nPower - transposition of readings

Heather_Evans

Hello - Has anyone else experienced this?

In November I entered my meter readings online - I have economy7.

When I saw the bill I thought the figures were transposed, but had no proof. I spoke to them at length as the readings were wrong, even if it was my fault (which is wasn't).

When I again entered meter readings in Feb. I took a screen shot, & when I rang the readings were read back to me, the wrong way around, proving the transposition a second time. However, a new bill wasn't issued after the Feb. readings.

They INSIST that I need to do meter reads - 2 on the same day - to prove the meter is working correctly, before they can correct anything. This would prove nothing (as I could lie!) - & the problem is NOT with my meter, it is with TRANSPOSITION of my readings within their system.

How many others may be being overcharged by nPower, if they transpose the high night reading for the lower day reading, & charge accordingly?!

I have started the process of chaging my supplier today in utter frustration.

Has anyone else experienced this problem? What do I do next please?

H

SneaksyWhippet

I had a similar problem, although not quite the same. For years nPower were convinced I had an economy 7 meter when actually I just had a standard meter and tariff. For every meter reading they took or I supplied, they charged me at the peak economy 7 rate! They did this for a few years. Eventually I worked out what was happening and they agreed to recalculated bills for the period. I was credited hundreds of pounds back to my account and have since switched suppliers!

I would go along with their insistence for two readings on the same day, then insist they recalculate all your bills from when the issues started. I don't know what impact switching suppliers in the middle of this could have though...

nPower

Hi Heather Evans,

That doesn't sound too good

When we suspect possible crossed readings for economy 7, we always require two sets of meter readings to test this.

It's really easy to do. Take one set of readings, then go and boil your kettle or flick your TV on, and take another set of readings. You'll see which register has moved - this will be the day reading.

Once we have these we can confirm if the readings are transposed and re-bill accordingly.

If you want me to help with anything, pop me an email to [EMAIL="forumresponse@npower.com"]forumresponse@npower.com[/EMAIL] and I'll do my best!

Many thanks,

Adam

Heather_Evans

Hi - I've had this endless circular conversation with two nPower people already this morning.

I KNOW the readings I entered on your website were correct. Why do you (nPower) keep wanting to check the meter. I could sit here at work & give you two supposed readings - it would prove absolutely nothing. What you are missing is THE POINT!

I have a screen shot of the readings I gave you in February & they have been TRANSPOSED when transfered from this screen to my bill - absolutely NOTHING to do with the meter.

(Sorry - but this is becoming a point of principal - why on earth should I waste my time correcting a mistake in your system? I have already wasted about an hour today on this. If you want to check your meter then that's fine, but don't confuse the issue of my complaint.)

I realise that some people may have a meter wirred up wrongly, but this is NOT the problem in this case.

Will someone at nPower PLEASE check the computer (or is it manual?) system from taking meter readings from the online readings page & transfering them to my bill.

It's interesting that nPower feel it worthwhile to pay you to monitor complaints on forums, when it would be unnecessary if nPower Customer Services actually listened!

Heather Evans

undaunted

Yes, have a look at

http://www.which.co.uk/news/2010/10/npower-is-abominable-oppressive-unacceptable-233662/

There have also been at least two recent threads on here suggesting similar prooblems if you search or look back a week or two

[Deleted User]

transposed readings are usually caused by meter readers and customers alike not recognising day reading and night readings on a digital meter showing rate 1 and 2.It could also be due to a digital timer wildly out. just putting the kettle on is not likely to use enough power to click up a digit on a digital meter.
If the OP is imputting correctly, this a new developement in the vast number of mistakes with eco 7 meters. I might add, unless you have night storage heaters ,these mess ups end up in undercharging the customer who usually keep quiet about it

Terrylw1

So, the issue here is that you are inline with your meter but when you enter your reads online, they transpose them for you.

If that's the case, an operator has done that. They have looked at your account and just thought you have entered them the wrong way.

This points to a bigger problem than the last set of reads, it suggests they have been billing you transposed for longer.

They use the kettle test to prove it as it will force the day register to move, however you will note the Npower rep failed to mention that you need to know when your peak and off peak times are for it to be of any use in proving which is which.

It is an annoyance, its aims at saving costs as the old way is go send an engineer out to check. If your meter is inside though it could be worse for you to take half a day off to let them in.

I think they need to explain more about this. The supplier is sent the data telling them which register is day or night when the meter is fitted or your change supplier go them. At that point, the supplier has to set the registers up the right way in their billing system. So, it could have gone wrong there or it could be their Meter Operator, if it is the Meter Operator, it will continue to your new supplier, so do some digging.

