Avro Energy reviews: Give your feedback

Consumerist

wakeupalarm said:

If anyone is thinking of joining Avro Energy then my advice is DON'T.  They are the worst energy company I have ever dealt with.  They ignore emails, they ignore complaints, they set Direct Debits way too high.  They don't refund huge credit balances, they ignore Ofgem's license conditions.  Don't even think about having a smart meter installed with these incompetents.  Forget the cheaper prices, the savings are not worth the hassle you have to go through in dealing with these muppets.. AVOID THEM AT ALL COSTS.

They don' charge exit fees so you can switch to another supplier as soon as you like, if you haven't done so already.

[Deleted User]

MidlandsGlory said:

AngelicKaty said:

MidlandsGlory said:

Some good progress. After Avro's contractor installed smart meters and fluffed it I was having problems with the IHD, a GEO II unit that has a pathetic range, there is no spot in the house it can connect to the meter (the meter is outside on a double garage wall). OK so I found in the Android store an app by the IHD manufacturer that allows remote cloud monitoring of the IHD on my phone, So I connected the IHD to my home wifi signals, left it plugged in the garage near the meter wall and it worked, sort of, every other day I found the IHD reset, wifi turned off and the settings erased, re-entering them very laborious!!!
But.. since the installer came back and properly commissioned the gas meter, then commissioned both meters to IHD its been working non stop. So at least I can get readings via my phone to submit online without standing out in the cold and wet trying to write down the meter numbers. Progress!
Apparently the IHD can be remotely updated or controlled by 'somebody, somewhere' and the reason it kept losing settings is they were remotely resetting it in an attempt to get it to connect (never going to happen) so now its sorted that's ceased.

Well done for your tenacity in getting it resolved, but (serious question) why did you have smart meters installed in the first place?

Well actually, I don't care what meters I have! but I am planning to have my old consumer unit replaced with a current one in the not too distant future but to do that we need to isolate it and break seals on the incoming fuse, then have seals replaced which a regular electrician can't do.
Sooo... while the meter guy was installing I 'persuaded' him to install a proper isolator switch I had ready on the consumer side so I can isolate my consumer unit when needed without breaking seals. A specific visit from someone authorised to do this work would have costed me £100.  MSE Gold!

That's fair enough and seems eminently sensible.  I was just a little surprised you said you used to write the readings down - I just take a photograph of the displays.
I've read so many negative comments about so-called smart meters (particularly their ability to go dumb sometimes when you switch suppliers) that the only "usual" reason I might expect someone to have them installed is if they're elderly (the people, not the meters) and/or their meters are in particularly awkward locations and it's not easy to read them - but then, I'm a control freak! 

[Deleted User]

JohnB47 said:

Telegraph_Sam said:

It took me 4 minutes earlier this afternoon to read my monthly gas and electric readings manually, and a further 7 minutes to submit them online (if I had done this a day earlier or later it would have made no difference).  I have already received, printed off, checked and filed the corresponding bill (from Octopus).  I will do a manual top up so that my account remains at zero.  I really struggle to accept that faffing around with a smart meter would make life any easier. If I was to switch to Avro I hope that a SM would not be imposed on me.

I'm with Avro. A couple of months ago I was contacted by their SM installers. I declined and they've not contacted me since. Let's hope it stays that way.

I'm in my third year with Avro.  They contacted me about smart meters once in the first year, but like you, I declined and I've heard nothing more on the subject since.  I don't intend to get smart meters until their operation is standard across the industry i.e. there's no risk of them going dumb when switching suppliers.

Consumerist

Telegraph_Sam said:

wakeupalarm said:

If anyone is thinking of joining Avro Energy then my advice is DON'T.  They are the worst energy company I have ever dealt with.  They ignore emails, they ignore complaints, they set Direct Debits way too high.  They don't refund huge credit balances, they ignore Ofgem's license conditions.  Don't even think about having a smart meter installed with these incompetents.  Forget the cheaper prices, the savings are not worth the hassle you have to go through in dealing with these muppets.. AVOID THEM AT ALL COSTS.

In view of what you say I might  look for alternatives to Avro if I was to switch. I came across So Energy. Granted that this is an Avro thread, so apologies if it is off topic, has anyone had experience of So?

It might be better if you start a new thread on SO energy. I tried to search for a feedback thread for them but MSE's search engine is just about the most useless I've ever come across unless you've got a year to spare to search through thousands of "results".

Edit

Using Google, however, try <here>.

[Deleted User]

Consumerist said:

AngelicKaty said:

MidlandsGlory said:

Some good progress. After Avro's contractor installed smart meters and fluffed it I was having problems with the IHD, a GEO II unit that has a pathetic range, there is no spot in the house it can connect to the meter (the meter is outside on a double garage wall). OK so I found in the Android store an app by the IHD manufacturer that allows remote cloud monitoring of the IHD on my phone, So I connected the IHD to my home wifi signals, left it plugged in the garage near the meter wall and it worked, sort of, every other day I found the IHD reset, wifi turned off and the settings erased, re-entering them very laborious!!!
But.. since the installer came back and properly commissioned the gas meter, then commissioned both meters to IHD its been working non stop. So at least I can get readings via my phone to submit online without standing out in the cold and wet trying to write down the meter numbers. Progress!
Apparently the IHD can be remotely updated or controlled by 'somebody, somewhere' and the reason it kept losing settings is they were remotely resetting it in an attempt to get it to connect (never going to happen) so now its sorted that's ceased.

