Do you have a smart prepay energy meter? We want to hear how you’re getting the £400 energy support

Broken123

I'm with Utilita, the payments have been automatically applied to my electricity, if you use the app you can transfer credit by transferring into your savings part from one and then into the other from the savings. 
I tried it tonight - and I'm still waiting for it to show on the gas though it's gone from the electric and from the savings bit...... I'll update when/if it appears because I'm starting to regret it now as it seems to have vanished into the ether..... Which is not the first time with Utilita - should have known better! 

hammyfan

I am with British Gas - I have a smart prepay meter. Received October's payment around the 4th with no issue, as well as November's payment around the 7th; however this is where the problems start. As of today (14th December) we have not received this month's payment. Trying to get hold of British Gas is an absolute nightmare - the average wait on the phone is between 3 - 5 hours, and their live chat keeps cutting me off. I have tried via facebook & twitter but they don't ever reply. 
Anyway I managed to finally get through on live chat last Thursday - I wish I hadn't. After a wait of around 2 hours I was finally connected - and was guaranteed that the payment would be made by the 10th GUARANTEED. If this GUARANTEED payment wasn't received (1st alarm bell) then I would receive a voucher in the post - when I pointed out that there are multiple post strikes and asked why they could not email it - no response. Anyway in surprising news, no payment was received. I connected via their live chat last night, and having waiting for 3 hours was finally connected. This time I was told various things like the payment would be made "soon," there was a backlog and that I would receive it "in a few days" as well as the delay has been caused by "the government not sending them the money to pay customers..." I have screenshotted these chats as I could not believe how they could blatently just lie and make things up. Looking at twitter, it seems that I am not the only person who is still awaiting payment. 
So what next? I explained that I work for the NHS, live alone and as a result of having to use my shopping money to top up the meter as the EBSS payment had not been made, I had not eaten for 4 days & was reluctant to use any energy as there was no prospect of this payment being made and I can't afford to top up again - not a shred of sympathy (despite the BG website stating that they are "here to help" if you are struggling - I am at my wits end as no one seems to have an answer. I genuinely feel hopeless right now and don't want to go on like this, unheard and uncared. 
Any advice is welcome please.   

emfaz

I’m with British Gas too & I don’t think this is working as a system. I think I had the first payment but impossible to check as does not show on smart meter history. There website says you will know it’s paid as credit will increase? 

 How is this not something that we can check as customers? Big business choosing to hold money rather than pay the people. How much interest are they earning?
I work as a social worker with adults and I feel that if I can’t fathom what hope do others have.

I have scraped by but I wonder how many people won’t chase & their money is pocketed

Ebeneezer9

We are on PAYG with a smart meter and so far £66 has been credited to the electricity balance at the start of the month. We haven’t asked about changing which fuel the credits go to but it appears we will be hundreds in credit with electricity while the gas is using about £100 every three weeks, still it’s nice to be in receipt of free government money, even if we do pay lots of tax.

montycol

I was not sure where to post this so here it is anyway. Its about my Old pay and go meter, vouchers and SSE

In October and November I received the Government 66 pound voucher for my standard old pay and go meter via the post. However I have not yet received the December payment, So I called SSE.

The chap I spoke to (he said his name was EL) told me there had been a problem with the system and that SSE "failed to create a record on my account for the payment". He said they would look into this and get back to me by the end of the month. I told him this was unacceptable and I wanted to raise a formal complaint. I asked him for the complaint team number and he told me they do not have a number but he would put me through to the Pay and Go team so I could pursue this further. The Pay and Go number is 0345 072941. He put me through and I had to wait about 30 minutes on the phone before I got an answer. 

I did email the complaint team yesterday but I have not had any response. The SSE website gives the complaint team email address as complaints@sseenergyservices.com.

So the guy at the pay and go team (he said his name was Silas) told me that they had millions of customers and some errors would be made. He said that they had raised the payment to be made on the 1st of December so the payment must have gotten lost in the post. He then spoke about mail getting lost, xmas mail and postal strikes. I told him either he or his co-workes are lying. Was it him or his co-worker. He didn't respond to that. He told me that he would raise the issue and that I would be contacted within 3 days. He also said that there was a barcode they could send to to my mobile phone in order to get my keycard topped up with the 66 pound at the local shop. I said so why don't you send barcodes to everyone instead of vouchers. He told me it was a new service. I asked him to confirm that I would receive a barcode within 3 days and he wouldn't. I again asked for this to be raised as a formal complaint and that I would be contacting the ombudsman. I told him that there may be many in my situation that have not received this voucher and some would be struggling to heat there homes and may not be able to raise this issue. He was nonchalant.

How do I escalate this further?

Many thanks

MattMattMattUK

montycol said:

I was not sure where to post this so here it is anyway. Its about my Old pay and go meter, vouchers and SSE

In October and November I received the Government 66 pound voucher for my standard old pay and go meter via the post. However I have not yet received the December payment, So I called SSE.

The chap I spoke to (he said his name was EL) told me there had been a problem with the system and that SSE "failed to create a record on my account for the payment". He said they would look into this and get back to me by the end of the month. I told him this was unacceptable and I wanted to raise a formal complaint. I asked him for the complaint team number and he told me they do not have a number but he would put me through to the Pay and Go team so I could pursue this further. The Pay and Go number is 0345 072941. He put me through and I had to wait about 30 minutes on the phone before I got an answer. 

I did email the complaint team yesterday but I have not had any response. The SSE website gives the complaint team email address as complaints@sseenergyservices.com.

