Unable to change gas supplier in new f’at

Daniel1231

Ive had a nightmare few months with Eon since moving in to my new flat, and was wondering if anyone had any advice what to do as complaining to them is getting me nowhere:
I moved in to my new flat in June and wanted to change suppliers for gas and electricity, but couldn’t as my meter number didn’t match the one on record. They arranged for someone to come out to have a look, but they didn’t show up to the appointment.
I then complained about this, and was passed around 3 different teams before they told me they would just change it to what I said it was. 2 weeks later they had done nothing and had no record of the agreement when I called them again.
Then last week I was getting a new boiler installed when a fire broke out because the gas tap I thought was mine actually wasn’t!
I complained about this, and the fact that in 2 months eon had not even tried to figure out which was mine and was willing to just trust me as to what my gas meter was. In addition, the meter number they have on record doesn’t match any of the meters in my block of flats.
They called me today to say they will get someone to have a look, but have no timescale for it.
So now I’m locked in to a contract with eon, unable to change until they fix the meter number on my account. Any idea what to do?! I was hoping for some compensation for the fire (new boiler written off) but just being ab’e To leave eon would be a good start!

maxcy

Daniel1231 wrote: »

Ive had a nightmare few months with Eon since moving in to my new flat, and was wondering if anyone had any advice what to do as complaining to them is getting me nowhere:
I moved in to my new flat in June and wanted to change suppliers for gas and electricity, but couldn’t as my meter number didn’t match the one on record. They arranged for someone to come out to have a look, but they didn’t show up to the appointment.
I then complained about this, and was passed around 3 different teams before they told me they would just change it to what I said it was. 2 weeks later they had done nothing and had no record of the agreement when I called them again.
Then last week I was getting a new boiler installed when a fire broke out because the gas tap I thought was mine actually wasn’t!
I complained about this, and the fact that in 2 months eon had not even tried to figure out which was mine and was willing to just trust me as to what my gas meter was. In addition, the meter number they have on record doesn’t match any of the meters in my block of flats.
They called me today to say they will get someone to have a look, but have no timescale for it.
So now I’m locked in to a contract with eon, unable to change until they fix the meter number on my account. Any idea what to do?! I was hoping for some compensation for the fire (new boiler written off) but just being ab’e To leave eon would be a good start!

I wonder if the energy supplier has a complaints procedure you could follow to resolve this, well, complaint?

How much compensation are you seeking?

How do you think the supplier is responsible for the fire you appear to accept responsibilty for?

maxcy

Sorry just seen your other thread on the Insurance board (sorry cannnot post a link) about the fire.

I have replied about that in that thread, so no, Eon are not liable for the fire or the resultant damage caused (and hopefully neither are you)

Daniel1231

They do but they never replied to my previous complaint I’m not holding any hope of any success here!
I’m not holding any hope of them paying anything towards my damaged boiler etc, but I see on their website they should offer £30 for no show appointments and £30 for not paying within 10 days.
But surely they have a responsibility to make sure I know which is my meter/ firstly as they cant charge me the right amount as they had the wrong meter on record, but also for safety- I didn’t know which tap to turn off.
And surely they can’t lock me in to a contract with them for an indefinite amount of time as they can’t be arsed to come and see which is my right meter?

maxcy

Daniel1231 wrote: »

They do but they never replied to my previous complaint I’m not holding any hope of any success here!
I’m not holding any hope of them paying anything towards my damaged boiler etc, but I see on their website they should offer £30 for no show appointments and £30 for not paying within 10 days.
But surely they have a responsibility to make sure I know which is my meter/ firstly as they cant charge me the right amount as they had the wrong meter on record, but also for safety- I didn’t know which tap to turn off.
And surely they can’t lock me in to a contract with them for an indefinite amount of time as they can’t be arsed to come and see which is my right meter?

Oh good.

Presumably that complaint procedure also details what you should do if they don't respond, or the response you receive is unacceptable to you.

The meter, albeit theirs, is in your property, not theirs.
A supplier cannot be entirely responsible for knowing exactly what meter supplies your property, but you can easily checj that yourself, and if the supplier has made an error, then you can advise the supplier of that.

A supplier based pssibly 100's of miles away cannot know the location of your isolation valve. It's your responsibilty, if for no other reason for your own personal safety, to make yourself familiar withwhere it is and how to isolate your gas supply in an emergeny..

