E.on Fix Online v20

docpaulo

Thank you oliverbrown, that's very helpful. Now I can make an informed decision about this tariff.


I see that both contracts state under 11.1 that:


With this tariff you agree to be contacted during the tariff term for the installation of a smart meter. You are still eligible for this tariff if you currently have a smart meter installed or your property is currently ineligible for a smart meter.



This is the statement that was confirmed by Malc, the E.ON rep, in post #37 of this thread. He also stated in post #2 that :
'Smart meters aren't compulsory and we can't insist on installing them where a customer refuses.' That's fine, because that's the current legal position.


However, in the same post he goes on to say:
'Customers asking to go on one of the Fixed Tariffs currently available on our website agree to consider smart meters'.................'Where customers are okay with having the meters or agree to consider them within the near future, we'll switch them to the tariff and note the account to discuss again at a later date. Where they tell us categorically, no, they will not have smart meters, we need to look at quoting against another tariff. (My italics).


My interpretation of all this (for what it's worth) is that customers can't be forced to accept a smart meter, but if they refuse to have one they will be persuaded/forced(?) to move to another E.ON tariff than the one they thought they had signed up for - possibly after the cooling off period for the original tariff has ended.


Perhaps the E.ON rep can confirm that? I'm happy to be corrected.
Personally, while all this may be perfectly legal under the laws governing contracts etc. (I'm no expert), I would much rather that E.ON clearly stated up-front that acceptance of a smart meter was compulsory for certain tariffs then I wouldn't have to waste hours digging around to find out that maybe the deal wasn't the one for me after all.

oliverbrown

docpaulo wrote: »

I would much rather that E.ON clearly stated up-front that acceptance of a smart meter was compulsory for certain tariffs then I wouldn't have to waste hours digging around to find out that maybe the deal wasn't the one for me after all.

Other E.on tariffs are more definitive about the customer needing to agree to a smart meter when joining those tariffs. My assumption is that if Fix Online was just as "strict" about the customer needing to agree to one as part of the sign up, all E.on tariffs would have the same wording in the T&C.

As I said before, in my opinion the Fix Online T&C do not commit the customer to agreeing to a smart meter and therefore I do not believe E.on has grounds to kick people off the tariff for smart meter refusal.

oliverbrown

That being said, I don't think the T&C's vary between products, just the "Review" section on the product pages. It's curious that the wording in the Review section differs if the (vague) T&C are the same.

T&C: "With this tariff you agree to be contacted during the tariff term for the installation of a smart meter. You're still eligible for this tariff if you currently have a smart meter installed or your property is currently ineligible for a smart meter."

Review panel for Fix Online v20:



Review panel for Fix and Boiler Cover v15

docpaulo

My understanding is that the T&Cs are your legal contract with the company, anything else is just marketing.

oliverbrown

docpaulo wrote: »

My understanding is that the T&Cs are your legal contract with the company, anything else is just marketing.

I agree. In which case none of their tariffs mandate the installation of a smart meter, at least not how I interpret the T&C.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Gold123 wrote: »

Signed up the new Fix Online Exclusive v4 on Monday based on the new softer terms of agreeing to be contacted and offered a smart meter.

Just received the Welcome to Eon email and again confusion:

Third paragraph suggests:

"Getting smart
We'll be in touch to check your home is suitable to fit smart meters. If it is, we'll book you an appointment and once fitted, we'll leave you with an in-home display so you can take control of the energy you're using."

Which I certainly did not agree to.

But later this is contradicted in the key facts of the tariff by this:

"- We'll contact you to offer a free smart meter installation if you're eligible."

which is what I did agree to, to only be offered it.

Can the Eon representative please confirm which is correct.

Thanks in advance.

Morning Gold123 and thanks for joining us. I can confirm the right statement is the one I posted above (#37 - 4 June) about being contacted.

Although Fix Online Exclusive version 4 is a different tariff from the thread title, the wording in the T&Cs is the same. The relevant section says as follows.

With this tariff you agree to be contacted during the tariff term for the installation of a smart meter. You are still eligible for this tariff if you currently have a smart meter installed or your property is currently ineligible for a smart meter.

The full T&Cs are at the link oliverbrown has kindly posted in #50 below (17 June) - thanks oliverbrown.

Hope this explains Gold123.

Malc

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

oliverbrown wrote: »

Yes, there is no penalty to leave E.on from the standard variable tariff.

Confirm that oliverbrown. There are no exit fees on our standard Energy Plan tariff.

We also don't apply fees when switching from one of our tariffs to another. Where exit fees are part of the T&Cs, they only apply when changing supplier outside of the renewal period.

oliverbrown wrote: »

Here are the T&C for your package. Fix Online Exclusive terms are in section 11: https://www.eonenergy.com/-/media/downloads/residential/tariffs/2019/q2/fix-online-exclusive.pdf

Edit: I missed that you went for the Clean £2 option. I'd imagine that aside from the £2, the T&C are identical to the above, but maybe an E.on rep could confirm.

oliverbrown wrote: »

In the end I found the T&C for Fix Online Exclusive with Clean £2: https://www.eonenergy.com/-/media/downloads/residential/tariffs/2019/q2/fix-online-exclusive-clean-2.pdf

Many thanks for posting links to the relevant T&Cs for our Fix Online Exclusive tariffs. Happy to confirm the difference between the two versions concerns the £2 monthly charge for renewable energy. Other aspects are the same.

