Bulb Energy Reviews: Give your feedback on the energy supplier

tgwpine

I switched to Bulb on 6th December (over 11 weeks ago) and I am still awaiting my first statement and for Bulb to send meter readings to my previous supplier.

During a web chat on 14th January to query why my previous supplier had not received meter readings, Bulb admitted the readings had not been sent yet and that an escalation would be raised with their third party data collector to send out the readings. Bulb said the readings should reach my previous supplier within 1-2 weeks.

A follow up web chat on 6th February was needed as the meter readings had not been received by my previous supplier. It was confirmed Bulb had a technical issue with some missing technical details and they would reach out to their contractor to fix the issue. I later received an email to say the issue had been escalated with the contractor that Bulb get the technical details from and this should get the issue resolved.

Given that this issue was meant to have been resolved following my web chat in January, I emailed a complaint the next day as this was not good enough.

On 12th February, Bulb contacted me to say their meter operators had my meter listed in their records as being 'de-energized'. Bulb advised them this was incorrect and asked me to provide a photo of the meter as evidence. I provided the photos on 13th February.

I have had no further response from Bulb even though I have twice emailed for an update this week.

I signed up with my previous energy provider in June 2018 and the switching process was flawless. There has never been an issue with the meter which has been in place since 2011.

Despite submitting meter readings on 3 occasions, each time I receive the email from Bulb saying 'thanks for my first meter readings'. I haven't received a statement since I joined so I'm unsure as to how my payments compare to my usage (are they enough?). When I log into my account, it indicates my monthly usage but how reliable is it when clearly there is an issue with Bulb recording my meter readings.

My previous supplier has not been able to generate the final bill as they are awaiting meter readings from Bulb and this has delayed the release of credit of the account.

The quality of a company's customer service becomes evident when problems occur and Bulb have fallen far below my expectations.

bowf

My own stupid fault, I should have checked Bulb did smart meter displays when joining, but didn't.
Is there any hope of these in the forseeable future?
Or can Bulb support the one we have (which has SECURE brand on it)?
Manual readings of our smart meters are a real pain, especially the gas one.
It's at ground level and reading the display involves going down on my knees on grass and grovelling around in a spider-infested box to press a button and try to read a dim digital display.
Unless I get a smart meter display in the next few months I'm leaving Bulb.:mad:

PhilBB

Sounds like you might have not read this page
https://help.bulb.co.uk/hc/en-us/articles/115001232872-When-will-Bulb-roll-out-smart-meters-

You could sign up for the waiting list.

How about contacting bulb and asking when they could install new meters for you; they might be able to give you some idea when you could get them.

Phil

bowf

PhilBB wrote: »

Sounds like you might have not read this page
https://help.bulb.co.uk/hc/en-us/articles/115001232872-When-will-Bulb-roll-out-smart-meters-

You could sign up for the waiting list.

How about contacting bulb and asking when they could install new meters for you; they might be able to give you some idea when you could get them.

Phil

I signed up for that weeks ago, heard nothing.
I wish I'd known before signing up to them, but I kinda assumed everyone would do smart meter displays these days, especially one that markets itself as 'new and exciting and forward thinking' like Bulb.

fatbelly

bowf wrote: »

Unless I get a smart meter display in the next few months I'm leaving Bulb.:mad:

Two days ago I spotted this:

Eleanor at Bulb

February 6, 2019 11:57AM

We’ve started installing smart meters in our members’ homes.

In August 2018, we announced that we’d be rolling out smart meters by the end of the year. Unfortunately, industry-wide software complications meant we had to delay our smart meter roll out until January 2019.

You’ve waited patiently while we ironed out the creases to make sure our new second generation smart meters are working as they should. So thanks for sitting tight.

Lots of you are keen to know how and when you can have a smart meter installed. We’ve done our very best to answer your questions here.

If anything has been left unanswered, please do join the discussion below.

“I’ve signed up to the smart meter waiting list. When will I get my smart meter installed?”

If you’re on the smart meter waiting list and eligible for an installation, you should hear from us before Easter 2019.

