Energy Supplier Transfer Problems

pochase

So it did not surge over night but it is from one month to another? Also the day reading went down by 176KWh, unlikely that the meter surged backwards for the day rate.

This looks more like what @[Deleted User] mentioned, a catch up bill. Just because your mother gave monthly readings that does not mean the real reading were used. 

What does the may to June bill say behind the meter readings? Is it a E for estimated maybe, or something like a R for customer read?

Cradlehag

I don't know what the bill said, it happened on one night. I don't think those numbers are an accurate reflection of use as if we look back through historical bills based on readings, the energy use is minimal. 


Sadly, my mother returned the inaccurate bills to PFP asking for correction based on  readings she had given and her prior use, which hadn't changed. 

pochase

If this really happened over night that the night rate jumped forward and day went backward did she immediately contact PFP before there was a bill? Did she raise a official complaint?

Does she still have the daily meter readings documented to prove the "surge"?

What is the meter reading for the April to May reading? What is the meter reading today? If was not in her home for most of the year that will not reflect a real use during winter.

Cradlehag

Hi, she did complain immediately.  I don't have her notebook with me, but she does have all the details.  As it was in summer, it's really unlikely that those numbers reflect actual usage. 

pochase

You still have not answered the question if the bills showed a R for read or an E for estimated.

Did she check all bills against her readings or only the one with the increased readings. Did she give the inflated reading as her monthly reading even so it was wrong in her mind, if so of course they would use it as base for their bill.

Did she raise an official complaint for this problem or did she just talk to an agent about it?

The whole scenario that one night the meter just goes randomly up and down for day and night rates, and thereafter works perfectly fine again is unfortunately very unlikely and you will need some very good arguments here to make it believable to the energy supplier.

Otherwise what would stop people to underreport for a year and than suddenly have an unexplained surge? I am not saying this is the case at all with your mother, I am just looking at it from the view of the supplier, and we had a thread here in the forum where a user underreported over a long time to keep the energy bill down.

Has your mother asked for the meter to be replaced and checked? That would be a good argument, but if she just kept using a meter that she thinks is defect it would be an argument against her.

So you should try to collect at much facts as possible to support your claim that the meter is broken, maybe even get it replaced and checked.

How far back do you have old bills? Are there bills with a read from a meter reader instead of her reporting it herself? You would need to establish a usage pattern to prove that the new meter read is completely unrealistic.

Last one, what type of meter does she have. An old analogue or a modern digital/dumb smart meter?

Sorry if I sound negative, but you will have to make a really good case here, and collect as much information and proof as possible to support your case.

[Deleted User]

Cradlehag said:

Hi, she did complain immediately.  I don't have her notebook with me, but she does have all the details.  As it was in summer, it's really unlikely that those numbers reflect actual usage. 

You are really missing the point. Firstly, check that BG and PfP have used the same readings to open and close your Mother’s supply accounts. Secondly, check your Mother’s old PfP bills:  I suspect that there will be a lot of readings annotated with an ‘E’. The switch will negate all the estimated readings as PfP should bill up to the agreed opening/closing reading. This might be more than your Mother is expecting to pay but this is typical of what happens with a catch up bill. That is, your Mother was paying less than she should for the energy that she was using.

If the two suppliers have used different readings to open and close the accounts then this is a matter for BG to resolve with PfP’s Administrator. They will raise a form of an Agreed Readings Dispute.

My advice, stop using the word ‘surge’ as it implies that there is a meter problem. If you believe that this might be the case, then BG will arrange for a meter switch. The old meter will be sent away for testing. If no fault is found then a charge will be raised. My guess is that this is probably unnecessary. 

QrizB

Cradlehag said:

She has economy 7, and a meter that displays day and night units. 

Yes, it  was over one night that the problem happened,  and my mother sent detailed information immediately.

Please share you mother's daily meter readings for the days before and after this surge.

Cradlehag said:

May-June were Day 13540.3 Night 53162.3. In June- July they were 13364 Day and 57791 Night.

Those look like monthly billing readings to me, with the first set being estimates (you would normally be billed on whole kWh units otherwise).

Cradlehag

I don't have this information to hand- I feel like giving up now. 

[Deleted User]

Cradlehag said:

I don't have this information to hand- I feel like giving up now. 

We all sympathise with the situation that you and your Mother find yourselves in; however, without sight of any bills it is impossible to determine with any accuracy what might or might not have gone awry. No supplier is going to respond to your Mother’s notes.

Let us assume that your Mother’s last bill prior to the failure of PfP showed 10000 Day and 15000 Night and both readings were annotated with an ‘ E’. PfP fails and your Mother takes an actual meter that she gives to BG (as the SoLR). Mother’s readings were 11000 Day and 16000 Night.

Provided both suppliers have used 11000 Day and 16000 Night to close the PfP account and open the new account with BG, then nothing is awry. PfP’s Administrator will bill up to these readings. Some suppliers cancel out all estimated readings and bill back from the last actual readings, and other just make a billing adjustment. If Mother has failed to notice the billing was based on estimates, then any ‘catch up’ bill can be a shock.

BG’s data collector will have validated  switch readings. This can be complicated if previous estimates have been used. The validated readings are passed to both suppliers via an industry data flow. You do need to check that PfP has used the correct validated set of readings which should match those on the BG opening statement.

Robin9

Reading these meters can be a nightmare - you need to know which button to press and then the display moves on very quickly. The display is also quite small and it is easy to misread 1's for 7's and 3's for 8's

Which button does she press - 6 or 9 ?  and how many times ?

I am sure someone can come up with the You Tube video.

PS I've had meters like this and mis read them  myself (twice !) Even wrote the numbers down (correctly) and then gave wrong numbers to the supplier .