SMART Meter has stopped working - electricity only home

Gerry1

Send a snail mail letter headed COMPLAINT (get a free Certificate of Posting) asking for an appointment for a meter reader to call and take the reading via the optical port.  Copy the letter via email.  Start a switch 12 days before the meter reading date so that the optical port reading can be the final reading.  That means you'll still be within the cooling off period if the reading changes your decision about the cheapest new supplier.

Ask for a deadlock letter if they won't oblige, and claim for the savings that you could have made from the switch.

Go to the Ombudsman upon receipt of the deadlock letter, or after eight weeks if you don't receive it.

With any luck they may decide that you know your stuff, they can't fob you off and that it's easier to replace the meter than have the Ombudsman rule against them.

MeterMan

Considering your meter is dead, think of all the money you will get back when you disagree with the amount that bulb say you have used.

Gerry1

MeterMan said:

Considering your meter is dead, think of all the money you will get back when you disagree with the amount that bulb say you have used.

Probably not.  The meter may well still be recording usage quite happily every half hour, only the display having failed.  It will probably spill the beans when its optical port is interrogated by a meter reader.

Anyone who thinks they will get free electricity from a meter without a functioning display may get a rude awakening !

Unicorn79

Update - eON said they are happy to switch with a faulty meter.  Bulb has said I can switch and they are providing me bills based on their estimates.  I am presuming the switch final read will be an estimate.  I would like to question if there is anything I can do at this stage with Bulb to indicate I am not liable for a bill, if they later on discover (post switch) a meter read that would eventually give an accurate read?  Once my Bulb account is closed, I do not want to be liable as I will be working with eOn to sort my meter out.  I think temporarily they will put a pre-payment meter in until they can get a new SMART meter.

madwayne

SMART meters should be scrapped not smart and a waste of time and put people out of work.

you should bill Bulb for your time sorting out this out and disput.

Not sure the legal aspect but if the meter isnt working and they dont get it fixed you shouldnt pay a penny, how can you be certain that an estimated bill on a broken meter is correct.

can the ombudsman get involved?

niktheguru

Do what gerry said and send a complaint.
If you switch with a broken meter you are asking for trouble. What are the estimates bulb have been using for your usage? If you think the estimates are reasonable then fair enough, but if they are higher than you probably use then you will pay too much to them and then you have no real way of getting it back unless you've complained and gone to ombudsman whilst still their customer.

You will not get free electricity. The best you can hope for whilst meter isn't working is to base use on your previous years actual use. Best would be to get a meter reader to try the optical port, or get bulb to replace the meter and then switch.

Also it has been 2 months since your original post, did you complain and what came of it?
Why would eon put a prepayment meter in and then a smart meter. Surely they can just put a new smart meter in, that's what you need ....are you sure eon is the right place to go, people have had no end of problems with them.... think you're making a mistake.

greyteam1959

Don't start a switch with a faulty meter.
You are just asking for trouble.
Get the meter fixed first then start a switch.

Jalma

Excuse me reviving this old thread.

Got the same issue with Bulb and a blank display.

After almost 18 months they've finally agreed to replace the meter.

I've told them they must make every effort to obtain a reading via the optical port, and if they can't I want the opportunity to have it read independently before it's disposed of. They say they will 'try' to read it it but if they don't manage they will estimate a bill based on previous usage. I'm not at all happy with this plan as I believe the usage since lock-downs started has been lower than previous years.

Assuming they don't get a reading and I manage to get hold of the meter before they bin it, does anyone know of a company that could read it for me?

[Deleted User]

Jalma said:

Excuse me reviving this old thread.

Got the same issue with Bulb and a blank display.

After almost 18 months they've finally agreed to replace the meter.

I've told them they must make every effort to obtain a reading via the optical port, and if they can't I want the opportunity to have it read independently before it's disposed of. They say they will 'try' to read it it but if they don't manage they will estimate a bill based on previous usage. I'm not at all happy with this plan as I believe the usage since lock-downs started has been lower than previous years.

Assuming they don't get a reading and I manage to get hold of the meter before they bin it, does anyone know of a company that could read it for me?

What meter do you have: make and model - SMETS1 or SMETS2? SMETS2 meters retain the last 13 months of import data and 3 months worth of export data. You could download the App ‘Bright’ and see if there is any data that can be pulled from the meter.

Based on my experience of a SMETS2 meter replacement, the old meter will get thrown into a plastic bag along with the IHD and other bits and pieces never to see the light of day again. 

Jalma

Thanks for the quick reply Dolor.

The meter is a Landys & Gyr E470.