EON Complaints Poor Service

DinkyStars

Had to raise a complaint with EON in December, almost immediately the complaint was marked as resolved and closed within hours, I presume by someone who clearly didn’t read the complaint I sent. I emailed back and another email followed telling me they would re-open the complaint.

Another email followed today telling me it was now resolved, but again they have done nothing to resolve the issue which is about incorrect bills, meter reads and the dumb smart meter. The fact the same issue went to OFGEM last year and EON promised the same mistakes wouldn’t happened again, they have, in fact this time the most recent gas billing which they said were accurate reads saw my meter goes backwards 400 units from the previous actual readings I provided. The gas reading is stuck there end on the same number although my meter readings show accurate readings.

My problem is, it is and always has been difficult to access my gas meter to read it due to the location and I relied on a meter reader taking readings twice a year but agreed to a smart meter because this would make it so much easier on me, clearly it doesn’t because now the smart meter is not smart and meter readers don’t exist or visit.

I have asked EON in my most recent complaint to make reasonable adjustments as defined under The Equality Act 2010 to ensure my meter is read twice a year until this national problem with gas smart meters is fixed, but they do not seem to understand the angle I am coming from. How difficult would it be for EON to send a meter reader out twice a year to read my smart meter? The IHD doesn’t even pick up the gas meter – no issues with the electric meter.

And sadly, there is no-one else who can read the meter for me.

QrizB

I'm not aware of there being any national problem with gas smart meters; where have you heard that?

There are four components to your smart metering system; a gas meter, an electricity meter, a communications hub (comms hub) aznd your IHD. The gas meter, electricity meter and IHD are all meant to connect to the comms hub, and it's the comms hub that reports your meter readings back to a central data collection company (the DCC) and from there to EON.

From what you've written, it sounds as though the gas meter isn't communicating with the comms hub. This is preventing the IHD and DCC from getting readings from it.

Has the IHD ever given gas readings? From what you say, I guess it did until some time last year? It might just need resetting. This isn't anything you can do, but EON can. Has anyone from EON ever offered to do this?

And are you on EON's Priority Services Register? This might help you get someone out every so often to read it.

imeach

As QrizB said, get on the Priority Services Register
Morrison Data Services read for Eon and are still doing so for all meters be they smart, dumb or whatever

DinkyStars

QrizB said:

I'm not aware of there being any national problem with gas smart meters; where have you heard that?

There are four components to your smart metering system; a gas meter, an electricity meter, a communications hub (comms hub) aznd your IHD. The gas meter, electricity meter and IHD are all meant to connect to the comms hub, and it's the comms hub that reports your meter readings back to a central data collection company (the DCC) and from there to EON.

From what you've written, it sounds as though the gas meter isn't communicating with the comms hub. This is preventing the IHD and DCC from getting readings from it.

Has the IHD ever given gas readings? From what you say, I guess it did until some time last year? It might just need resetting. This isn't anything you can do, but EON can. Has anyone from EON ever offered to do this?

And are you on EON's Priority Services Register? This might help you get someone out every so often to read it.

Thank you for your reply. I am on the Priority Services Register with EON and all my other utility providers. Bear with me this might be long.

From the moment the smart meters were installed in November 2020 there were issues. First the electric smart meter was installed with no problem and showed up right away on the IHD, the meter is located in the communal area of my flat on the ground floor and I am located on the ground floor.

The gas smart meter, there was clearly a problem with trying to install it, so much so the EON meter installer had to call out a colleague to help and it took about two hours, the meter is located outside my flat behind my kitchen window down a very narrow overgrown path (making access difficult for me) on the ground. The gas smart meter never showed up on the IHD and the man said it would within a few hours and it often takes time for the meter to be picked up.

Days later with still no gas smart meter showing on the IHD, I raised my concerns with EON via the phone and on two occasions I was told it was a national problem with the gas smart metering system and they were trying to fix it, but they told me the meter was working fine and that meter readings were reaching them ok at their end so my bills would still be accurate. I was ok about this because that was all I wanted, accurate bills.

I kept resetting the IHD, but it never picked up the gas smart meter, even if I went outside with the IHD and stood as close as I could to the meter, next to the path which is difficult to access, still no gas meter would show up.

Then the first bill arrived in January 2020, accurate reading for electric but estimated for the gas. With difficulty I managed to obtain a gas meter reading and I had to call EON to put the reading through as I could no longer submit readings online due my account now having a smart meter. This was where I was told according to their system my meter was reading something else. I asked at this point for someone to come out and check the meter but again was told they were aware of an issue and a meter check was not needed and to provide manual readings myself until it was fixed. I explained my disability etc. but this was seemingly ignored.

