Eon energy reviews: Give your feedback

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

ljaneyr wrote: »

Everything seems to have switched successfully with the electricity but not the gas. Eon have estimated the opening gas meter reading despite me entering it through their online system when asked to and them having a record of this reading on their system.. The reading they have estimated is far more than what we have used to date which has resulted in a large final bill from our previous supplier for gas that we haven't even used yet :mad: Also, this final direct debit will go out at the same time as our first direct debit to eon.

When I called to find out what had happened, they explained that they have a 'problem with their online system' so that new customer's readings are not always validated. Also, they can't do anything about it...

The only thing they could do is suggest I cancel our direct debit to them and let them recalculate when we get our first bill in 3 months. When asked if I felt they had 'resolved' my problem today, I said no and have been awarded a 'goodwill gesture' of £5 off our first bill - which might just cover the cost of the phone call this morning :rotfl:

All in all, the 'computer says no' response is a bit frustrating and paying more than double our usual energy bill next month is going to be very annoying. New customers might be advised to give opening meter readings over the phone if they want to avoid this.

Morning ljaneyr and welcome to E.ON. Glad the electricity has switched okay but sorry about the difficulties with the gas.

The industry recently went through a major upgrade where gas switches were concerned and this led to delays. I thought these had been mainly sorted now but there could be a bit of a hangover that might have affected your switch. Guessing though.

With all switches, electricity and gas, the meter readings go to a third party (Data Collector) who checks they're in line with past readings held for the property. Once verified, they are sent to both the new and old supplier who uses the same readings to open and close their respective accounts. This stops the same energy being charged twice. Sometimes the Data Collector changes the readings and it looks like this happened with your gas reading. When this occurs we show it as estimated as it didn't come from you or a meter reader.

This can be challenged through an industry wide procedure known as an Agreed Reads Dispute (ARD). Here, the two suppliers re-agree the opening/closing readings and re-submit them. To use an ARD, the difference needs to be above set thresholds. These are 45 units (hcf) for a 4 dial imperial meter and 125 units (m3) for a 5 dial metric meter. If the difference in your situation is above these thresholds, I'd recommend you start an ARD. Either supplier can do this.

If below these limits, they won't be changed and the revised reading will stand. Totally understand, this can mean paying your old supplier for more units than expected but this is balanced out by paying us for fewer units.

With the Monthly Direct Debit, there's an online tool you can use to make changes to better suit your circumstances. This is the Direct Debit Manager. Provided the account is billed up to the latest meter readings, payments can be altered by up to 20 per up or down. By up to 5 per cent up or down without readings.

Sorry again for the difficulties with the gas switch ljaneyr but hope this explains.

Malc

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

keithgawler wrote: »

Would be interested in E.on smart meter compatibility with British Gas (who I will be shortly switching away from) and also how long I would have to wait for a new smart meter if not compatible (BH24 area). Have email E.on but yet to receive a reply so if an E.on moderator gets to this first then please reply here!


I've got E.on on my shortlist list (pending any new MSE collective coming through in the next couple of weeks) but keen to make sure I switch armed with the best facts.


TIA

Hello keithgawler and I agree with gsmlnx. If you switch to us, I'd expect your smart meter to become dumb and it'll need to be read manually.

This is only temporary until all suppliers use a centralised database or Data Communications Company (DCC). They'll look after the Smart network for all suppliers and pass meter readings to the current supplier. Not sure when this will be fully up and running in all areas but the aim is for customers to be able to switch supplier without losing smart capability.

Although we're currently rolling out smart meters across the country, they're not available everywhere yet. It depends on things like the actual area, type of property, the strength of the mobile phone signal and the current metering set up. There are also certain local difficulties that don't become clear until a technician actually visits a property. As we're not your supplier, we won't have details of your current metering set up and I suspect this will limit the amount of information we can let you have. I would, though, suggest talking to one of our smart meter specialists (contact details are on our website). They'll be able to give you a better steer.

Sorry I can't give you anything more definite keithgawler but hope it helps point you in the right direction.

Malc

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

gsmlnx wrote: »

@keithgawler
If you move away from British Gas then your smart meter will just act as a dumb or normal meter. That is you will have to read the meter yourself and send in readings to e.on or whoever.
I doubt e.on or whoever would swap a working meter that has become dumb but you could only ask.

I agree gsmlnx. As above, I'd expect keithgawler's smart meter to become dumb and need to be read manually should they switch to us at this particular moment in time.

Malc

EnglishBob

My experiences have been mostly negative, which seems at odds with the general consensus here, but that's fine.

I've been with Eon since they were Powergen, originally paying by quarterly direct debit. However when we switched bank accounts, Eon were one of the few companies who seemed incapable of transferring the direct debit; hence I now have to pay manually, and be vigilant in watching out for the bill to make sure I pay it on time. I don't want monthly direct debit, since the payments appear to be calculated by throwing a bag of feathers in the air and counting how many of them land in a bucket.

My in-laws were also with Eon; when we moved in with my father-in-law to provide care after my mother-in-law passed away, Eon were one of the more difficult companies to deal with when trying to transfer the account into my name. Not what you need at a time like that.

