Final meter reading issue

bagand96

Looked at the photo a few times and I see 88011.  But it might be one of those white/gold vs black/blue dress things. 

Get as much evidence as you can for daily use before your meter change (old bills with actual readings etc) and your average use on your new meter and compile it all in as simple a format as you can demonstrating your average use for as long as you can.  Then submit a complaint to EDF with your data and what you think has happened, even demonstraing why you think it's 80011 and how that fits with your use.

If EDF don't resolve it or issue a deadlock letter than you'll be able to go to the Energy Ombudsman.  I believe the Ombudsman make decisions based on evidence though - so not sure which way this would go if it hangs on the above photo.

simcroft

Thank you for ur comments.

I'm also unsure as to how this will go with an ombudsmen. We shall see.

Thx again

Spoonie_Turtle

On first glance it looks to me like 88011.  On looking further, I'm so convinced.  At a push, if the 8 was 'cursive', maybe 86011.  I don't see how that second digit can be a 0 - well I do, by itself, but not in this context because why then is the 0 next to it infinitely neater?  You'd expect them to at least be similar, not one so slapdash and vague and the other perfectly neat and legible *right next to each other*.  I briefly wondered if it might be different if the photo were more in focus but the odds of writing two so wildly different zeroes next to each other … it's unlikely.

To be clear I fully believe it's possible he misread the old meter, but I think you would have to be almost impossibly fortunate to get an Ombudsman decision maker reading that number in the photo as 80011.

simcroft

Thx spoonie.

Maybe you’re right, and going down the route of mis reading is the most sensible option. Maybe he meant to write 80811 but wrote 88011 by accident, 

Without a photo we will never know for sure. Which is frustrating. And my fault. Which is even more frustrating! Lol

Mstty

How much history have you got at the property to prove ongoing historic usage averages?

That will help to prove that a mistake has happened.

Swipe

This thread serves as a reminder for anyone getting a smart meter installed to take photos before the installer starts work. One thing I've learned over the last few years is trust no one when it comes to utilities

[Deleted User]

The problem with final readings from a meter exchange is that the readings are treated by the industry as being validated for billing purposes. It is the same with any reading taken by a meter reader.

I would ask the supplier to raise a Readings Dispute. The supplier’s data collector should then examine the validated readings held on file for the property and it will then come up with a new estimated reading. For someone on EDF 6 monthly billing, this estimate is unlikely to be as accurate as that for an account with monthly billing.

pochase

There was a similar thread two years ago here

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6262655/incorrect-final-meter-reading-after-smart-meter-installation/p1

The OP there succeeded in getting the wrong reading removed, but the discrepancy was much lower, and there was ongoing up to date readings submitted, so it was something like an additional 1000KWh in one month, which is much easier to validate.

[Deleted User]

I have just been chatting to an installation engineer who is fitting a meter a couple of doors down from me.  In addition to entering final readings into a hand-held device they all also take photos of the existing meters. 

simcroft

Amazing, thx Dolor. Hopefully this was the case and will show what's happened either way. I feel that reasonably, they should need to provide at least a photo as evidence, just to make sure human error is removed.