Next bill April 2020 the bill arrived claiming to be based on actual readings, but I sensed something was not right as it was much lower for the time of year. Again, I took a reading, but this time managed to get a gas engineer to read it as he was there servicing my boiler, he kindly also took a photo of the meter and reading for my records.

I had to call EON again to submit the reading, this alone is difficult due to anxiety and autism as it can take ages to get through and the hold music is too noisy for me.

I then raised a complaint with EON over the fact the latest bill sent were deemed as accurate when it was not. I felt being told this was a national issue by EON could lead to people getting into debt by thinking there bills were accurate when they were not. I asked for three things, one my meter to be read again twice a year as they had always done, or for normal meters to be re-installed or to have the ability to manual supply readings through the online account rather than have to telephone them up and deal with the noisy on hold music.

EON couldn’t resolve the issue and didn’t offer to send anyone out to check the meter, I asked again for this to be done also. After 8 weeks they sent a deadlock letter unable to resolve the issue, so I went to OFGEM who ruled in my favour and compensated me for the inconvenience. But at no point did EON say they would send meter readers out or offer to check the meter.

Then a letter arrived from EON in October, saying they needed to check my meters as they might be faulty. Appointment was booked for the end of November, but EON didn’t turn up cancelling the same day telling me their engineer had to go elsewhere to an emergency. For that I was given £30 automatically.

Given the letter about the meter check I provided my own readings with the gas meter reading of 00523 and I had an accurate bill and requested a refund of my credit £180.

Another bill arrived in December deemed accurate showing a large credit of £160, which I knew was impossible given the recent refund. I checked the reading on the bill and EON had used the so-called accurate April reading of 00253 in December, showing basically my meter had gone backwards from my readings provided and not moved there end. Again, I took readings and provided them to EON and opened another complaint, again concerned that this problem was still not fixed and again bills were being sent deemed as accurate. Personally, I felt there system should have picked up the reading was wrong, given the fact I had provided at least three accurate readings throughout 2020.

Then in December another letter arrived this time threatening action if I didn’t allow them to check my meters as they might be faulty. This alone was upsetting, yes, it was a standard printed letter, but the wording was highly rude and inappropriate threatening getting a warrant to gain access and charge me for the appointment etc. Even more so because I had raised a second complaint with them. I was angry, partly because I had repeatedly asked for them to come and check the meters and partly because they failed to turn up for the first appointment. I called right away, but they were closed until January 4th.

Now there is an appointment booked for next week for this meter check, so I guess we shall see what happens from there. Never previously had an issue with EON and the old meters for the 10 years they have supplied me, but the smart meters have been anything but smart. I think the fact I previously worked for EON 18 years ago (ok a different name back then, Powergen being one) was why I picked up on the meter billing issue, but anyone else might have thought there bill was accurate (if it was a national issue as EON first claimed) and requested a refund putting them into debt.

Sorry, way to long I know and it is 6.30am so apologies for any spelling errors!

DinkyStars

imeach said:

As QrizB said, get on the Priority Services Register
Morrison Data Services read for Eon and are still doing so for all meters be they smart, dumb or whatever

Thanks for that. I know Morrison Data Services still read as I still see them in the area, the fact EON never offered to send a meter reader was very annoying as I could normally set my watch by them when they came with the old meters. In fact I saw a meter reader yesterday up by my dad's sheltered accommodation and I was tempted to ask did he ever read smart meters, but it was raining! 

DinkyStars

Thanks to QrizB and imeach for your replies.

I shall keep you posted on the meter check appointment next week if they don't cancel again. And just to mention as I forgot EON have never used an accurate read from the gas meter for billing, first bill in January 2021 was estimated, electric was an actual read. I did wonder why January’s bill was estimated but put it down to the national fault EON claimed was the issue, it was the April bill which prompted me to raise a complaint because they claimed the bill was accurate but it was not.

MWT

DinkyStars said:

First the electric smart meter was installed with no problem and showed up right away on the IHD, the meter is located in the communal area of my flat on the ground floor and I am located on the ground floor...

The gas smart meter, there was clearly a problem with trying to install it, so much so the EON meter installer had to call out a colleague to help and it took about two hours, the meter is located outside my flat behind my kitchen window down a very narrow overgrown path (making access difficult for me) on the ground...

The 'national problem' they are referring to is just that the gas meter has to communicate with the comms hub that is located above the electricity meter, and as the gas meter is only battery powered it has a relatively short range and limited ability to penetrate solid walls.

I don't know how easy it is for you to see the lights on the comms hub, but if you can, you'll see there are lights there which will flash roughly every 5 seconds when things are working properly. WAN, HAN & GAS are the interesting ones for you. I suspect you will find that WAN & HAN are flashing correctly but the GAS light will not be flashing at all.

A few suppliers (OVO for one) do use a relay device to extend the range of the HAN when the gas meter is too far away, but not all suppliers are doing this. Even with a relay there is no guarantee that the signal strength will be sufficient though.