Thanks again oliverbrown.

Malc

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

docpaulo wrote: »

I'm not trying to hijack this thread, but I'm in a similar position to others here regarding smart meter requirements. I have an added problem - E.ON don't seem to be able to supply me with the full T&Cs for the tariff I'm switching to so that I can check them!

Briefly, last week I initiated a switch through the MSE Cheap Energy Club to E.ON's 'Fix Online Exclusive v4 with Clean £2'. According to the tariff details on CEC this didn't include a smart meter requirement (it WAS stated for other tariffs on there), and at no point in the online switching process was I told that a
smart meter was a requirement or that I would be contacted about one or asked to confirm that I wanted one.

Yesterday I received a 'Welcome' email from E.ON which had the same wording under 'Getting Smart' as Gold123 reported in post #40 above. My experience differs from Gold123 in that I can't obtain a copy of the tariff T&Cs to check it! The charges are listed in the email but the 'T&Cs for this tariff' link in the email is broken and takes me to an error page ending '../for-your-home/errors/quote-and-signup-error'.

So earlier today I spent a frustrating 80 minutes on the phone and online to E.ON trying to find somebody who could either send me a copy of the T&C document or discuss the terms relating to smart meter requirements for this tariff. Staff were either 'not tariff trained' or couldn't/wouldn't put me in touch with the 'Tariff Team' directly. Finally I waited on the phone while a CS rep trawled through the Tariffs section of the E.ON website looking for the tariff and not finding it (I'd already tried that!). At that point I ended the call and started searching this forum. Wish I'd done that earlier but didn't realise there was this ambiguity.


So, can anyone please send me a working link to T&Cs specific for the above tariff or PM me a copy of it while I am still in my cooling off period (until June 28th).


I should state that I have no intention of explaining or discussing my reasons for not wanting a smart meter: any replies to that effect will be ignored.

docpaulo wrote: »

Thank you oliverbrown, that's very helpful. Now I can make an informed decision about this tariff.


I see that both contracts state under 11.1 that:


With this tariff you agree to be contacted during the tariff term for the installation of a smart meter. You are still eligible for this tariff if you currently have a smart meter installed or your property is currently ineligible for a smart meter.



This is the statement that was confirmed by Malc, the E.ON rep, in post #37 of this thread. He also stated in post #2 that :
'Smart meters aren't compulsory and we can't insist on installing them where a customer refuses.' That's fine, because that's the current legal position.


However, in the same post he goes on to say:
'Customers asking to go on one of the Fixed Tariffs currently available on our website agree to consider smart meters'.................'Where customers are okay with having the meters or agree to consider them within the near future, we'll switch them to the tariff and note the account to discuss again at a later date. Where they tell us categorically, no, they will not have smart meters, we need to look at quoting against another tariff. (My italics).


My interpretation of all this (for what it's worth) is that customers can't be forced to accept a smart meter, but if they refuse to have one they will be persuaded/forced(?) to move to another E.ON tariff than the one they thought they had signed up for - possibly after the cooling off period for the original tariff has ended.


Perhaps the E.ON rep can confirm that? I'm happy to be corrected.
Personally, while all this may be perfectly legal under the laws governing contracts etc. (I'm no expert), I would much rather that E.ON clearly stated up-front that acceptance of a smart meter was compulsory for certain tariffs then I wouldn't have to waste hours digging around to find out that maybe the deal wasn't the one for me after all.

Hello docpaulo and thanks for joining us.

I'm sorry you had such a struggle to find the T&Cs for our Fix Online Exclusive tariff. As oliverbrown posts, they're available on our website at the links in the above posts.

Also happy to confirm my statement earlier today (#57) concerning only agreeing to be contacted about smart meters. The relevant section for this tariff is as follows.

With this tariff you agree to be contacted during the tariff term for the installation of a smart meter. You are still eligible for this tariff if you currently have a smart meter installed or your property is currently ineligible for a smart meter.

Hope this explains docpaulo.

Malc

1854

In reply to the E.On Rep can I ask is what you are saying is that a smart meter is not mandatory on a Fix Online Exclusive V4 tariff ?


If so this is contrary to what I have been informed in 2 telephone conversations with E.On staff which led to my cancelling a Fix Online Exclusive V4 contract , and on subsequently querying an 'Activate your Account' email, received after cancellation, the email reply back from E.On also confirmed that smart meters were mandatory across all fixed tariff options, though not on variable rate tariffs.

oliverbrown

1854 wrote: »

In reply to the E.On Rep can I ask is what you are saying is that a smart meter is not mandatory on a Fix Online Exclusive V4 tariff ?

Ultimately it matters not what the E.on reps say, the T&C take precedence. The reps will put pressure on you in whatever way to accept a smart meter but they haven't stipulated it in the T&C.

To anyone considering E.on I would say go for it, and when you get "the call" politely ask where in the T&C it says you must accept a smart meter (it doesn't).