How long does it take for G4S to validate a reading?

amyjamy

When I moved into my new build house my gas meter was not registered on the national database. 6 months of weekly chasing later it has finally been registered. However I am still waiting to be billed for my gas because apparently my supplier need G4S to validate the opening reading. Bearing in mind the opening reading I provided was 6 months ago. How can G4S validate something from months ago?!

I'm frustrated and stressed by this because based on my calculations from the meter readings I have been taking myself, my monthly direct debit is well over double my actual usage. I am £100s in credit - and this was over winter, with the heating on, I am going to be even more in credit over summer!!!!! But I cannot get the monthly DD revised to a lower amount until the reading has been validated and I cannot get any of the amount I am in credit paid back to me either.

I already had to raise it as a complaint with the supplier to get the gas meter registered on the national database. Is my only option to raise another complaint, even though it is entirely out of the suppliers hands and in G4S's hands now, and the supplier is already chasing them?

System

G4S now do not exist in the meter reading game since last month.As a former employee I m glad they have gone.They are a top FTSE 100 company but they are no good in the utilities game..Too much organisation and know how is needed and they are nt too good at organisation.MDS (Morrisons Data Services ) are the new company who were stupid enough to buy out G4S s toxic contracts.. They also will fail badly.slippery suppliers such as BG and EDF had stitched G4S up with dud contracts which were doomed to fail.EDF even had a clause where they paid £300 as a fine if they did nt get to an appointment by the allotted time. G4S ended up doing EDF work for free !
So OP, it is now MDS who you need to slag off not G4S.Please do not mention G4S with your little problem..and don t phone them !

amyjamy

Thanks for the heads up I hadn't heard about MDS. As I said my gas supplier is chasing up the validation of the reading, so I haven't made direct contact with, and don't plan to make direct contact with, anyone other than my supplier or Ofgem. Luckily as it's a new build the meters are outside the property and accessible without an appointment so hopefully missing an appointment time won't be an issue!

molerat

You do not have a contract with anyone other than your supplier so raise a another complaint with them, it is up to them to sort it.

Raxiel

Are you obligated to pay by direct debit? For example as a condition of the tariff?

Is telling them you want to cancel the monthly DD and pay on receipt of a bill an option?

If you're as far in credit as you calculate, when the (correct) bill does finally show up it shouldn't be too eye watering, and you can still set aside the 'correct' DD payment.

This also assumes you don't get a big discount for DD

footyguy

amyjamy wrote: »

When I moved into my new build house my gas meter was not registered on the national database. 6 months of weekly chasing later it has finally been registered. However I am still waiting to be billed for my gas because apparently my supplier need G4S to validate the opening reading. Bearing in mind the opening reading I provided was 6 months ago. How can G4S validate something from months ago?!

I'm frustrated and stressed by this because based on my calculations from the meter readings I have been taking myself, my monthly direct debit is well over double my actual usage. I am £100s in credit - and this was over winter, with the heating on, I am going to be even more in credit over summer!!!!! But I cannot get the monthly DD revised to a lower amount until the reading has been validated and I cannot get any of the amount I am in credit paid back to me either.

I already had to raise it as a complaint with the supplier to get the gas meter registered on the national database. Is my only option to raise another complaint, even though it is entirely out of the suppliers hands and in G4S's hands now, and the supplier is already chasing them?

The MSE article may assist you

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/lower-energy-direct-debits

spiro

House_Martin wrote: »

They also will fail badly.slippery suppliers such as BG and EDF had stitched G4S up with dud contracts which were doomed to fail.EDF even had a clause where they paid £300 as a fine if they did nt get to an appointment by the allotted time.

I suspect it was £30 not £300 and the reason for the £30 fine is that is what the supplier has to pay their customer if an agent fails to turn up to an agreed appointment. Suppliers tend to have the same in their MOP contracts.

System

spiro wrote: »

I suspect it was £30 not £300 and the reason for the £30 fine is that is what the supplier has to pay their customer if an agent fails to turn up to an agreed appointment. Suppliers tend to have the same in their MOP contracts.

Absolutely not Spiro.that is 100% true.unbelievable but true. £300 was the fine EDF used every time one of our meter readers failed to make the appointment on time.G4S were massacred by slippy suppliers who were far too clever for a company with a background of well paid government security contracts.. The person who delivered these contracts a few years ago soon lost her/his job leaving us all to suffer in her wake. G4S were desperate to grab every contract going whatever the cost..
Our managers drilled it into our heads at every meeting about missing EDF appointments, and what the costs would be. They were nt the only supplier who introduced fines on G4S neither..Not hitting the Scottish Power and EDF access rate also cost a fortune in fines..G4S were reading their meters for no profits after paying out access rate fines..They access rate for Scottish Power was , and still is , far too high at 77% for electric I think..That is very high..BG s rates are much better at 65%
Best of luck to MDS who have bought G4S s toxic contracts..Hopefully they can renegotiate something to make the greedy suppliers pay what they should be paying.