Electricity meter not working

gs1234

Hi all, I am looking for some advise.
As the title suggests my electricity meter is not working. This has been an ongoing issue over about the last 3 years. I reported the meter as faulty as soon as I noticed it, in fact it was during a meter reading that it was pointed out to me. After I chased it up a couple of times I was offered a new smart meter, I agreed and the came to fit it but it was incompatible as they couldn't receive a mobile signal in the cupboard under the stairs where the meter is located. I was told by the installer that they would be back in touch, they weren't so I contacted them again and they made an appointment to fit a traditional meter which they cancelled by email the day of the install after I had made arrangements to take the day off work. This happen 2 more times and cause me extreme frustration and at this point I decided it was their problem and I wasn't going to waste any more of my own time chasing them.
Since then and for around 3 years I have retained a constant level of direct debit or around £100 a month and every time their automated billing tries to reduce my payment I put it back to that amount online. For the majority of that period I was on a fixed rate but now it is variable and I would like to contact them to get it fixed but I then fear it will just be a repeating scenario of cancelled appointments and them trying to overcharge me. As far as I am concerned I am not giving them any of my time regarding the meter any more. The online method of submitting meter reading will not accept my readings as the electricity one is always the same and I am £800 in credit as its all based on estimates. I also can't afford for them to hit me with a huge bill and will fight that to the end and they have had many opportunities to fix their broken meter. 
 
I am now trying to weigh up what to do moving forward I have a few options I can think  of:

1. Contact them and if they do replace my meter have the argument about a fair payment, I believe they will probably ask me to supply readings over a period and estimate from that. My concern is that it is coming into winter and I am now working form home so that would not of be consistent over the last 3 years.
2. Ignore it and continue to pay what I am paying and be concerned about a future contention in energy consumption and payments due.
3. Reduce or cancel my direct debit which would probably kick them into action.
4. Tell them I am wanting to change supplier and ask them to provide me with a final bill and change supplier. Which is what I an tempted to do but assume it would take me in a cycle back to option 1.

If anyone has been in a similar situation it would be good to know what the outcome was and how to prepare for what I expect to be a contentious affair.
Kind Regards
Greg 

MWT

The obvious solution was to fit the smart meter in 'dumb' mode as it was a replacement for a faulty meter, not a work order to install a smart meter.

I do understand the frustration of multiple cancelled visits, but I wouldn't have left it 3 years without trying to resolve the problem.

Given the length of time though, if you don't like their proposal re the billing then request that they use a full year of your previous billing history as the basis.

gs1234

I don't know the technicalities of installing a dumb meter it's not really my call.
My issue with using a full year is that we are at home a lot more and working from home so it wouldn't be a fair comparison.

Gerry1

Many years ago I use to read a spinning disk meter for my aunt because it was high up in a cupboard in a hallway next to the kitchen.  I noticed that the readings hadn't changed, and it became apparent that it had stuck because of steam etc from cooking.

I suspected that the supplier would bill on previous usage, but this would have been very unfair because she'd had been in hospital for many weeks after falling and breaking her hip so the usage would have been very low.  I plugged in her oil filled radiator and left it on !  A bit naughty perhaps, but I figured that if they'd saved shed loads of money by sacking the meter readers then it was their lookout, and probably something they would have factored in.  In fact, I'd have said that if they couldn't show any evidence of usage, then only the standing charges should apply.

Needless to say, even though she was probably then in her eighties, they simply wouldn't budge, as I had suspected.  I was very glad I'd been cynical enough to leave the oil filled radiator on, otherwise she would have been well and truly ripped off.

Ectophile

How could they ever hit you with a huge bill, if all your bills for the last few years are their estimates, and the meter is broken and not reading anything?  The estimates, based on your past usage, are all they have to go on.

When they do finally fit a new meter, the reading will be reset to zero, and you'll have to start paying the actual bills.

Andrea15

In what way is the meter broken?
I have a similar thread and in my case the display wouldn't read anything. Just yesterday I was advised (but I am still waiting for confirmation) that I should ONLY pay the standing charge as I cannot be liable for a consumption that nobody knows.

MWT

Andrea15 said:

In what way is the meter broken?
I have a similar thread and in my case the display wouldn't read anything. Just yesterday I was advised (but I am still waiting for confirmation) that I should ONLY pay the standing charge as I cannot be liable for a consumption that nobody knows.

In your case though it is a pre-pay meter isn't it?

Andrea15

Indeed, but from what I understand it shouldn't make any difference.
The guy from the complaint department told me in no uncertain terms that my tenant, despite what she had been told, should have NOT been paying towards the electricity until the issue is resolved. I am even getting compensation because I had previously been misinformed (but the cheque has not arrived yet...)