nPower - transposition of readings

Terrylw1

ilikewatch wrote: »

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!

Any supplier can arrange a meter reader or engineer to show you, its just going to cost them. I always advocate the customer being onsite when an engineer comes around since they can answer far more than any call centre will.

With each meters comes data flows sent to the supplier and their appointed data collector, from the suppliers appointed meter operator. If this meter operator transposes them, everyone else does until you complain or someone spots it another way. On top of this, the suppliers billing system would load these mappings and if they set them up transposed, when their staff enter reads it would automatically do this...again needing you or a more diligent member of staff to spit it and investigate it.

Heather_Evans

Hi again!
Despite all efforts on my part, & acceptance on their part PLUS an offer of a 'goodwill gesture' of £75, my final bill (after I left last month in utter desperation!) is for £151.91, showing the meter reads STILL transposed.
I also have a letter sent showing I was (am) in credit by approx £350, plus various automated sheets prompted by my leaving & cancelling my DD, yet this saga continues.
My main worry is that they'll chase this amount owed &, down the line, my credit rating could get knocked if I don't pay what I don't owe!
I have downloaded all the paperwork to take this to the Ombudsman - any tips on dong this please?
Heather

Terrylw1

If its been a complaint for 8 weeks, step it up to the ombudsman.

The best way is to be as clear as possible about the facts/figures and what you want out of it. Detail all the contact points and everything you feel you have been failed on.

You could also complain about the fact they won't listen to you and the fact they have not even bothered to perform a correct investigation, which for transposition where you still disagree would be an engineer coming to investigate it, which triggers all corrections.

Now you've left, they are on the clock because they won't be able to rebill anything older than 12 months...so as the months pass by, it reduces the 12 months they can rebill for.