British Gas - Smart Meters FUMING!

Scatty

SwanJon wrote: »

You can continue your complaint, taking it to the ombudsman after 8 weeks, but I think you'll need more detail than you given here.

Show how you've calculated the £7.50 extra you use on a Sunday in the 8 hours (assuming the £2.50 from each of the other days fills the other 16 hours).Use readings for the weeks since the meters were commissioned - without these it'll just be guesswork.

How does this calculation compare to the '£160' that you say you will have over paid.

Put this all down in writing (make sure it tallies up - don't use the above figures). Then write/email it in. Find out when you first complained about this (not the commissioning) - 8 weeks from then you can go the ombudsman - let them know you know this.

Thank you. My figures are assumptions at the moment, knowing since the in house display was fitted on Wednesday that I use Mon-Sat an average of £2.30 a day (incl standing charge) and that on Sunday I have a towel rail on 8 hours, 4 loads of washing, 4 loads of tumble drying, 2 hours of ironing and an oil filled radiator on - I KNOW that's an awful lot more output than Mon-Sun so it's my estimate of about £10+ per Sunday for 14 Sundays really. I was not advised at all by BG that the Sundays wouldn't run all the time the meters were being sorted out - how am I to know the meter doesn't just store the information? I'm a secretary not a gas engineer. My point is that in the whole process (which should have been done and completed on 31 August) has incurred 14 Sundays of freetime which essentially aren't freetime and I wasn't advised of this AT ALL.


I am expecting my bill today and once I've recovered I will take matters further, with dates of visits (3), phone calls (numerous) and cancellations by BG also extending the time taken to resolve this matter. Thank you for your help.

System

I really think that the OP needs to sit down and do some sums. In theory, the Freetime tariff might suit someone who is at work 5 days a week; however, any savings have to balanced against the fact that for 6.67 days (free time is only an 8 hour window) all electricity consumed is at BG's highest tariff rate.

As far as recourse is concerned, the OP has two options:

1. A complaint followed by an escalation to The Energy Ombudsman. Note any rejection of The Energy Ombudsman's decision means that any offer of compensation is withdraw,

2. A claim against BG in the Small Claims Court for the 'extra' cost of free electricity. The OP will need to pour over BG's Ts and Cs first, and assessing how much the extra cost of 'free' electricity has been may be a tricky calculation. How have you calculated the £160 extra cost? Courts do not respond to best guess estimates.

You say you have missed out on 14 free periods. £160 therefore equates to £11.50 per weekend. BG's standard variable rate is c.13p/kWh so that equates to nearly 87kWhs of usage in an 8 hour period. I am sorry but that doesn't seem possible to me. My guess is that you have been using more electricity than you think and most of this has been charged at BG's very high standard variable rate - hence the need to do the sums.

Scatty

I've been very, very frugal during the week (as I'm not there much at all), although I do have electric radiators (Rointe!) but they are only on for 3 hours per day each since 10th November. So I'm aware of my usage. And indeed of my usage on a Sunday.


I have to suck this bill up and get on with it but I will be escalating it. My main point is (which no one has picked up on) that I simply wasn't informed.


Thanks everyone but I think this thread is exhausted now. As am I.

System

Scatty wrote: »

I've been very, very frugal during the week (as I'm not there much at all), although I do have electric radiators (Rointe!) but they are only on for 3 hours per day each since 10th November. So I'm aware of my usage. And indeed of my usage on a Sunday.


I have to suck this bill up and get on with it but I will be escalating it. My main point is (which no one has picked up on) that I simply wasn't informed.


Thanks everyone but I think this thread is exhausted now. As am I.

You have every right to be annoyed. My advice is look for a better deal than you are on at the moment. You might be surprised how much more 416 free hours of electricity are costing you per year.

poppellerant

I know from my own smart meter installation experience that it can take a few weeks or months before the provider starts receiving meter readings. I was not told this by OVO and felt that maybe they should have told me so I could record my own readings - but no damage was done in the end.

Likewise, I feel that British Gas should have told you it can take a period of time before they start receiving your meter readings. Until then, they could have placed you on a temporary tariff which wouldn't have knocked the bank balance so hard.

Scatty

Hengus wrote: »

You have every right to be annoyed. My advice is look for a better deal than you are on at the moment. You might be surprised how much more 416 free hours of electricity are costing you per year.

I will. They caught me on the hop. What surprises me most is my friend has signed up willingly after being very anti. Hopefully she will take note of my experience.


I'm hoping everything will progress smoothly now the meters are finally commissioned. But thank you to those of you who contributed positively.