Finally, our old house stands empty while we prepare to sell it. The energy usage is minuscule, yet the Eon web site won't accept a meter reading if it's the same as the previous one. I therefore have to lie and say I've used a unit, when quite often I haven't. :undecided

Yet whenever I think of switching, the alternatives all seem to have even poorer feedback scores. :eek:

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

EnglishBob wrote: »

My experiences have been mostly negative, which seems at odds with the general consensus here, but that's fine.

I've been with Eon since they were Powergen, originally paying by quarterly direct debit. However when we switched bank accounts, Eon were one of the few companies who seemed incapable of transferring the direct debit; hence I now have to pay manually, and be vigilant in watching out for the bill to make sure I pay it on time. I don't want monthly direct debit, since the payments appear to be calculated by throwing a bag of feathers in the air and counting how many of them land in a bucket.

My in-laws were also with Eon; when we moved in with my father-in-law to provide care after my mother-in-law passed away, Eon were one of the more difficult companies to deal with when trying to transfer the account into my name. Not what you need at a time like that.

Finally, our old house stands empty while we prepare to sell it. The energy usage is minuscule, yet the Eon web site won't accept a meter reading if it's the same as the previous one. I therefore have to lie and say I've used a unit, when quite often I haven't. :undecided

Yet whenever I think of switching, the alternatives all seem to have even poorer feedback scores. :eek:

Hello EnglishBob and sorry you've had these negative experiences.

We've changed a lot of our ways of working since the Powergen days. In particular, we've made significant changes to the way we look after Monthly Direct Debits including giving customers the ability to take more control of the arrangement.

Monthly Direct Debits are based on current prices and past usage. They also take into consideration any credit or debit balance on the account. If there's no outstanding balance, our assessment will be based on how much energy has been used over the past 12 months and calculated using the current tariff. The aim is to achieve as close as possible to a zero balance by the time of the annual review. At this point, any credit balance over a fiver is automatically refunded; whilst a debit balance is included in the ongoing arrangement and spread up to the next review.

Totally accept, circumstances change and payments need altering to match. Customers registered with our website can use the online Direct Debit Manager to amend their payments to better reflect new circumstances. Provided the account is billed up to the latest meter readings, this tool lets customers change their payments by up to 20 per up or down. By up to 5 per cent up or down without readings.

Customers with Monthly Direct Debits can change their bank details online too. It's a bit different for those paying with Variable Direct Debits where payments are taken in full each quarter. These customers need to call in to set up and change their arrangements.

Another area where we've made significant changes is how we look after accounts where there has been a bereavement. We accepted things needed to change in this area quite a while ago and set up a dedicated Bereavement Support Team. They're a ring-fenced team who deal with all aspects of accounts where a customer has passed away and keep those looking after the account up to date with what's happening. There's more information about this service on our website.

You're right about our website not accepting meter readings where there's been zero usage. Our advisors will be happy to enter these readings manually. You can phone the numbers on your bills or our website. Alternatively, you can use our online Live Chat service (these advisors are available from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and between 8am and 6pm Saturdays).

Hope this explains some of the areas where we've made changes over recent years EnglishBob. Let me know if you need any more information as happy to help.

Malc

EnglishBob

To give credit where it's due, the Eon Bereavement Support Team is totally helpful and efficient. I think my niggles arose from later queries which were handled by the regular team. Unfortunately I can't find the notes I took at the time, otherwise I'd give more detailed feedback.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

EnglishBob wrote: »

To give credit where it's due, the Eon Bereavement Support Team is totally helpful and efficient. I think my niggles arose from later queries which were handled by the regular team. Unfortunately I can't find the notes I took at the time, otherwise I'd give more detailed feedback.

Thanks for posting this about our Bereavement Support Team EnglishBob. I'll pass it on. Glad they looked after you at a difficult time but sorry other advisors let you down.

Malc

katiesussex

Applied via MSE Cheap Energy Club to switch from British Gas to E-On back in May 2017.
I have not heard a dickie bird so contacted E-On who could find no trace of my application.
Contacted MSE and they replied quickly, confirming that the application was definitely sent.
I am therefore not impressed by e-On and have no intention of switching to them now.
Instead I am switching to Octopus which is more expensive (but cheaper than b.Gas) but they have excellent feedback and to be honest I would rather pay a little more and have great customer service.

tranceporter

Hi Malc,

I am looking to switch from Ovo Energy to you. I have a Secure Smart Meter fitted in my home. As per Ovo website, both you and First Utility use Secure Smart Meters, so should the switch be seamless? Will I be able to use my smart meter and IHD (In Home Display) after switching over to you?

Thanks,
Shreyas

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

katiesussex wrote: »

Applied via MSE Cheap Energy Club to switch from British Gas to E-On back in May 2017.
I have not heard a dickie bird so contacted E-On who could find no trace of my application.
Contacted MSE and they replied quickly, confirming that the application was definitely sent.
I am therefore not impressed by e-On and have no intention of switching to them now.
Instead I am switching to Octopus which is more expensive (but cheaper than b.Gas) but they have excellent feedback and to be honest I would rather pay a little more and have great customer service.

Hello katiesussex and welcome to the Forums.

I'm sorry we weren't able to help when you applied to switch to us. Looks like your application through the Cheap Energy Club didn't reach us. Not sure why.

Too late now, I know, but Helena or I would've been happy to look into this for you.

Sorry again we weren't able to put this through for you.

Malc