EDF hell

Sus100

Hi I am a newbie here and after some advice.  

I have been with EDF for 11 years and have dual fuel with them.  Over the last 12 months I noticed on providing EDF with my readings that the nighttime metre for the electricity has broken.  I informed EDF and they insisted I have a smart metre installed which I am not keen on.  

Because of this they are providing bills based on “estimated” readings despite me providing actual readings for my gas and day rate electricity.  

My monthly bill has gone up from £160 to £384 within the last 6 months and recently they have written to me to say the bill will now go up to £584 per month.    

I have spoken to them about the issue on several occasions and just seem to get fobbed off with getting a smart metre installed, which despite me not wanting one, there are never any appointments on the booking tool to get one anyway.   I spoke to them 2 weeks ago and requested I start sending them a monthly reading rather than pay £584 a month.  I then checked the portal a few days after submitting my readings and once again all readings are estimated by EDF and I am in debit of £895 and £2885 will be taken on the 18th of January?!   Along with £422 on the 15th of January.  To say i am at the end of my tether is an understatement.  Has anyone else experienced this problem with EDF or can advise me? 

Many thanks 

Robin9

Stop phoning customer services.

complaintresolution@edfenergy.com

Sus100

Thank you for your suggestion.  I have opened several complaints and got no where.  One is still ongoing and I sent an email to S Rossi the CEO at the weekend and doubt very much he exists.  

pochase

Welcome to the forum.

So EDF has offered to replace the broken meter but you refused to let them do this? Most supplier have no non smart meters any longer and they are within their right to replace a broken meter with a smart meter.

How did you submit a reading for your night time use if the meter is broken?

Froglet

My sister booked a smart prepayment meter online and now it's installed has the digital display which tells her how much credit she has.she can set how much she wants to pay and when.Could you give that a try ?

Sus100

Thank you for your response.  

I haven’t refused a smart metre, even though I am not keen on having one installed, there is no availability in my area.  I have not been able to provide a night reading for electricity but I have provided the day reading for my electricity and a reading for my gas.  

ariarnia

if your meter is broken then you will probably have to have a smart meter to sort the problem. you can't just go on with a broken meter and edf can't fix a meter in place as there sealed units and have to be tested and certified for use. 

but if you have made a 'complaint' to them then 8 weeks later you can go to the ombudsman to get it sorted. it doesn't matter if they closed the complaint if you told them it wasnt resolved. if you havent made a complaint then you need to make one now and in 8 weeks go to the ombudsman if its not sorted. 

https://www.ombudsman-services.org/sectors/energy

the ombudsman will probably make edf update your bill to accept your gas reading but depending on how your meter is broken they might not be able to accept your day reading (maybe your night use is recording on your day meter or something. i dont know? if one part of the meter is broken and not recording then how do you know the other part isnt also broken and recording but the wrong numbers?).

they will have to explain how they have estemated it. and if you dont think its fair you can argue with them about what it should be (but you need to have a logical argument or suggestion for how to work it out. not just that you think its to high)  

normally its either based on your use last year when the meter wasnt broken or you use for the month or so after the meter was replaced. 

the ombudsman would normally also award compensation for bad service and delays (maybe £50-100) but if they think the reason this took so long to fix is becayse you were refusing a smart meter then they might not do that (no idea. just warning you its possible depending on the evidence edf send in) 

sorry. other people posted while i was writing so bits of this arent right now but hopefully the rest is still useful

pochase

8 weeks after you have opened a formal complaint you can take it to the ombudsman. Did you get a complaint number? Just to tell an agent that you are unhappy is not sufficient.

If you raised it as a formal complaint it will be sufficient without the reference.

Have you calculated what you really have used, excluding the night usage? The prices have more than doubled int the last 12 months, even more if you were on a fixed tariff before.

As you have also gas I would expect that your night usage should be minimal.

Sus100

I really appreciate these responses.  

Thank you. 
I have kept a note of all of the day rate readings and they appear to run in good order over the time period of the faulty night reading.  

In response to Froglet, I haven’t thought about a a smart prepayment metre, though did hear prepayment metres are more expensive rate of electricity.  I may have heard that wrong.  

Thank you so much everyone! 

Robin9

Has your meter got R1 R2 and T registers ?

Mstty

So this has been going on a year?

Even though they are estimating your night use does that match previous years or is it inaccurate?