E ON pre pay gas and elec Cold Caller telling me i must replace metre

pinkypanther2017

I am with E on on a pre pay gas and elec metre and i top up at the pay point for both. After all the letters from e on finally stopping to say that i had to replace my metre with a smart metre i thought great no more junk mail. Today i have just had a cold caller at the door from e on telling me that in the next 3 or 4 months i will no longer be able to top up with my key cards at any shops as they are stopping this and all shops are removing the facility to top up in store.. He then went on to tell me that my metre will be changed to smart metre to enable me to top up my gas and elec. Is this correct. Are the post office and pay point removing the machines from their shops so that we can no longer top up this way i dont know what to do. Was he just scaring me in to having my metre changed.

twhitehousescat

to my knowledge as a pre pay customer the comment above is **llocks , they are pushing you into smart meters , cold caller on commision?

PennineAcute

I agree with twhitehouse. The smell of something that comes out of a bull is overwhelming.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

pinkypanther2017 wrote: »

I am with E on on a pre pay gas and elec metre and i top up at the pay point for both. After all the letters from e on finally stopping to say that i had to replace my metre with a smart metre i thought great no more junk mail. Today i have just had a cold caller at the door from e on telling me that in the next 3 or 4 months i will no longer be able to top up with my key cards at any shops as they are stopping this and all shops are removing the facility to top up in store.. He then went on to tell me that my metre will be changed to smart metre to enable me to top up my gas and elec. Is this correct. Are the post office and pay point removing the machines from their shops so that we can no longer top up this way i dont know what to do. Was he just scaring me in to having my metre changed.

Hello pinkypanther2017 and welcome to the Forums.

Please ignore this caller. We don't do cold door to door sales and haven't for a few years. We're continuing to support prepayment key meters as we have previously and you'll be able to top up at local retail outlets as now.

Not sure who you were talking to. If they had been from us, they would've had identification and a phone number you could call to verify they were who they claimed to be. If they call again please ask to see this identification, call the number to let us know and don't give the cold caller any details about your energy account.

Smart meters are optional and we can't fit them without your agreement.

Hope this helps ease your mind pinkypanther2017. Let me know if you've any further concerns.

Malc

[Deleted User]

Yes it will be some sort of tactic of last resort to force occupier to make an appointment to fit a new meter, and the letters from Eon certainly are not "junk mail ".
Eon could be ending smartcard/key for all their customers although the Paypoints will still be open for all the other suppliers to use this service.
Maybe it mentioned this in the "junk mail ".It is in all customers terms and conditions to admit meter readers or engineers sent by their suppliers to inspect or maintain their equipment. I dont think the Eon rep is correct in advising to ignore any Eon future callers.
That is how the old token meter prepays were updated when all the customers who would not make an appointment or contact supplier to have their meters updated .They were visited by meter readers to make an appointment.
. I did many calls like this myself for BG to get the occupiers to make appointments to change token meters to card/key back in 2002 ish . If they took no notice of the letters it was a last resort to make personal contact.
The token prepays were all ended on a certain date and withdrawn from sale which forced occupiers to quickly make appointments for meter changes although for many years after I was still finding old paper token meters in use even tho they were not on sale anywhere in the UK.
The old smart card and smart key meters belong in the last century. They are holding every one back from cheaper prepayment tariffs. Smart prepayment are far better, so quicker the better they are all exchanged .

As a meter reader myself I am what is termed a "cold caller " so I expect this person also was doing his job to get the occupant to upgrade the meter. It is not a sales call but a vital upgrade which is much needed.
I m not sure if prepay users have the right to refuse upgrades to smart prepayment.. They are different from credit meters.Suppliers need to be able to get rid of expensive to run key and card meters to lower costs for everyone.

Many prepays , such as the George Wilson s ,would have reached end of life and will need to be upgraded and smart prepays are all what they are using nowadays.

pinkypanther2017

Oh thankyou for the reply i was caught off guard as i was already outside my home, I never answer to strangers but he took me by surprise and i told him what he was saying was incorrect I was panicked for a while thinking how on earth am i going to be able to get my gas and electric topped up. It has played on my mind all night and i am not in good health. In reply to the above comment if it was a simple we have to replace your old metre to a new one then yes i would have done this immediatly BUT he told me in very clear terms that I have to have a SMART METRE put in to be able to top up both the gas and elec. I had to be very firm for him to go away. I now feel a lot better and if he comes back i will do as you say thankyou all so much and thankyou to Malc for putting my mind to rest Josy

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

pinkypanther2017 wrote: »

Oh thankyou for the reply i was caught off guard as i was already outside my home, I never answer to strangers but he took me by surprise and i told him what he was saying was incorrect I was panicked for a while thinking how on earth am i going to be able to get my gas and electric topped up. It has played on my mind all night and i am not in good health. In reply to the above comment if it was a simple we have to replace your old metre to a new one then yes i would have done this immediatly BUT he told me in very clear terms that I have to have a SMART METRE put in to be able to top up both the gas and elec. I had to be very firm for him to go away. I now feel a lot better and if he comes back i will do as you say thankyou all so much and thankyou to Malc for putting my mind to rest Josy

You're welcome Josy. Happy to help and glad I was able to put your mind at rest.

Malc