Credit on a Prepayment meter

kmm5000

Hi,

I have decided to go onto a credit meter as I am struggling more and more to go out and get topups.

After switching I was given an online account with Eon and decided to update my meter readings (I have been a Prepayment customer for 30+ years and not given them a reading for must be +8 years) It is now showing for my electricity +307.75 and for my Gas +166.47.

Can you go into Credit on a prepayment meter? I double checked the meter readings I sent and they are 100% correct.

Thanks

LewisHamilton

kmm5000 wrote: »

Hi,

I have decided to go onto a credit meter as I am struggling more and more to go out and get topups.

After switching I was given an online account with Eon and decided to update my meter readings (I have been a Prepayment customer for 30+ years and not given them a reading for must be +8 years) It is now showing for my electricity +307.75 and for my Gas +166.47.

Can you go into Credit on a prepayment meter? I double checked the meter readings I sent and they are 100% correct.

Thanks

The only two ways a prepayment customer can go into credit are:

(1) You topped up the prepayment meter just before it was exchanged and you did not use all the top up - this won't be £100 or £300 and more in the region of £5 - £20 left on the meter

(2) The energy supplier did not reduce the rates on the prepayment meter in line with the rates charged on the prepayment statements and final bill. Therefore, the customer was topping up and paying based on the higher rates set on the prepayment meter when in reality the rates on the prepayment meter should have been lower. Therefore, when an actual bill is produced, a overpayment and credit can occur. Again, this is very unlikely to cause an overpayment of £300 but not impossible.


The likely scenario in your case is that your online account is showing an incorrect credit balance as your final prepayment charges have not yet been billed so your top ups have not been used to offset the final charges yet i.e the credit is simply your top ups before the charges being billed. Once the charges are billed, there will no longer be a credit of £100 and £300.

Only E.ON can give you a full explanation as to why there is currently a large credit so best speak to them.

kmm5000

Thank you, I think the later part is the most probably cause, I did only give them the updated meter readings today.

House_Martin

kmm5000 wrote: »

Thank you, I think the later part is the most probably cause, I did only give them the updated meter readings today.

Eon have been receiving a meter reading at every time you topped up at a paypoint. There are two different "total kwhs " on the Landis Gyr/Itron/Actaris prepay electric meters and suppliers may use either.
Screen "G " shows the total kwhs the meter has recorded since it was installed. (BG always use this reading )
Screen "H " also shows the total kwhs but it only relates to the total the last tenant or occupier has used since they took over the property. Eon I believe prefer to use this total kwhs seen on screen "H ". G and H will be the same reading if only one occupier has used the meter since it was installed.
The total credit left on the meter is shown on the first screen, screen "A ". Its not at all uncommon to see a large credit on this screen, and if screen A has a credit then that is what it is. It is a "smart key " or "smart card ".
the meter runs the show crediting and debiting and updates tariffs if needed at each top up.
The suppliers have found a way to absolve themselves of any form of billing by dumping a prepay meter in the property and leaving it to do all the sums.
This is why prepayment meters are routinely fiddled and suppliers have no idea whats going off and why smart prepay will end all the free energy of hundreds of thousands of UK energy thieves.

Some people like to save up for the big bills and put a few hundred pounds on the meter.
My record debit on a gas meter I have seen over the years is £9000 ! and up £3k debit is quite common, seen as a -negative sign or "debt " on screen A
LewisHamilton is correct, the online balance has nt been updated. The meter is more truthful and shows the actual current credit balance in real time not 3 months earlier. I have had many occupiers over the years protesting how much they are owed when they ve received letters from suppliers. .
Its a good thing that suppliers seem to ignore the rules of a yearly billing update for prepays. It just leads to confusion and demands for payment

Anthorn

LewisHamilton wrote: »

The only two ways a prepayment customer can go into credit are:

(1) You topped up the prepayment meter just before it was exchanged and you did not use all the top up - this won't be £100 or £300 and more in the region of £5 - £20 left on the meter

(2) The energy supplier did not reduce the rates on the prepayment meter in line with the rates charged on the prepayment statements and final bill. Therefore, the customer was topping up and paying based on the higher rates set on the prepayment meter when in reality the rates on the prepayment meter should have been lower. Therefore, when an actual bill is produced, a overpayment and credit can occur. Again, this is very unlikely to cause an overpayment of £300 but not impossible.


