Faulty Meter plus wrong meter readings

Tortuna

Hi
I recently moved into a flat and took meter readings when I moved in and let the energy company (SSE) know when I set up my account with them (they had already been supplying the property). About a month later I received a (rather large) bill from them, using entirely estimated readings that are vastly different to what the meter is currently reading. I went to check what the meter was actually showing and found the meter hadn't move on at all since my initial readings when I moved in. I reported this to them, and was told not to pay the bill until it was sorted out (apparently SEE had taken over the supply from Spark energy a few months before I moved in, so they said they needed to sort out the initial readings with Spark and then they would send someone round to see about the meter not working). 
I've now been in this flat for 3 months, and the situation is still in limbo (SSE say they've got a considerable backlog and it might take a few weeks yet), but I'm getting increasingly anxious about how they're going to bill me for all this time that the meter hasn't been working. Does anyone have any experience on how they might work out a bill over this period? 

Reed_Richards

Are you sure that it is your meter you are reading and not the meter of an empty flat nearby?

Tortuna

It's definitely the meter for my flat. I do live in a large block of flats but it's the correct supply number.

Gerry1

Does the 1000 Imp/sec red light flash rapidly if you switch everything on and then completely stop when you switch everything off at the consumer unit?

Reed_Richards

Gerry1 said:

Does the 1000 Imp/sec red light flash rapidly if you switch everything on and then completely stop when you switch everything off at the consumer unit?

Or does somebody else's meter do that?

Tortuna

That light doesn't flash at all. 
Thanks for your suggestions, but I'm more interested to know if anyone else has had a similar problem and how the energy company calculated their bill rather than investigating my meter further. It's definitely the meter for my flat (and the one the energy company are billing for) and I'll really need them to come out and sort it out. 
 

niktheguru

Tortuna said:

That light doesn't flash at all. 
Thanks for your suggestions, but I'm more interested to know if anyone else has had a similar problem and how the energy company calculated their bill rather than investigating my meter further. It's definitely the meter for my flat (and the one the energy company are billing for) and I'll really need them to come out and sort it out. 
 

Given that the meter isn't moving at all since you moved in (and not that it was working but since stopped working), it would be rather important to ensure that it DEFINITELY is your meter. It is not uncommon for meters to be incorrectly assigned to your address (therefore the numbers all looking right). It would be wise to turn everything on in your flat in the middle of the night (oven, kettle, elec shower washing machine) and then go and have a look to see if any meter is flashing red massively. This might save you a big headache.

If after doing that you are 100% sure the meter in question is yours, unfortunately you're at the mercy of SSE to fix it. Send a written complaint ASAP regarding this. So then at least you can go to the ombudsman if it isn't sorted in 8 weeks. Your meter readings will be based on estimates, if they have old readings from whoever lived there before you they might use those, otherwise it'll just be based on your no of bedrooms. This may be higher or lower than your actual use, so you're right to want to get it sorted asap.

Gerry1

Tortuna said:

That light doesn't flash at all. 
Thanks for your suggestions, but I'm more interested to know if anyone else has had a similar problem and how the energy company calculated their bill rather than investigating my meter further. It's definitely the meter for my flat (and the one the energy company are billing for) and I'll really need them to come out and sort it out.

The fact that the meter serial number appears on your bill doesn't necessarily mean that it is the meter supplying your flat.

Yes, the fact that the 1000 Imp/sec light doesn't flash when absolutely everything is switched on could mean that the meter is faulty, but it could instead mean that it's supplying someone else's flat because of an admin mix-up.

Have a look at all the other meters, not just the one that you think is yours.

Reed_Richards

I think if you trawl through this section of the forum you will find that the issue of people in flats who turn out to have the wrong meter assigned to them crops up more frequently than the issue of meters that completely stop working.  That's why you are being encouraged to make sure that somebody else's meter does not display indications that it really belongs to you.