British Gas Smart Meter error and delay

SmithW23

Can someone please advise me if we have any rights in terms of asking for some compensation or adjustment to our bills? 

We had solar panels installed in Nov 22, and it took me weeks of trying to get through to British Gas to finally get a Smart Meter installation appointment for February. 

Installation in February was not completed. The engineer said there were problems with getting readings (it was all gobbledygook to me) and that BG would have to sort something out remotely and then he'd be back. At the point of his visit we stopped getting readings on our Solar Panel app. Everything went to Zero.

Nothing happened. So we booked in engineer visits - after explaining at great length the situation - and would get text messages saying 'good news. your issue can be fixed remotely'. This happened several times. Cancelled visits. In the meantime I had also had a call from an engineer explaining that he thought the gas meter was not working at all and that was the issue. 

Finally I opened a complaint and I managed to speak to someone who seemed to understand and we had an appointment booked in for two weeks ago. The engineer came. He explained when saw the electric meter and board that there were loose wires left by the first engineer, that would have completed the circuit for the readings to come through from the solar panel. So our understanding is that from our first to this next visit, we had gained no benefit from our solar panels, and were either still paying estimated readings or our actual full usage but including paying for our generated energy. That our panels were of no use at all during that time. The engineer connected and set up the electric meter, but he said because of things that had been done incorrectly at the first visit, he didn't have time that day to finish the job with the gas. 

Yesterday, two weeks after the previous visit, an engineer came and changed over the gas meter and set everything up okay, and gave us the monitor. 

I have just spoken to British Gas complaints department, who gave me a call. I explained that I would like some kind of compensation for the financial loss of benefit of the panels during the first and second engineer appointments. They said their department is only for British Gas to learn from their mistakes and that they don't give financial compensation, but the could give a gesture of goodwill of £50. I said no, and please keep the complaint open. 

Any thoughts? Am I just totally overwhelmed with months of frustration that I am overthinking this? Would love some advice.

Dolor

You are entitled to compensation for missed appointments but not for any delay in fitting a smart meter. Arguably, you missed a trick by not getting a smart meter fitted prior to the installation of your solar panels. Would you expect to be compensated if you happened to live in area which, as yet, has no connection with the DCC-run smart meter network?

SmithW23

Dolor said:

You are entitled to compensation for missed appointments but not for any delay in fitting a smart meter. Arguably, you missed a trick by not getting a smart meter fitted prior to the installation of your solar panels. Would you expect to be compensated if you happened to live in area which, as yet, has no connection with the DCC-run smart meter network?

I asked about compensation from when they started the installation but messed it up, till the finally completed it correctly. Having interfered with our solar panel energy gains. I did say to them, I'm not asking about any delay in getting out to me initially. 
I didn't realise you could get the meters installed prior. 

Dolor

SmithW23 said:

Dolor said:

You are entitled to compensation for missed appointments but not for any delay in fitting a smart meter. Arguably, you missed a trick by not getting a smart meter fitted prior to the installation of your solar panels. Would you expect to be compensated if you happened to live in area which, as yet, has no connection with the DCC-run smart meter network?

I asked about compensation from when they started the installation but messed it up, till the finally completed it correctly. Having interfered with our solar panel energy gains. I did say to them, I'm not asking about any delay in getting out to me initially. 
I didn't realise you could get the meters installed prior. 

Smart meters have never been linked to solar PV. Their primary purpose is to record imported electricity on 4 registers and 48 by 30 blocks per day. Yes, they also record export data which is required for SEG. That said, in areas where there is no smart meter connectivity, suppliers will accept readings from a dedicated solar export meter.

QrizB

SmithW23 said:

I asked about compensation from when they started the installation but messed it up, till the finally completed it correctly. Having interfered with our solar panel energy gains. 

There is no obvious reason for a failed smart meter install to have any effect on the functioning of your solar panels.

Are you claiming that they stopped generating? Did you take regular readings from your generation mete

Did you call your solar installer out to look at the system?

It could have been as simple as a dislodged current transformer.