Blank screen on gas meter - probably out of battery

Teralek

I have a Landis + Gyr G470 gas meter

About 2 months ago the meter stopped working. I press any button and it doesn't wake up. The meter has more than 7 years old so is probably a spent battery. 

My utilities supplier is stalling (Scottish power). They said they will replace everyone's smart meters some time from January 2024. In the meantime I will just pay estimated bills. I dont like this situation because I will certainly pay more on estimated bills and I feel this will drag for many months and not get solved in January.

Is there any way to get this solved quickly? Do I have to pay estimated bills? What are my rights on this? Don't the supplier have the duty to change meters if they are not in working condition on a timely fashion?

[Deleted User]

Teralek said:

I have a Landis + Gyr G470 gas meter

About 2 months ago the meter stopped working. I press any button and it doesn't wake up. The meter has more than 7 years old so is probably a spent battery. 

My utilities supplier is stalling (Scottish power). They said they will replace everyone's smart meters some time from January 2024. In the meantime I will just pay estimated bills. I dont like this situation because I will certainly pay more on estimated bills and I feel this will drag for many months and not get solved in January.

Is there any way to get this solved quickly? Do I have to pay estimated bills? What are my rights on this? Don't the supplier have the duty to change meters if they are not in working condition on a timely fashion?

Has SP followed its guaranteed service standards?

Rodders53

Dunno.  Raise a formal complaint. Keep at them. Escalate up their food-chain. Ask for a deadlock letter. Then escalate to the ombudsman.

Should get their attention at least.

When my electric meter failed my supplier never estimate-billed me for the use I had while faulty.  (I'd have accepted reasonable estimates as I take manual monthly reads anyway).

Teralek

Dolor said:

Not really. 

I contacted them again today saying the meter wasn't working and that I didn't want to pay estimated bills and they said the following:

"the service request is already raised for you, and the team has already started to check it remotely for you, and will soon contact you up once the remote fixation is done and it will take some time, you might reach out to us, after 14 days, so that we can help you up with a update as well, and the reference number of the d=service request that was raised earlier for you, is ########."

So no. Not 5 days time frame

[Deleted User]

So no. Not 5 days time frame

Contact them again and remind them of their Guaranteed Performance Standards which are fixed by Law.

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/energy-policy-and-regulation/Publications-by-licence-and-licensee/industry-codes-and-standards/standards/quality-service-guaranteed-standards

imeach

Scottish Power are probably the worst for fixing blank screens that I see.
Those figures from 2016 are interesting but completely out of date, and probably out of true too 😂

brewerdave

imeach said:

Scottish Power are probably the worst for fixing blank screens that I see.
Those figures from 2016 are interesting but completely out of date, and probably out of true too 😂

And in 2016 a lot of the faulty meters would have been the old mechanical type - not too many smart gas meters around then.

SAC2334

brewerdave said:

imeach said:

Scottish Power are probably the worst for fixing blank screens that I see.
Those figures from 2016 are interesting but completely out of date, and probably out of true too 😂

And in 2016 a lot of the faulty meters would have been the old mechanical type - not too many smart gas meters around then.

They would be dumb digital gas meters, lots around and just as hard on battery life . I can change the battery in two minutes .Odd why the suppliers prefer to wreck a decent gas meter just for the price of a £10 battery rather than change in situ. The replacement batteries come with a soldered on connector so no need for any extra work .

The G4 type  mechanical meters are super reliable and rarely go wrong for their 25 year lifespan .