Yorkshire energy ?

[Deleted User]

Apologies if this has been posted before. I'm sure someone will highlight it if it has been. Anyway, it's the first time I've taken it on board. Just found out from my new supplier that it can take up to 32 days for opening and closing meter readings to be validated, supposedly independently, before being passed back to old and new suppliers to raise final and initial bills respectively. I'm not sure whether this means CAN take 32 days or WILL take 32 days - I suspect I know which. That means I'm probably looking at mid April, and that's only if they kindly decide that I've not been massaging the readings or turning the meter back. As I've said before, I resent that implication.

I've switched on several occasions before, sometimes even by my own personal choice, rather than due to mergers or financial failure etc, and I've never experienced anything like this. Are Scottish Power based at The Hotel California, and you can never leave? 

phillw

Deleted_User said:

Are Scottish Power based at The Hotel California, and you can never leave? 

I left around the 26th of January, although the exact date is unclear as Avro are not in a position to actually issue a bill.
My YE balance showed up in my SP account and then a couple of days later SP emailed me to admit that fact.
Let's see if they forget to refund it.

GunJack

by_eck said:

How have other sufferers managed to make successful 'phone calls?

by only ever calling the dedicated ex-YE number and being prepared to hold tbh..... and don't bother with the call-back - I had one quote 1hr 30 mins for a callback, I hung on the phone and got answered in 20 mins

goatfaced

How often do neon reef bill you? Apologies if already discussed.

Gerry1

@goatfaced Neon Reef bill monthly, typically five or six days after submitting a meter reading.

masonic

Deleted_User said:

Apologies if this has been posted before. I'm sure someone will highlight it if it has been. Anyway, it's the first time I've taken it on board. Just found out from my new supplier that it can take up to 32 days for opening and closing meter readings to be validated, supposedly independently, before being passed back to old and new suppliers to raise final and initial bills respectively. I'm not sure whether this means CAN take 32 days or WILL take 32 days - I suspect I know which. That means I'm probably looking at mid April, and that's only if they kindly decide that I've not been massaging the readings or turning the meter back. As I've said before, I resent that implication.

I've switched on several occasions before, sometimes even by my own personal choice, rather than due to mergers or financial failure etc, and I've never experienced anything like this. Are Scottish Power based at The Hotel California, and you can never leave? 

Yes, several of us have discovered this slow validation process as a result of this debacle, never having had an issue before. It's known as a D0086 flow and it seems a lot of them have been late recently. It took 55 days in total (dispute raised after 30 days) for my readings to finally be agreed, and they were accepted, not changed, so all was well in the end. It is down to the Data Collectors (meter validation companies) who are agents of the suppliers.

bagand96

Deleted_User said:

Apologies if this has been posted before. I'm sure someone will highlight it if it has been. Anyway, it's the first time I've taken it on board. Just found out from my new supplier that it can take up to 32 days for opening and closing meter readings to be validated, supposedly independently, before being passed back to old and new suppliers to raise final and initial bills respectively. I'm not sure whether this means CAN take 32 days or WILL take 32 days - I suspect I know which. That means I'm probably looking at mid April, and that's only if they kindly decide that I've not been massaging the readings or turning the meter back. As I've said before, I resent that implication.

I've switched on several occasions before, sometimes even by my own personal choice, rather than due to mergers or financial failure etc, and I've never experienced anything like this. Are Scottish Power based at The Hotel California, and you can never leave? 

I left at the end of January to Avro.  I passed my opening readings to Avro.  Scottish Power also asked for them as closing readings which i provided, and SP issued a final bill within a few days.

Avro however cannot bill me or update my account yet because the meter readings haven't been validated.  It's not because of SP this one, it is the mysterious "Industry Data Collector" not validating it.  SP have jumped the gun it seems and not waited until validation and just issued a final bill.

[Deleted User]

bagand96 said:

Deleted_User said:

Apologies if this has been posted before. I'm sure someone will highlight it if it has been. Anyway, it's the first time I've taken it on board. Just found out from my new supplier that it can take up to 32 days for opening and closing meter readings to be validated, supposedly independently, before being passed back to old and new suppliers to raise final and initial bills respectively. I'm not sure whether this means CAN take 32 days or WILL take 32 days - I suspect I know which. That means I'm probably looking at mid April, and that's only if they kindly decide that I've not been massaging the readings or turning the meter back. As I've said before, I resent that implication.

I've switched on several occasions before, sometimes even by my own personal choice, rather than due to mergers or financial failure etc, and I've never experienced anything like this. Are Scottish Power based at The Hotel California, and you can never leave? 

I left at the end of January to Avro.  I passed my opening readings to Avro.  Scottish Power also asked for them as closing readings which i provided, and SP issued a final bill within a few days.

Avro however cannot bill me or update my account yet because the meter readings haven't been validated.  It's not because of SP this one, it is the mysterious "Industry Data Collector" not validating it.  SP have jumped the gun it seems and not waited until validation and just issued a final bill.

Do you have details of both Meter Serial Numbers in your Avro account listed yet?  Mine exist for Gas (+ all reads submitted to date) but for electricity it is listed as unconfirmed serial with the MSN not listed as shown below

The https://www.elexon.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/14_PAB197_14_Missing-MTDs_v1.0.pdf  document section 3.5 (page 4) dated 2017 has a few causes for these missing MTD's (Meter Technical Details) but it is clear that either Avro's data collector did not request MTD's from the old data collector because they never issued a D0170 to them OR the old data collector did not or could not send these MTD's back to them.  I am again waiting confirmation from Avro on this issue and how they intend to resolve this.

In my mind there is a possibility that SP have deliberately by-passed their data collector in several key elements in the SOLR transfer process which has maybe complicated matters for some.  For example the initial reads given to Scottish back in early December could not possibly have been validated via their DC because the readings briefly appeared on my YE account within 24 hours of submitting them to SP!  Perhaps they also asked us directly in this email for the MSN's (I cannot remember) and again by-passed their DC (and YE's DC) on the MTD's as well.

In my case I don't think they can validate the electricity read because both DC's are missing the MSN details.  Catch 22 it seems.

  

  

bagand96

DerwentMailman said:

Do you have details of both Meter Serial Numbers in your Avro account listed yet?  Mine exist for Gas (+ all reads submitted to date) but for electricity it is listed as unconfirmed serial with the MSN not listed as shown below


  

My MSN's are correctly displayed in my Avro account and have been pretty much from when my account was set up (I think gas may have taken a few days to update). 

Opening readings show, as do my first month. Will be submitting my second month readings in the next day or two.

I emailed Avro who say my electricity reading isn't back from validation so they can't start billing. 

I guess it could be complicated by the SoLR process causing missing data.  It's a strange conundrum though... if SP had waited for the validation then they'd now be in breach of the 6 week final bill rule!

The_Hawk

Scottish Power's incompetence continues, long after I've left them.

I have now received my final bills from them. The gas bill has used a reading they have taken from my smart meter but, for some inexplicable reason, they have decided to ignore my smart meter and make up their own hugely inflated electricity reading, and so that bill is far too high.

I have tried contacting them by telephone, by call back, by live chat and by email all, so far, without any success.

As I will owe them something, I have emailed them to tell them that I will be cancelling my direct debit and, once they have sorted my correct bill they, should get in touch with me for payment.

In the meantime, I have set the clock running with a formal complaint and I would not be the least bit surprised if it ends up being escalated to the Ombudsman.