Switching: Being charged for same units of energy twice

Aa1242

Managed to get this resolved. Had an email from the new supplier yesterday (I hadn't got round to emailing them about it yet) stating that the opening reading I provided wasn't inline with my expected usage (even though it was what the meter said but hey ho).

The new supplier has adjusted their opening reading so it is inline with the estimated closing reading from my old supplier, meaning I'm not getting charged twice for the same units now.

Talldave

The "estimate" comes from an invisible industry body that thinks its guesswork is more accurate than your eyeballs. Weird and a bit insulting. 

Are you out of pocket though? Or have you gained? (Compared to the switch being carried out using your actual real-life reading).

Aa1242

Talldave said:

The "estimate" comes from an invisible industry body that thinks its guesswork is more accurate than your eyeballs. Weird and a bit insulting. 

Are you out of pocket though? Or have you gained? (Compared to the switch being carried out using your actual real-life reading).

Out of pocket but not by much, however the main thing I was bothered about was being charged for the same units twice (which now they've agreed a figure I'm not being charged twice).

The weird thing is, the email from Octopus (new supplier) states the agreed figure (which is higher than the one I provided), but says I pay them more and my old supplier less?? I think this is wrong as if the agreed figure is higher than what I provided, then I'll be paying my old supplier more not my new supplier.

Either way, now I'm not being charged twice for the same units I'm happy.

Talldave

Yeah, as long as the figures match.  Someone at Octopus doesn't understand!

When this happened to me, I had a similar outcome - more units charged with older, more expensive supplier than should have been. I complained to the new supplier that the reading had been ignored and they credited my account with the difference, which I thought was incredibly generous of them as they were then out of pocket due to the stupid industry meter reading organisation.

Joe9090

Of course this  problem would never occur if everyone had smart meters and they worked properly.
I wonder if this 'invisible industry body' has access to the national database that records meter readings? 

Talldave

Joe9090 said:

Of course this  problem would never occur if everyone had smart meters and they worked properly.
I wonder if this 'invisible industry body' has access to the national database that records meter readings? 

I assume that's all they have access to.  Which is why they apply purely mathematical algorithms to the data and completely ignore lifestyle changes such as new residents in a property or a boiler replacement which can have a significant impact on the energy consumption of a property. 

As you pointed out, they would be redundant if we all had smart meters.  Although I would propose that they continue to monitor readings from smart meters in order to detect the apparent problem of gas meters spiralling out of control when their batteries run flat.

brewerdave

Talldave said:

Joe9090 said:

Of course this  problem would never occur if everyone had smart meters and they worked properly.
I wonder if this 'invisible industry body' has access to the national database that records meter readings? 

As you pointed out, they would be redundant if we all had smart meters.  Although I would propose that they continue to monitor readings from smart meters in order to detect the apparent problem of gas meters spiralling out of control when their batteries run flat.

Even when we are all finally forced to have so called smart meters in the distant future, I ,for one, will have little faith in their reliability. I will be taking manual reads until I'm put in my wooden box.  

MWT

brewerdave said:...I ,for one, will have little faith in their reliability. I will be taking manual reads until I'm put in my wooden box.  

... and getting a correct manual read out of some of these smart meters may accelerate that outcome, due to frustration...

They seem designed to offer every possible alternative way to display consumption, except the one you need, without multiple button presses and a tendency to blank the screen and start again if you pause for too long while doing it...

Talldave

MWT said:

brewerdave said:...I ,for one, will have little faith in their reliability. I will be taking manual reads until I'm put in my wooden box.  

... and getting a correct manual read out of some of these smart meters may accelerate that outcome, due to frustration...

They seem designed to offer every possible alternative way to display consumption, except the one you need, without multiple button presses and a tendency to blank the screen and start again if you pause for too long while doing it...

Because they've been specified by the energy industry & meter manufacturers who between them know f*** all about user interfaces and usability.  In fact, they probably never considered the real world situation where their shoddily specified infrastructure wasn't going to work and paying customers would have to take on the job of meter reader.

badmemory

I was under the impression that even if you have a smart meter the losing supplier immediately loses access to it as soon as you switch away.  Unless they are doing 30 minute readings the situation will not be changed.