Elec Meter not working, supplier want to charge

engineer398

All, am in need for some advice.

Went to update meter readings today to see if im in credit or debit.

The lady on the phone said my elec readings were the same since April, so an engineer is booked to come out Monday to change the meter, (as its an old one). Now the lady is saying i will have to pay the difference from April (when it stopped) to today.

Is that right? Surely the meter going faulty isn't my fault. ????

The argument i have, i also updated the readings in sept and the advisor didn't say anything about it.

Need some advice please.

[Deleted User]

The usual routine with a stopped meter is an estimated bill based on your past useage.

misterbarlow

the meter going faulty isnt their fault either.. they didnt make it...

either as above, or they will read the new one in a week or two and use that as an average period to back bill you!!

Terrylw1

No, but they do use the data coming from it which means they should have spotted it had stopped in the Sept reading submitted by the OP. They failed there.

The usual method is estimation using existing data or by monitoring it by taking 2 readings after the meter change.

They can't prove anything other than this so its a case you can negotiate against.

I suggest you get their calculations and determine if they are fair and accurate. Suppliers are often lax in doing this and use different periods than the one the estimation is needed for which means it could be too high or too low.

Something to also consider is, have they purchased the energy they expect you to pay for? Several nil advance readings can cause the industry forecast to become zero meaning they aren't paying either. Its wrong to make you pay for anything higher than what they purchase, regardless of a fair estimation. This is often overlooked by staff and customers don't know about this side...

macman

You still have to pay for the energy consumed, regardless of fault. Did you not submit your own meter reading between April and September (3 months is the usual period)? If so you would have noticed. The supplier does not own the meter.
When consumption is estimated it invariably favours the householder.

Terrylw1

macman wrote: »

The supplier does not own the meter.

They contract to the owner but have a duty of care to the customer.

However, their licence holds them fully responsible for accurate settlement data.