Bare in mind that this will be a problem in your switch because the new supplier could get it wrong if its a Meter Operator issue but if its just internal to Npower, they will get your change of supply reading and just transpose it.

Was it OK with your previous supplier? If so, its likely Npower have probably set your meter up transposed as you switched.

Its impossible to say without more info though.

Heather_Evans

Hi Terrylw1

I have been with nPower for 28 years! I had a new digital meter last year when the wheel finally died. I had no explanatory leaflet I can recall - I file everything in one file, even if I don't read it, when it comes.

When I rang nPower immdiately before supplying the November readings to check which 1) & 4) referred to, they didn't know & told me to ask an electrician. I stood my ground & someone found the answer. I know it's easy to check, & I did subsequently, simply by watching the meter - only daytime numbers show during the day & Econ 7 numbers at night (a single display). A button is pressed to scroll through data, most of which is a mystery!

The meter is inside & I have been submitting readings all these years with an occasional visit from a man to check the readings. I always check my readings against the bill, which is why I immediately noticed the November error, which was repeated in February, despite assurances.

Adam (from nPower - see earlier message) is now helping to resolve this via e-mail, which is less stressful & time wasting, for which I am grateful.

It's as much the repeated mantra about taking readings to check the meter that upset me, as I could see that the transpostion had happend after the readings were submitted, but no one would actually comment on that point.

I do have storage heaters.

Thanks for support,

Heather

ilikewatch

My reading were transposed for many years, - whenever I gave a reading, or the meter reader visited it would somehow get transposed, and on the many occasions I rang to try to resolve the situation I was either told:
a) No they're not transposed, you must be using 90% of your electricity at night rate.
or
b) I don't know why you're telling us - you must be saving a fortune.

Eventually I got worried enough that I switched to N Power and immediately requested that they changed me to a single rate meter - nothing more has come of the previous, incorrect readings and I can sleep soundly at night knowing I'm not likely to receive a bill for several thousand pounds!

EDIT: Just to add that there must be some function in the billing software that was automatically transposing these readings, because it didn't matter whether I entered a reading online, or it was taken by the meter reader, it would always get transposed before the bill was issued. Over several years my average electricity bill was about £16 per month, despite the fact that I would consider my household fairly heavy users for the size of house.
What amazed me was how little British Gas, then Scottish Power seemed to care - one CS operator got so fed up of telling me that I was reading the meter wrongly that she actually sent someone round to "show me how to read the meter" - he immediately agreed that I was reading it correctly and that the readings must have been transposed since the meter was installed, but they still wouldn't bill me correctly!

[Deleted User]

Hi Heather, latest digital meters display the rate in progress, very easy to read, can t go wrong really. I and two other meter readers have told our bosses that the meter readers are ( by habit ) imputting that reading into the night rate, because it shows r1 on the display.Our bosses can t be bothered to order the workforce to stop that and British Gas don t seem over concerned at all .I have sent emails to Brit Gas transposition dept a few times and never even had a reply. I can t believe how slapdash BG are about this as they are losing millions. The night storage users are the only ones to make a fuss because they get overcharged. I might add that BG seem to do a lot of "flippin " or " twisting " of the reads in order to get it right.Then if someone ( like me or Heather), imput correctly, the reads get transposed. Just get the meter readers to it right every time is the answer,but they wont listen. I also work for EDF and they have exactly the same probs as Brit Gas but have recently started re-mapping the registers so that the day rate is imputt first

Terrylw1

Heather, if its only just been transposed to the bill prompting you to chase it up, have you got a massive bill, as well due to the readings "rolling over"? If so, that's really obvious and the bill should never have even made it out. To flip the readings, someone has made a decision and I've seen it many times where lazy people just turn them round instead of sorting it out so this doesn't happen. Sacsquacco has the same experience.

You won't get booklets, its just another poor service issue in this industry. The supplier staff including billing experts don't even have them so are reduced to Googling, ringing agents for advice, etc. They shouldn't say get a sparky in though, that's disgraceful as its not for a sparky, its your suppliers responsibility to advise you! That would have cost you money and they know it...I suspect that person was just getting you off the phone. The correct practice would have been to hand you off to someone with more time and experience who would do what I said above.

Not all Npower threads get responded to, only certain ones so keep on them and raise a complaint via email instead if no joy.

Providing its all been OK before, its easy to correct. I just wonder if someone has flipped more than just the readings which would mean more work to undo the damage.