EDF meter problems.

[Deleted User]

I had a complete fiasco about 13 years ago caused by a meter change. The issue that triggered the aggro was that the meter change occurred while I was in the middle of switching supplier.

When I got the letter from the new supplier asking for my meter reading it wasn't a simple case of giving just one reading. What they needed was the final reading on the old meter, the starting reading on the new meter, and the current reading on the new meter. I gave them all these readings, and an explanation, and highlighted the whole lot in bright yellow highlighter pen.

I then got an estimated final bill from the old supplier which was more than twice the correct sum. It turns out that the new supplier had thrown away the relevant information, and just passed on the current reading. Not surprisingly, the old supplier must have assumed that I was trying to pull a fast one, and estimated the bill.

The old supplier told me that they can't do anything about it without the relevant info from the new supplier, but the new supplier just said "we wouldn't keep that information, we don't need it". When I rang the old supplier back, I told them they would have to take the info from me because I was the only one who had it. After passing me from pillar to post for half an hour they grudgingly agreed, but then sent another bill for the same amount as before!

So I rang again, and they promised to put the bill on hold, sort it out, and send a correct bill. They then sent another one for the same amount again. This went on for about a year until I got a letter from a debt collector one day. At that point I rang Ofgem, who got the whole sum written off, and a £30 compensation cheque.

They assured me that I hadn't been credit blacklisted as a result, but when I tried to sign up with the same company in 2013, they demanded an up front deposit before they would allow the switch. When I asked them which credit agency was blacklisting me they backed down and waived the deposit.

KennethC

Wow! Now there is a lesson to be learned from that somewhere, fortunately I have all my readings in my computer, lets hope I never have to suffer that experience!

[Deleted User]

It's an example of what happens when you set up call centres full of people treated like battery hens. When you get a caller with a query that doesn't fit the script they work to, it just gets kicked around the floor because nobody has any authority to work on their own initiative and solve the problem.

dogshome

Hi plum24 - From your posts it seems that haveing verified the Meter change staff were who they said they were, you left them to it and went to work - So I guess your meter is in a box on the outside of the building ?

If this is the case, open the box and have a good look around inside it for the card the meter crew should have left, which states the readings on the old meter and new meter when the change took place

pipmoss

Hi Plum
I had exactly the same problem. I was told that Group 4 who exchanged my meter had not filled in the correct paperwork in order to transfer my new meter serial number to my account .I contacted their chief exec [EMAIL="tim.mccoy@edfenergy.com"]tim.mccoy@edfenergy.com[/EMAIL]. It eventually got sorted after a couple of months. They even threw in £75 credit onto my account as a gesture of goodwill.


Hope this helps and GOOD LUCK

KennethC

pipmoss wrote: »

Hi Plum
I had exactly the same problem. I was told that Group 4 who exchanged my meter had not filled in the correct paperwork in order to transfer my new meter serial number to my account .I contacted their chief exec [EMAIL="tim.mccoy@edfenergy.com"]tim.mccoy@edfenergy.com[/EMAIL]. It eventually got sorted after a couple of months. They even threw in £75 credit onto my account as a gesture of goodwill.


Hope this helps and GOOD LUCK

That sound like a good link, but anything to do with Group 4 would worry me.

[Deleted User]

Yes, typical G4S sloppy work, ( I work for them ). The meter fitting bloke could nt be bothered to leave an exchange card by the meter, as hes supposed to do. Its not just G4S doing this, I see many new meters installed without the proper card. Somewhere there will be a record of the exchange in the system because as soon as the exchange is done, the new , and old meter details are sent directly off to the suppliers

KennethC

sacsquacco wrote: »

Yes, typical G4S sloppy work, ( I work for them ). The meter fitting bloke could nt be bothered to leave an exchange card by the meter, as hes supposed to do. Its not just G4S doing this, I see many new meters installed without the proper card. Somewhere there will be a record of the exchange in the system because as soon as the exchange is done, the new , and old meter details are sent directly off to the suppliers

That's ok but does the op know who changed the meter?

[Deleted User]

KennethC wrote: »

That's ok but does the op know who changed the meter?

Does nt matter what contractor changed it, theres an electronic trail of the work done, and the operator who could nt be a***d to do his job properly .He causes problems with his laziness. The systems not in place to clobber them because too many do it. It takes 90 seconds at the most to complete the exchange card. I get it all the time when the gas meters are exchanged. They dont bother filling the yellow sticky label with old meter details, closing and opening reads etc.

plum24

Hi thanks so much for all the replies. You're correct, once I was satisfied that EDF were responsible for replacement of the meter I went off to work, I have managed to find a meter reading I took in Jan then another towards the end of March, hopefully these will suffice as on inspection there is definitely no paperwork left inside the meter box. Surely EDF should have a record of the readings taken by the man who changed the meters over, although I won't hold my breath, as they do not seem to have a record of much at all. I can't understand, when I know for a fact that my meter has been read twice that I know of since June 2013 (I had conversations with the meter readers) why would they have only ever estimated the bill, and if there were problems with the readings they got someone surely should have been in touch regarding the issue. They are sending someone out to me on 14th Apr, so perhaps then this will be resolved.
Thank you once again for your replies and also for the link that I will definitely be using.
Kind regards
Plum