EDF and smart meters

PN91

Having got repeated emails from EDF encouraging me to book a smart meter fitting appointment I succumbed and made one. They sent regular text reminders prior to the day. They only give a 4hr arrival window, in my case 8 - 12. They didn't come. The french sounding customer services person who answered my phone call couldn't help.They now have a complaint from me, although what use that will be is anyone's guess.

Anyone else had this experience?

Keep_pedalling

You will get a £30 payment for the failed appointment. 

la531983

Keep_pedalling said:

You will get a £30 payment for the failed appointment. 

He may have to remind EDF to apply this to his bill, mind. 

dunstonh

The french sounding customer services person who answered my phone call couldn't help

EDF themselves do not install the meters.  They are contracted out to local installers.   So, the EDF call centre person wouldn't know.

Most likely reason is a) the local installer is overrunning due to a more complicated installation running on longer or b) they couldn't be bothered as it wasn't within their location or just couldnt be bothered, full stop.

They now have a complaint from me, although what use that will be is anyone's guess.

You will get £30 and a new appointment will be booked.

Largs

I'm sure if they don't pay the £30 within ten days they owe you another £30. I arranged for 3 smart meters to go in late last year. All 3 have stopped sending readings due to something gone wrong out with mines or EDF's control. If I knew then what I know now, I would not have had them put in. Days off work and still having to provide readings anyway.

PN91

My only reason for agreeing to having smart meters fitted was to ensure I was not denied any future beneficial deals for the lack of them. EDF's totally unprofessional service have ensured I will decline any further attempts to persuade me to upgrade. I posted my experience because I cannot believe I am the only person to be subjected to this treatment. Or am I just unlucky? I read in the weekend's paper that EDF were recently fined for failing to meet their forecast target for conversions. Is that what is at the root of this, I wonder.

QrizB

Largs said:

I'm sure if they don't pay the £30 within ten days they owe you another £30. I arranged for 3 smart meters to go in late last year. All 3 have stopped sending readings due to something gone wrong out with mines or EDF's control. If I knew then what I know now, I would not have had them put in. Days off work and still having to provide readings anyway.

Roughly 1 in 10 smart meters nationwide are not working in "smart" mode.

To have three separate meters all go dumb, you must be one in a thousand.

Largs

Well 2 are at my dad's property and 1 at my own flat. But it's myself that dealt with the endless phone calls to have them installed and taking quite a few days off to deal with the multiple visits that were eventually required.....

... 1 IHD didn't work and that required an engineer to come back. 1 meter he turned up and said his system was down so would instal the meter but would need to return another time to make it "smart". I asked why he didn't ring ahead and tell me this in advance and claiming not to have my telephone number. The same number they were texting endlessly reminding me of the appointment etc.

Now I'm told to submit readings manually and they will be in touch should an engineer need to visit again when they resolve whatever is wrong with them.  Not sure statistics wise how unlucky I am but that's how it is and like I say, if I'd known then what I know now, I'd have politely declined and left the dry meters as they were. And that is only the 3 gas meters. I have Sainsbury's energy on my case as their meter has stopped sending electric readings.

The only 2 meters that work are the 2 installed by Iresa. (Remember them?! Rates I can only dream of now)

brewerdave

I had several failed appointments to fit a smart gas meter by EDF (who I have now left) - they did give me adequate notice however.
One of the failed appointments ,I was told that the local installer didn't have the necessary meters - a message which didn't seem to get thru to EDF central !!

MattMattMattUK

PN91 said:

My only reason for agreeing to having smart meters fitted was to ensure I was not denied any future beneficial deals for the lack of them.

You will be compelled at some point fairly soon anyway, so no point in being petty about it.

PN91 said:

EDF's totally unprofessional service have ensured I will decline any further attempts to persuade me to upgrade.

So the fact that an installer did not turn up, which is unfortunate, but not the fault of EDF, or any of the other energy suppliers when it happens to them, means you are going to try and fight change?

PN91 said:

I posted my experience because I cannot believe I am the only person to be subjected to this treatment. Or am I just unlucky?

You have not been "subjected" to anything, an installer missed an appointment, it happens, it is hardly the end of the world, even describing it as "unlucky" would be pushing it.

PN91 said:

I read in the weekend's paper that EDF were recently fined for failing to meet their forecast target for conversions.

EDF are one of several energy suppliers who have been fined for a slow rollout of smart meters, they were more relaxed with customers who initially refused smart meters, they are not having to be more forceful to get things back on track, but unfortunately they will be trying to work through many who are deliberately difficult. 

PN91 said:

Is that what is at the root of this, I wonder.

The root cause of "this" as you refer to a missed appointment as, is down to an individual installer, who does not work for EDF, as none of the installers work for the energy suppliers. As others have said there are many possible reasons, none of them involve being "subjected" to things, or being "unprofessional", occasionally issues occur, they are not the end of the world, they do not need a huge over reaction to them, they just are. You will get £30 and the appointment will be rebooked, that is the end of it.

PN91

Did you enjoy that?