So the guy at the pay and go team (he said his name was Silas) told me that they had millions of customers and some errors would be made. He said that they had raised the payment to be made on the 1st of December so the payment must have gotten lost in the post. He then spoke about mail getting lost, xmas mail and postal strikes. I told him either he or his co-workes are lying. Was it him or his co-worker. He didn't respond to that. He told me that he would raise the issue and that I would be contacted within 3 days. He also said that there was a barcode they could send to to my mobile phone in order to get my keycard topped up with the 66 pound at the local shop. I said so why don't you send barcodes to everyone instead of vouchers. He told me it was a new service. I asked him to confirm that I would receive a barcode within 3 days and he wouldn't. I again asked for this to be raised as a formal complaint and that I would be contacting the ombudsman. I told him that there may be many in my situation that have not received this voucher and some would be struggling to heat there homes and may not be able to raise this issue. He was nonchalant.

How do I escalate this further?

Many thanks

You have emailed the complaints team which is escalating. If they do not respond within eight weeks, do not give you a final response you are happy with and either issue a final response letter or a deadlock letter then you can raise it with the ombudsman, they will then take another 4-12 weeks to decide. Either that, or you just let SSE resolve it, which it sounds like they have said that they aim to do within three working days or the end of the month.

fjs85

I'm in a rented flat with a traditional prepayment meter.

EON supplied the flat when I moved in here (May), but when they told me they couldn't switch us to a credit meter due to lack of smart meters available to be fitted, I switched us to British Gas.

British Gas told me that a switch to credit meter would be possible after credit check (which was passed). Turned out to be impossible due to the same issue with EON (no smart meters available).

So we're now stuck on the traditional prepayment system and have received no vouchers at all. Have been on to their customer service once every couple of weeks and made various complaints but with zero success or resolution. Every time I talk to someone I'm fobbed off (at best) or misled/lied to (at worst).

Seems I'm not alone. The whole thing is a shambles and significant fines should be handed out to the suppliers failing their customers.

MattMattMattUK

fjs85 said:

I'm in a rented flat with a traditional prepayment meter.

EON supplied the flat when I moved in here (May), but when they told me they couldn't switch us to a credit meter due to lack of smart meters available to be fitted, I switched us to British Gas.

British Gas told me that a switch to credit meter would be possible after credit check (which was passed). Turned out to be impossible due to the same issue with EON (no smart meters available).

So we're now stuck on the traditional prepayment system and have received no vouchers at all. Have been on to their customer service once every couple of weeks and made various complaints but with zero success or resolution. Every time I talk to someone I'm fobbed off (at best) or misled/lied to (at worst).

Phoning their call centre or ranting at junior level service minions is not going to help. Raise a formal complaint, give them time to resolve it.

fjs85 said:

Seems I'm not alone. The whole thing is a shambles and significant fines should be handed out to the suppliers failing their customers.

You are not alone, the system was always going to have problems due to the government telling the suppliers to do something at short notice, on systems that were never designed to do it, with inadequate time for testing. There are no legal or regulatory grounds for fines and to try and impose any would be childish. As an example I am with EDF, their customer service has never been great and at the moment it is even worse than normal, however I do understand how this car crash government policy, created on the fly to attempt to hide the Sue Grey report, then thrown at the energy providers as their problem to sort out, was always going to have a few problems.

fjs85

MattMattMattUK said:

fjs85 said:

I'm in a rented flat with a traditional prepayment meter.

EON supplied the flat when I moved in here (May), but when they told me they couldn't switch us to a credit meter due to lack of smart meters available to be fitted, I switched us to British Gas.

British Gas told me that a switch to credit meter would be possible after credit check (which was passed). Turned out to be impossible due to the same issue with EON (no smart meters available).

So we're now stuck on the traditional prepayment system and have received no vouchers at all. Have been on to their customer service once every couple of weeks and made various complaints but with zero success or resolution. Every time I talk to someone I'm fobbed off (at best) or misled/lied to (at worst).

Phoning their call centre or ranting at junior level service minions is not going to help. Raise a formal complaint, give them time to resolve it.

fjs85 said:

Seems I'm not alone. The whole thing is a shambles and significant fines should be handed out to the suppliers failing their customers.

You are not alone, the system was always going to have problems due to the government telling the suppliers to do something at short notice, on systems that were never designed to do it, with inadequate time for testing. There are no legal or regulatory grounds for fines and to try and impose any would be childish. As an example I am with EDF, their customer service has never been great and at the moment it is even worse than normal, however I do understand how this car crash government policy, created on the fly to attempt to hide the Sue Grey report, then thrown at the energy providers as their problem to sort out, was always going to have a few problems.

Thanks for providing me with a bit of balance - been allowed to stew on this for too long. Don't get me started on the government... haha!

MollyDolly

I'm with British Gas and have smart prepayment meters for both Gas and Electricity.  I haven't had any problems with the £66/67 payments crediting onto the electricity meter - December's was slightly later than Oct & Nov but I found out that this was due to it crediting in the first full week of the month.

I have just been on to BG and they tell me that January's £67 payment will be made by Monday 9th Jan - which seems a bit strange as all other payments have arrived at the end of the week i.e. Friday.  Will have to wait and see I guess.

Incidentally, the phone waiting time for calls is now down to 30 - 45 mins from over 2 hours a few weeks ago.  They ask you to only hold on if you have no gas or electricity but sod that - I'm paying them through the teeth and that's without the government grant.

Agree with emfaz's comment about not being able to check smart meter history properly - I've just found out that I have used my emergency credit on electricity but the meter says I owe zero.  I also owe money on both Gas and electric for what BG have borrowed me over the last couple of months - they can help you out until payday but only once every 3 months.

The app doesn't update often enough - the amounts are never in real time and can take up to a week to update - unless it is a payment - so the app is only any good for paying really.  The true figure is always on the meter and not on the app - so I just check my meters which is a bit of a pain as both are low down and one is actually on the floor.  Nightmare lol.

Interesting reading other people's comments, thanks.