The likely scenario in your case is that your online account is showing an incorrect credit balance as your final prepayment charges have not yet been billed so your top ups have not been used to offset the final charges yet i.e the credit is simply your top ups before the charges being billed. Once the charges are billed, there will no longer be a credit of £100 and £300.

Only E.ON can give you a full explanation as to why there is currently a large credit so best speak to them.

Eh? Being in credit is the way prepayment works: We top-up our credit and then any energy we use is deducted from the credit and when we run out of credit we don't get any more energy until we top-up and go into credit again. To underline this, when we switch energy providers the credit left on the prepayment meter is paid back to us; or should be paid back to us.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

kmm5000 wrote: »

Hi,

I have decided to go onto a credit meter as I am struggling more and more to go out and get topups.

After switching I was given an online account with Eon and decided to update my meter readings (I have been a Prepayment customer for 30+ years and not given them a reading for must be +8 years) It is now showing for my electricity +307.75 and for my Gas +166.47.

Can you go into Credit on a prepayment meter? I double checked the meter readings I sent and they are 100% correct.

Thanks

Hello kmm5000 and already some excellent advice on here. Thanks all.

I suspect LewisHamilton is right and the final prepayment charges aren't yet showing on your account. Following a meter exchange, it can take a while before our systems are fully updated. Once they are, we'll issue a statement up the removal readings on the prepayment meters. This will show your top-ups and the energy used up to the meter exchange. As LewisHamilton says, it's likely the usage up to the exchange will be offset against the top ups and use up the credit currently showing. Once the statement has been issued, your online account will be updated as well.

Hope this explains kmm5000. Let me know if you need any more information as happy to help.

Malc

System

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc wrote: »

Following a meter exchange, it can take a while before our systems are fully updated.

Malc

Malc - good to see you back up and running. A side question if I may? Given that meter exchanges have always been something of a running sore for the industry and consumers wanting accurate bills what, if any, improvements has the industry brought in to support quicker updating of the National database and suppliers' systems? I ask because the latest reports suggest that suppliers are going to have to install 40,000 smart meters each day to achieve the 2020 target. There is the potential for short-term billing chaos.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hengus wrote: »

Malc - good to see you back up and running. A side question if I may? Given that meter exchanges have always been something of a running sore for the industry and consumers wanting accurate bills what, if any, improvements has the industry brought in to support quicker updating of the National database and suppliers' systems? I ask because the latest reports suggest that suppliers are going to have to install 40,000 smart meters each day to achieve the 2020 target. There is the potential for short-term billing chaos.

Many thanks Hengus. It's good to be back after three months out of action.

To be honest, I'm not sure what's happening behind the scenes in respect of improving the speed meter exchanges are put through. I do know a lot of work and resources is being devoted to both our smart and classic meter programmes but, at our humble level, we only find out the results of this investment much further down the line.

As you know, a number of independent third parties are involved with meter exchanges and we need to agree a way forward with them too. This is another area where we've committed resources but, as of yet, I don't have anything significant to tell you about.

Sorry I can't give you any direct answers Hengus. Helena and I ask questions regularly about this and other projects and will update the Forums once we've something of interest to let you know about.

Malc

Michaelw

Be careful the unit rate might be higher then on prepayment.Also a large bill can build in one month that might have been budgeted better for on a prepayment meter.With smart meters the ability to switch between this and credit means your bill may well increase.Much like yourself I thought the same however the credit before seems to have disappeared and a large bill is now in prospect and a payment of £3.75 a week when the meter reverts to prepayment mode.