Eligibility and the exact time we get in touch will depend on a few factors including: • Engineer availability in your area

• Smart meter signal coverage

Right now we’re prioritising people on the waiting list, as they’ve shown an active interest. But we’ll be quickly increasing the number of installations in the coming months.

“I’m not on the smart meter waiting list, can I still join?”

Yes! There's a quick form to complete if you'd like to join the smart meter waiting list. When we're ready to start installing in your area you'll be the first to know.

“How do I book a smart meter installation?”

If you’ve joined the waiting list, we’ll double check that there are engineers available in your area and that there’s smart meter signal coverage.

If everything looks good, we’ll send you an email with a link to book your installation.

You’ll be able to select a date and time for the engineer to arrive. Once the engineer does arrive, the installation takes around 2 hours, and someone over the age of 18 will need to be home in that time.

“Someone I know has been invited to book an installation, and they’re not on the waiting list. How come?”

We want as many people as possible to get the benefits a smart meter can bring. Some areas of the country have a good signal, and engineers available, but not many people on the waiting list. To make the most of the opportunity, we’re inviting people who perhaps didn’t know there was a list to get a smart meter installed.

“If I’ve joined the smart tariff, can I switch back to the vari-fair?”

Yes. If you’ve signed up for our beta smart tariff, you can switch back to our vari-fair tariff at any point, even if you’ve had a smart meter installed.

You’ll need to drop an email to hello@bulb.co.uk or call us on 0300 30 30 635 between 9am and 6pm on weekdays.

It will take up to two weeks to switch you back to the vari-fair tariff. But we’ll make sure you’re not overcharged during this period.

The smart tariff is a 3-rate tariff that reflects the demands of the grid. It works especially well for electric vehicle owners and is helping people to save by changing the way they use energy throughout the day. You can sign up to the smart tariff or find out more.

“What type of smart meter will you be installing?”

We’re installing EDMI and Landis+Gyr second-generation smart meters.

The engineer will replace your current meters and will offer you an In-Home Display (IHD). The IHD is a small screen that sits in your house. It gives you near real-time data which can help you track how much energy you’re using and how much it costs. Many people have found that by getting a better understanding of how much appliances cost to run, they can reduce their bills.

bowf

Sorry, can i just clarify.....
We already have smart meters installed.
The electricity meter has SECURE LIBERTY 100 on it.
It's the display that tells you how much you're using that is currently useless.
Can Bulb not use this equipment, we have to start again?

Mister_G

bowf wrote: »

Sorry, can i just clarify.....
We already have smart meters installed.
The electricity meter has SECURE LIBERTY 100 on it.
It's the display that tells you how much you're using that is currently useless.
Can Bulb not use this equipment, we have to start again?

I'm afraid that you have a SMETS1 meter. Currently this only sends data to the supplier who originally installed it.

I'm assuming that Bulb are installing SMETS 2 meters which will communicate with the new DCC, and the data should be able to be passed to any supplier.

wild666

I joined Bulb on 14/12/18 and had no problems. I went into hospital at the end of December that required a stay of over 6 weeks so I emailed them if they could estimate the monthly usage while I was in and they have.
I cannot reach my electric meter as it's high up on a wall but the gas meter is outside, I can get to that but the son has been hammering the gas usage putting the thermostat up to 30 to get warm, so I dread how much the bills are going to be, if the gas usage has put up my DD and if so by how much, he puts, the heating on for the slightest bit of cold. I was happy that my first month was only £48 compared to the £67 monthly DD.

Shotgun_Rider

I'm thinking of changing supplier to Bulb but I'm concerned with them only offering a variable tariff with the market looking to be moving up rather than down.

What are people's thoughts on this?

fatbelly

Shotgun_Rider wrote: »

I'm thinking of changing supplier to Bulb but I'm concerned with them only offering a variable tariff with the market looking to be moving up rather than down.

What are people's thoughts on this?

If they're showing as cheap now, go for it. Use a referral code from this thread and start with a credit of at least £50:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5958725/bulb-energy-referral-thread-2

If they hike prices, switch again. As they also pay any cancellation penalties and don't charge them themselves, you can't really lose.