I would plan on this problem not being resolved any time soon, so focusing on getting a regular meter reader visit is the right way to go, and certainly you are entitled as you are on the register.

DinkyStars

Thanks MWT for your reply. I shall take a look at what you have said.

As for the meter reading / reader I actually spoke with a Morrison Data Services Reader this morning who I spotted when walking the dog, he was very helpful and told me yes, they still read smart meters and ideally all smart meters should still be read once a year for safety reasons. He also said given I am on the priority register with EON and they know this and of the meter problem and me telling them numerous (even before smart meter installation) that I struggle to access my meter they should be still coming out to read the meter.

As of yet, zero acknowledgement from EON on the complaint raised last month.

Didn't there use to be an EON Customer Service Rep on these board some years back?

QrizB

DinkyStars said:

Didn't there use to be an EON Customer Service Rep on these board some years back?

Yes but when E.ON became E.ON Next they all got redeployed

DinkyStars

I have an update.

Despite the threatening letter from EON last month saying they needed to check my meters and if I didn’t give access, they would acquire a warrant etc. and charge me, they screwed up again!

I called the first day they opened after the bank holiday and booked an appointment for this afternoon for this meter check. At half one a meter reader turned up from Morrison Data Services having been sent to read my meter. I questioned why he was here, telling him I was under the impression this was a meter check as per the letter sent from EON. He knew nothing about that and just had a job to read the meter and so he did.

Upon discussing the current EON issue with him, he told me that my gas smart meter will never work nor send any readings to EON because it is located more than 4 meters from the electric meter and the communications hub, this is a first one for me!

For some reason this doesn’t surprise me as for several years I wanted a smart meter and EON said they couldn’t fit one in flats, but then suddenly in 2020 they could, I suspect this was more about manipulating the figures to install smart meters and not caring whether they worked or not.

I have called EON to see what went wrong with the appointment today to be told the person I spoke to on 04/01 has incorrectly booked my appointment and it should have been booked for a meter check with an EON engineer. Needless to say, I was not amused. Oh, and I can’t book another appointment now because EON is in the middle of changing over to a new computer system and so I’ll have to call back in February to book as if they book it now, it will get cancelled by the new system.

However, when I mentioned to the operative I spoke to today about my complaint and the lack of response she kindly gave me her email address and let me email the complaint over to her so she could re-open a new complaint as the other one has seen no action since it was re-opened in December.

I will be seeking the £30 failed appointment compensation from EON over today’s farce!

DinkyStars

Update:

A manager from EON called me today and basically told me they cannot do anything again using the ‘national fault’ as being the reason my gas meter doesn’t send them readings, I polity told her I was now aware it was to do with the location of the gas meter from the electric meter where the communication hub was.

They can’t book me an appointment to change my meters to dumb meters. They can’t put me down for regular meter readings from Morrison Data Services. And as I was told last week they can’t come out to check the meters or book an appointment, all because they are migrating to the new system for EON Next.

(But yet they can send me threatening letters telling me they need to check my meters!)

The only option she gave was for me to refer the complaint back to the Ombudsman as according to her there is nothing more they can do as my complaint is the same as the last one. Personally I disagree with this, it is similar but not the exact same.

I have spoken to the Ombudsman who were excellent on the phone, and they are referring my original complaint back to the investigating officer asking for a Post Decision Review.

The last decision the Ombudsman made in 2021 was as follows:

Remedy 1:

Provide you with an apology in writing for the shortfalls in customer service.

Remedy 2

Arrange an appointment to attempt to correctly commission the gas meter attempting to link it to the IHD.

Remedy 3

Credit the energy account with £? as a gesture of goodwill.

EON appealed Remedy 2 and said:

“I am challenging this decision based on remedy point 2. There is no appointment we can book to solve the issue with the gas reads and IHD. This will only be fixed by a Data communications company centre update to which there is currently no timescale that can be provided.”

Therefore, Remedy 2 was removed from the original decision by the Ombudsman, it was stated in the response from the Ombudsman that if I could provide gas meter readings I would get accurate bills from EON – but despite me doing this with difficulty, I still got a bill in December that showed the meter had in fact gone backwards because it is stuck at their end! And that is why I want this matter investigating again. Surely there must be something EON can implement on their systems to not send a bill out stating it is accurate and which shows the meter has gone backwards.

I do not think I am being unreasonable about this as the Ombudsman did state last time my bills would be accurate if I provided my own readings and despite this they still send incorrect bills, alongside threatening letters telling me my meters need checking. If anything I am annoyed that EON put these meters in knowing full well they perhaps wouldn't work in a flat. I had no issues prior to this with getting regular meter readers and accurate bills!

We shall see what the Ombudsman says this time.