Meter mix-up - Part 2

ChumpusRex

You'd think that as this happens frequently enough that there would be some sort of industry standard way of dealing with this. Clearly, people in the electricity supply business disagree.

As the first part of this story has been lost due to the MSE forums crashing a while back, I'll briefly recap:

Last November, I noticed that my bills didn't tally with my power consumption, and that I was, in fact being billed for a neighbour's meter. (A difficult spot due to the fact that the meters were labeled wrongly as well - i.e. I was receiving bills based upon readings taken from the meter labeled with my flat number).

Despite numerous calls and written requests my supplier did absolutely nothing for 10 months until I took the matter to energywatch.

After multiple missed appointments, they did eventually send an engineer out - the report back to their supplier was that I had identified the wrong meter. After considerable more arguing, they sent a senior engineer out, who confirmed the mix-up.

So, I got a rather curious phone call to update me:
"We've got a problem. It appears you were right about the mix up, however, the problem is that we haven't been your supplier for the last 13 months. Your supplier has actually been XXXX. I'm not really sure how we're going to sort this out. I think what we're going to have to do is to refund you all your payments, then get XXXX to send you a bill for that period. WIth a bit of luck, our cheque should cover XXXX's bill. However,I've spoken to XXXX, and they aren't very happy about this."

Interesting plan. This really, really does not sound like the right approach to me. :rolleyes:

paintpot

I can't help you practically but I can offer my virtual support and commiserate with you having to deal with incompetent utilility providers being a landlord. I've had my fair share of arguements with them and found them to be untterly incompetent in most instances. Good luck.

A simple thing, came to read a water meter on a new house today, read the meter outside my house and informed the water company, only that's not my meter, located mine by the serial number and it's outside next door's house. :rolleyes:

WelshGandalf

Chumpus if I could explain something which may (or may not) help... every supply point has an identification number (MPAN) attached to it. Each supply point then has one (or more) meters attached to it. The MPAN isn't written on the meter - only the meter serial number is. So, what seems to have happened is, they signed up the right meter serial, but the wrong MPAN (these could've been linked a a result of a poor/unobservant engineer in the past, for example). Now the MPAN is what is used by the electricity industry as a whole, to settle distribution charges, imbalance charges (don't ask) etc., so in actual fact they haven't been paying anything for the cost of supplying you - the other supplier has.

So, what I am saying is, the current approach being taken by your supplier to solve the problem, is, in fact, the right one from what I can see. However I do definitely agree with you that they have taken FAR too long to sort this out and you should not be out of pocket come the end of it. If you are, try energywatch again.

(I work in the electricity industry in case you haven't guessed so far )

ChumpusRex

Just an update, and another opportunity to thank those who have taken an interest and provided helpful advice.

It's been bill time in the last week or so, and I have received yet another incorrect bill based upon consumption for the other meter.

What's more interesting, is that I had a long chat with the neighbour about this today. They've also recently got their bill - but curiously enough, the meter being billed has changed, and there are some complex estimates.

So, something is happening, but it really doesn't strike me as the optimal way of doing it...

Terrylw1

Hi again ChumpusRex,

Ok, This is not the right approach (take it from someone who has resolved loads of these in past!).

This is the problem and how it impacts everyone:

Initial problem
Labelling incorrect by the property developer who adds the labels so the engineers can connect his meter tails

Resulting impact
- 2 MPAN's (1 per property) but the meters are connected and the MPAN's transposed in the Meter Operator, Data Collector, Supplier and Distributor (MPAS) systems.
- you get billed on the wrong meter against your MPAN and so does your neighbour.
- your neighbour switched Supplier taking what really was your MPAN as the addresses are also transposed due to the labelling issue
- your neighbour and you continue to pay for each others consumption but now via different Suppliers making it harder (Suppliers also often use different agents so the new Supplier may have a different Meter Operator and Data Collector making them hold the transposed data.

How should this be resolved?
- your Supplier should contact the other Supplier and discuss changing the addresses, meter detaail, energy histories. The meter details will need to be changed in each Meter Operators system and the energy histories will need to be cancelled out and changed somehow in the Data Collectors systems
- If other Supplier agrees and gets your neighbour to agree to accept the other MPAN number (which they should based on pressure from the Supplier, who can change it without permission anyway) then both Suppliers need to send a change of address details to MPAS. MPAS confirm back or reject for further information.
- Each Supplier will need to get their Meter Operator to change the meter details and update the Data Collectors so they can sort the energy history. This can be a lengthy process as there is no standard agreement in the market to resolve this type of crossed metering case. So Suppliers sometimes need to speak to managers within their Agents to achieve this


What they shouldn't do?
- Simple refund you. That then means that you are now further forward because your meter and address are still registered to them. Chances are, you will eventually get them chasing you for debt as they don't know who owes all of this energy. Sounds daft, but it's very likely.
- This doesn't resolve your crossed meters, it just gives you your money back. However, how will they get your neigbour to pay? They can't even approach him/her due to data protection as the other Supplier is theirs.


Bare in mind that Suppliers cannot backdate their registrations and can only bill you from your supply start date. So, how are they going to get another Supplier (who have no affiliation to them) to agree to this and potentially lose all their money in the process? They won't.

They haven't even thought about how they chase your neighbour for debt he doesn't even think he owes!

You need to get those labels on the tails swapped over sort this could happen again in the future when engineers are out looking at the meter as they report such data errors. Don't chance that.


Now, what I have said is in relation to if your tails are connected to next doors meter. Is that the case? If your tails are in your meter but your bills are just on the wrong meter, it's slightly easier as it removes everything the Data Collector needs to do with the energy.

There is no set industry process for these issues like most others complaints, it all comes under Best Practice.

ChumpusRex

Hi.

I think the tails are correctly labeled. I spent 10 minutes with the engineer ripping trunking off the walls so we could see the wires, and I happened to take note of the labels.

The problem looks like it's one of plot numbers and apartment numbers. The tails are all labeled with plot numbers. Presumably, when the power was actually connected, some of the meters were mis-registered with the plot numbers, not the apartment numbers. It looks like someone has later gone and filled in the apartment numbers. However, in my case and my neighbour's it appears that they have been interchanged.

The chap that came round, had previously investigated this block a couple of years earlier, and found an entire floor had mis-matched meters due to the plot/apartment number issue.

Terrylw1

Hi,

Thats a bit clearer then. It gets worse when the wrong tails are connected from the fuseboxes.

Plots are always used as the property developer is still dealing with the formal naming, but they then send whats called a plot to postal schedule to Distributors showing the plots and their new numbers.

This is an age old problem. Sometimes developers number one way, then change and don't update anyone. The developer has caused your situation by the labelling.

I've seen this happen to over 250 properties before on one major site. That was a nightmare to correct and customers still suffer problems with it 7 years on!

They still need to sort your issue, refunding you won't do it. Although if you want to play them at their game - remember you can only be backbilled 12 months per Ofgem and you haven't technically been billed by the new Supplier. When you mention the fact you will both cost them years of elec, they may change their minds!