting the wheels in motion.

C_Mababejive

Gas suppliers dont always own meters. They often have agreements to rent meters from meter owning companies otherwise known as meter asset managers (MAMs). So if a gas supplier rents a meter and wants it changing,they request the MAM to do the work. The MAM sends their man (or woman) in a van. The van /employee /mateirals and all associated costs have to be paid for,hence the charge.

The era of nationalised energy industries turning up and doing work for nothing has long gone.

No one has an absolute right to credit. That would be like going in Tesco,filling up your trolley and saying you will shop as much as you like and pay a weekly amount in the hope that it covers it all.

The answer is to..

a)use an on line comparison website to ensure that you have the cheapest/best supplier for your energy

b)Ensure that there is sufficient credit on the meters so that you are not unduly inconvenienced by an outage


c)use energy economically.


Prepayment meters are actually a blessing.

They allow you to budget,they ensure you dont get into debt and they ensure that you have more money in your pocket during milder weather due to reduced useage.

macman

£50-60 per meter is a perfectly standard charge and is less than the actual cost of the parts and labour.
Since we're now nearly into May, the heating will not be required soon anyway, so your baby is not going to be at any risk from the cold.
So why not have one meter switched now (if that is all you can afford) and the other one later? Assuming you have gas CH and DHW, start with the electricity meter switch? You can then review in the autumn before the heating is needed again.
But (as pointed out above) make sure a security deposit is not required if you do switch to credit meters.

Terrylw1

macman wrote: »

£50-60 per meter is a perfectly standard charge and is less than the actual cost of the parts and labour.
Since we're now nearly into May, the heating will not be required soon anyway, so your baby is not going to be at any risk from the cold.
So why not have one meter switched now (if that is all you can afford) and the other one later? Assuming you have gas CH and DHW, start with the electricity meter switch? You can then review in the autumn before the heating is needed again.
But (as pointed out above) make sure a security deposit is not required if you do switch to credit meters.

From my experience of meter change charges, £50-60 is up to double the cost charged to the supplier to do the job.

Like I keep saying, they don't charge for other meter changes, energisation changes, meter detail investigations, connect additional load jobs...PPM removal is an easy target but unfair when you weren't the bad debtor. For instance, it would be very unfair to charge a customer to refit a meter fuse because the previous occupant had it removed.

Terrylw1

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Gas suppliers dont always own meters. They often have agreements to rent meters from meter owning companies otherwise known as meter asset managers (MAMs). So if a gas supplier rents a meter and wants it changing,they request the MAM to do the work. The MAM sends their man (or woman) in a van. The van /employee /mateirals and all associated costs have to be paid for,hence the charge.

The era of nationalised energy industries turning up and doing work for nothing has long gone.

No one has an absolute right to credit. That would be like going in Tesco,filling up your trolley and saying you will shop as much as you like and pay a weekly amount in the hope that it covers it all.

The answer is to..

a)use an on line comparison website to ensure that you have the cheapest/best supplier for your energy

b)Ensure that there is sufficient credit on the meters so that you are not unduly inconvenienced by an outage


c)use energy economically.


Prepayment meters are actually a blessing.

They allow you to budget,they ensure you dont get into debt and they ensure that you have more money in your pocket during milder weather due to reduced useage.

All agents are classed as seperate entities these days whether they are part of a supplier owned group. If owned they still charge the supplier like any group of companies (or even internal depts do) but they didn't start doing this from deregulation...it all started some 4-5 years later.

Suppliers still do lots of uncharged meter operator jobs and dont charge it back. PPM's were targeted as it would be seen as OK to challenge debtors or the change. That's fair, but its not fair to charge someone who has moved in.

In these sectors, everyone without a PPM is already receiving credit, it how the industry is set up.

Perhaps we should be saying someone with a clear history should not be judged as a bad debtor.

The bad debtor can be forced into a PPM via a warrant, pay up and move to a property with a credit meter thus wiping out the previous history with the supplier in terms of metering...but the old properties new occupier is sadfled with a meter change charge for a situation they never caused or contributed towards.

Also, there are many PPM customers from before deregulation because they preferred their control over costs. Up until around 5-6 years ago, these would have been changed FOC but now they get charged when they have never been bad payers.

Its another badly regulated area with suppliers making tidy profits off them.

Terrylw1

P.S. OP, metering services will just be someone in an internal dept who books jobs with no more authority than a call centre advisor. Suppliers are not allowed to transfer customers to their meter operators (seperate companies).