Changing pre payment meter - losing balance?

Ames

Hi all,

I've finally got round to changing my suppliers, hopefully as a first step towards getting 'proper' meters (the prepay ones were in when I moved here).

I've had a letter from British Gas saying that I need to use any electric on the meter or I may lose it.

I like to keep plenty on the electric and there's a balance of £35, the changeover date is 1st June. I use about £20 a month, so there's clearly going to be a fair bit left.

I know it's my own fault for not checking and letting it run down before I switched, I just assumed that it would be like with paying by DD where any positive balance would be refunded.

So does anyone know if 'may' lose the balance means I 'will' lose the balance? Or is there a chance of getting it back?

I'm changing from BG on electric and Spark on gas to Ovo for both, if it makes a difference.

footyguy

Ames wrote: »

Hi all,

I've finally got round to changing my suppliers, hopefully as a first step towards getting 'proper' meters (the prepay ones were in when I moved here).

I've had a letter from British Gas saying that I need to use any electric on the meter or I may lose it.

I like to keep plenty on the electric and there's a balance of £35, the changeover date is 1st June. I use about £20 a month, so there's clearly going to be a fair bit left.

I know it's my own fault for not checking and letting it run down before I switched, I just assumed that it would be like with paying by DD where any positive balance would be refunded.

So does anyone know if 'may' lose the balance means I 'will' lose the balance? Or is there a chance of getting it back?

I'm changing from BG on electric and Spark on gas to Ovo for both, if it makes a difference.

You may lose the credit on the meter, but you shouldn't lose out financially.

Let me explain.
When you switch supplier, as soon as you start loading credit from the new supplier it may wipe out any existing credit (or debit) on the meter.

But your old supplier should eventually get round to creating you a final statement/bill. If that shows they owe you money (calculated based on what you have used and the appropriate tariff), then they need to return that to you. Similarly, if you owe the supplier money, they may expect you to pay that (but the reality usually is that as a PPM customer, you won't usually end up owing the supplier money, and some suppliers won't bother asking you to pay even if you do owe them)

sniggings

Good question, sorry don't know the answer.

Did BG refuse to remove them? as I was with BG and the woman I spoke to was very helpful and removed them no bother...I do know I was probably lucky, and it doesn't go so smoothly for everyone, I can remember reading tho the BG are normally one of the better companies to get to remove meters.

Autumnella

Just don't put the new suppliers key in the meter until the credit is really low.

Ames

footyguy wrote: »

You may lose the credit on the meter, but you shouldn't lose out financially.

Let me explain.
When you switch supplier, as soon as you start loading credit from the new supplier it may wipe out any existing credit (or debit) on the meter.

But your old supplier should eventually get round to creating you a final statement/bill. If that shows they owe you money (calculated based on what you have used and the appropriate tariff), then they need to return that to you. Similarly, if you owe the supplier money, they may expect you to pay that (but the reality usually is that as a PPM customer, you won't usually end up owing the supplier money, and some suppliers won't bother asking you to pay even if you do owe them)

Thanks, hopefully that's what'll happen.

sniggings wrote: »

Good question, sorry don't know the answer.

Did BG refuse to remove them? as I was with BG and the woman I spoke to was very helpful and removed them no bother...I do know I was probably lucky, and it doesn't go so smoothly for everyone, I can remember reading tho the BG are normally one of the better companies to get to remove meters.

I failed the credit check with BG. I think it was because I'd forgotten to change the address on my mobile contract. I don't have any credit other than that, so my rating's not good anyway. I don't know if Ovo will be different, but I think they'll change them to smart meters anyway so I can always use an app or online payments instead of having to go out to the shop.

Autumnella wrote: »

Just don't put the new suppliers key in the meter until the credit is really low.

Would that work? I got the impression the credit will be wiped when it's changed. If I can just wait a month or two until I run out that'd be simplest.

sniggings

Ames wrote: »

I failed the credit check with BG. I think it was because I'd forgotten to change the address on my mobile contract. I don't have any credit other than that, so my rating's not good anyway. I don't know if Ovo will be different, but I think they'll change them to smart meters anyway so I can always use an app or online payments instead of having to go out to the shop.

Was it a key system for the meter, as my was a card, so I could topup from home, BG sent me a machine for free, I just had to top up once within a month so I wouldn't get charged for the topup machine.

Ames

BG electric was a key, Spark gas was a card. So at least to start with it'll be a key and a card.

SwanJon

As above, the meter won't know that you have changed supplier until Ovo sedn it a message through the card/key - so if you don't put the c ard/key in the meter the message won't reach them.
However, if Ovo exchange the meters for Smart then they won't put the credit on the new meters - this is money you have given to BG/Spark.
Don't wait for the old suppliers to get in touch - phone them on the day and tell them how much credit is left and ask for it to be refunded.

If the credit stays on the meter, technically you will be using gas/electricity supplied by Ovo without paying them for it, so they may look to recover this. I've not actually seen this happen though.

[Deleted User]

Autumnella wrote: »

Just don't put the new suppliers key in the meter until the credit is really low.

Ovo will not have a key meter the same as the OPs old electric meter which will be an Itron/actaris/landys gyr. OP will be getting Ovo s Liberty Secure smart meter. Problems will come when the OP decides they have had enough of Ovo s meter.Once they have got their clutches around a new customer they make it difficult to escape.