You never know, one day there may be a fire and you should know how to isolate the supply quickly. :cool:

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Daniel1231 wrote: »

Ive had a nightmare few months with Eon since moving in to my new flat, and was wondering if anyone had any advice what to do as complaining to them is getting me nowhere:
I moved in to my new flat in June and wanted to change suppliers for gas and electricity, but couldn’t as my meter number didn’t match the one on record. They arranged for someone to come out to have a look, but they didn’t show up to the appointment.
I then complained about this, and was passed around 3 different teams before they told me they would just change it to what I said it was. 2 weeks later they had done nothing and had no record of the agreement when I called them again.
Then last week I was getting a new boiler installed when a fire broke out because the gas tap I thought was mine actually wasn’t!
I complained about this, and the fact that in 2 months eon had not even tried to figure out which was mine and was willing to just trust me as to what my gas meter was. In addition, the meter number they have on record doesn’t match any of the meters in my block of flats.
They called me today to say they will get someone to have a look, but have no timescale for it.
So now I’m locked in to a contract with eon, unable to change until they fix the meter number on my account. Any idea what to do?! I was hoping for some compensation for the fire (new boiler written off) but just being ab’e To leave eon would be a good start!

Daniel1231 wrote: »

They do but they never replied to my previous complaint I’m not holding any hope of any success here!
I’m not holding any hope of them paying anything towards my damaged boiler etc, but I see on their website they should offer £30 for no show appointments and £30 for not paying within 10 days.
But surely they have a responsibility to make sure I know which is my meter/ firstly as they cant charge me the right amount as they had the wrong meter on record, but also for safety- I didn’t know which tap to turn off.
And surely they can’t lock me in to a contract with them for an indefinite amount of time as they can’t be arsed to come and see which is my right meter?

Hello Daniel1231 and welcome to the Forums.

I'm sorry for the no show and for the poor advice you were given. This sounds like what's known as a crossed meter. These tend to happen mainly on new builds or in blocks of flats where there are several different meters in a communal area. It's where the meter details become mixed up between different properties.

On new builds, meters are installed on individual plots often a long time before the occupier moves in or a postal address is created. The builder/developer or their agents let us have details of the meters at individual properties. Sometimes these details aren't given to us as they should be and a mix-up happens.

They can sometimes take quite a time to sort out particularly with new builds where there might be a few properties involved. We've a specialist team who look after crossed meters. They investigate what has been mixed up, sort it out and rebill accounts using the right meter and readings. This is our New Connections (Developer) team.

Please talk to this specialist team. Let them have as many details as possible including the meter serial number (from the meter itself and not any paperwork), its location, opening and up to date readings, the handover date, supply number (on a label attached to the meter), the full Royal Mail postal address and, if applicable, plot details. Photos would be good if possible.

If you're unsure which is your gas meter, you can do a burns test. It's best to do this when there are as few people as possible in the neighbouring properties.

Don't turn off the supply at the meter. Make sure your boiler isn't on or programmed to come on and all gas appliances are switched off.

Go to where the meters are and make a note of the meters where the numbers in the red box aren't moving. Go back to the flat and switch on gas appliances or the boiler. Go back to the meters and see which reading has started to move that wasn't moving before. This will be your meter.

You're right to ask about the Guaranteed Standards of Service. There are certain standards of service you can expect when dealing with us including doing what we say we will. As you say, if we don't, we'll pay £30 plus a further £30 if we don't make the initial payment within 10 working days. Keep going with your complaint and ask the Complaint Manager about these payments.

Hope this points you in the right direction Daniel1231.

Malc

[Deleted User]

It would be difficult for any suppliers representatives to come and "sort out " crossed meters.
The occupier is the person who could at least easily determine which is the correct meter for their property by performing simple procedures with ideally the help of an assistant on their mobiles..
Simply use an electric appliance such as a kettle or an iron , switch it on and check which meter in the communal cupboard and see which meters small red light starts to pulse much quicker, then slow right down the second the appliance is switched off. Doing this a couple of times will track down your meter.
Gas meter could be harder as they could be in semi concealed meter boxes outside but its still quite do able. Switch the gas rings /central heater boiler on and then watch the three last digits, which are one hundreths of a unit , on the 8 digit metric meter and watch the last of the 8 digits stop and start spinning round when the gas appliance is switched on and off.
This procedure can t be done by any supplier s meter readers who visit, it has to be done by the occupiers