Well done for your tenacity in getting it resolved, but (serious question) why did you have smart meters installed in the first place?

From the post "So at least I can get readings via my phone to submit online without standing out in the cold and wet trying to write down the meter numbers"

Thank you, I can read, but I couldn't believe that @MidlandsGlory 's only reason for having smart meters installed is because he doesn't like standing outside in the cold and wet.  Lo and behold, if you read his reply, this wasn't his only reason.

MidlandsGlory

AngelicKaty said:

JohnB47 said:

Telegraph_Sam said:

It took me 4 minutes earlier this afternoon to read my monthly gas and electric readings manually, and a further 7 minutes to submit them online (if I had done this a day earlier or later it would have made no difference).  I have already received, printed off, checked and filed the corresponding bill (from Octopus).  I will do a manual top up so that my account remains at zero.  I really struggle to accept that faffing around with a smart meter would make life any easier. If I was to switch to Avro I hope that a SM would not be imposed on me.

I'm with Avro. A couple of months ago I was contacted by their SM installers. I declined and they've not contacted me since. Let's hope it stays that way.

I'm in my third year with Avro.  They contacted me about smart meters once in the first year, but like you, I declined and I've heard nothing more on the subject since.  I don't intend to get smart meters until their operation is standard across the industry i.e. there's no risk of them going dumb when switching suppliers.

I got SMET2 meters so should transfer to a new supplier, there won't be any other option rolled out so no point waiting for anything better to come along. Even if they do go dumb they just become the same as the meter you have so nothing lost.
However, I wouldn't have bothered if I didn't have 'ulterior motives' and Avro are installing reluctantly so won't be hassling you to do it.

Telegraph_Sam

Consumerist said

In view of what you say I might  look for alternatives to Avro if I was to switch. I came across So Energy. Granted that this is an Avro thread, so apologies if it is off topic, has anyone had experience of So?

It might be better if you start a new thread on SO energy. I tried to search for a feedback thread for them but MSE's search engine is just about the most useless I've ever come across unless you've got a year to spare to search through thousands of "results".

Sounds like you've saved me a year's worth of hassle!

[Deleted User]

wakeupalarm said:

If anyone is thinking of joining Avro Energy then my advice is DON'T.  They are the worst energy company I have ever dealt with.  They ignore emails, they ignore complaints, they set Direct Debits way too high.  They don't refund huge credit balances, they ignore Ofgem's license conditions.  Don't even think about having a smart meter installed with these incompetents.  Forget the cheaper prices, the savings are not worth the hassle you have to go through in dealing with these muppets.. AVOID THEM AT ALL COSTS.

I'm sorry that's been your experience; it hasn't been mine and the Co-op were the worst energy company I've ever dealt with.  I agree that Avro set DDs too high, but when I was over a month in credit last May I emailed them asking for a refund and they replied within 5 days agreeing to do this and promptly did so (I'm in credit again though in mid-winter, so I should have asked for more!).  I think timing is everything when asking for some credit to be refunded - for example, I don't think they'll agree if winter is looming or if you're near the end of your contract (because then they can hang on to your money for up to 8 weeks).  To be fair, I haven't experienced all the "service" that Avro has to offer - I don't want smart meters and I've yet to switch away from them (which, from the comments I've read on this forum will be an experience all of its own!    )

Consumerist

AngelicKaty said:

I'm sorry that's been your experience; it hasn't been mine and the Co-op were the worst energy company I've ever dealt with.  I agree that Avro set DDs too high, but when I was over a month in credit last May I emailed them asking for a refund and they replied within 5 days agreeing to do this and promptly did so (I'm in credit again though in mid-winter, so I should have asked for more!).  I think timing is everything when asking for some credit to be refunded - for example, I don't think they'll agree if winter is looming or if you're near the end of your contract (because then they can hang on to your money for up to 8 weeks).  To be fair, I haven't experienced all the "service" that Avro has to offer - I don't want smart meters and I've yet to switch away from them (which, from the comments I've read on this forum will be an experience all of its own!    )

The switch itself is not normally a problem providing your account is in credit. In my experience, the final bill always takes 6 weeks and any refund takes another two. Given the amount they have saved me when with them I can live with an 8-week "delay" in getting my credit balance back.

If I had been with another supplier I wouldn't have seen that money EVER again because it would have been swallowed up in higher energy charges.

Telegraph_Sam

I've never been able to grasp why it should not be acceptable to run a more or less zero credit balance fine tuned and topped up regularly as necessary, and forget all the hassle with begging for refunds.  Luckily Octopus seem to go along with this and this is a consideration that I would certainly weigh up if it was a case of switching to Avro or anyone else.