Gas usage mega increase

rjmiller

A brief update. The next action from the Ombudsman is now due in early Feb.

My complaint was really to try and get some communication with Bulb and ensure they're on top of the situation (ha!).

I know the testing will be done when it's done, but a bit of short-term compo won't go amiss - especially if for some reason the test results show that the old meter is fine and I'm lumbered with paying for the new one.

Maybe the test results will come back before the Ombudsman's response, we shall see.

rjmiller

NEWS JUST IN

The MAT results have just come through the post and, I quote:

"..this meter was examined on 9/12...and was found to be so defective that it could not be examined for conformity with the standards prescribed by...the Gas Meter regs 1984..."

"Remarks: the register incremented in the no flow condition, index readings unreliable."

Over to Bulb then, and presumably I need to consider contacting previous suppliers too?

ariarnia

rjmiller said:

Over to Bulb then, and presumably I need to consider contacting previous suppliers too?

congrats. great news.

but re bib when do you think (when can you argue with readings) when the meter broke?

rjmiller

ariarnia said:

rjmiller said:

Over to Bulb then, and presumably I need to consider contacting previous suppliers too?

congrats. great news.

but re bib when do you think (when can you argue with readings) when the meter broke?

Thankyou. I'm not sure how far back I can go, to be honest. Worth asking previous suppliers though, I imagine?

victor2

rjmiller said:

NEWS JUST IN

The MAT results have just come through the post and, I quote:

"..this meter was examined on 9/12...and was found to be so defective that it could not be examined for conformity with the standards prescribed by...the Gas Meter regs 1984..."

"Remarks: the register incremented in the no flow condition, index readings unreliable."

Over to Bulb then, and presumably I need to consider contacting previous suppliers too?

Good news! Hopefully Bulb will adjust your balance in your favour somehow, maybe by applying estimated readings.

I wouldn't hold out much hope with previous suppliers, as they'll want to know when the meter actually went  wrong, if they'll even entertain adjusting final bills long after you left them. No harm in trying though, I suppose.

[Deleted User]

rjmiller said:

Over to Bulb then, and presumably I need to consider contacting previous suppliers too?

That is going to be a challenge as the onus will be on you to prove when the meter became defective. How do you propose to do that? You cannot assume that it was defective from the date that it was installed. Best of luck.
 

pochase

You state in your first post

My gas usage has always been low and steady. For example, in November 2021 the reading was 82 units. December it was 98. March this year was 76, April was 67.

So if the problem only started this year why do you think you need to contact previous suppliers?

[Deleted User]

Hi,

ah, good spot,

then from OP:

August 2022, however, was 117 which was nearly double the previous month (58) which itself was nearly double that of May (31). Alarmingly, the reading I submitted yesterday (21835) is a 447 increase on the previous reading of 21388.

so that kinda dates things.

ariarnia

rjmiller said:

ariarnia said:

rjmiller said:

Over to Bulb then, and presumably I need to consider contacting previous suppliers too?

congrats. great news.

but re bib when do you think (when can you argue with readings) when the meter broke?

Thankyou. I'm not sure how far back I can go, to be honest. Worth asking previous suppliers though, I imagine?

what would you ask tho? I don't mean that in a harsh way, i'm trying to imagine what you'd actual say.

unless you have monthly bills or meter readings going back that far and can show the weirdness started when you were still with them based on the year before or whatever. otherwise how do you expect them to even start working out what they might owe you? 

i'm all for asking. but you have to have some logic about why you are asking/why you think the fault might have happened before you switched or theres really no point. 

Zandoni

There is obviously no way of knowing when the fault started, it could well have left the factory like it as it was a common fault in the early days of manufacture. It may have started slowly and got worse over the years, it was usually caused by dry solder joints. There is also no way of knowing if the consumer spent 6 months on holiday in Australia each winter