When to get a smart meter and with which company?

twopenny

I've stuck with BG and EDF quite happily until recently because my life went bill smoothly. 

EDF because communication was easy and I've heard of so many having trouble with not being connected, the meter not working etc and with it being so difficult to communicate that has put me off.

Now I'm fed up to the back teeth with the near impossibility to communicate with them while they barrage me with texts and emails and they way they've both dealt with the new billing system.

I've wanted to go on a smart meter - heck mostly bullied into it - but it was on my list in the hope I could just get on with my life.

Should I get the process underway with these two and move after installation to another company or wait till I've moved and request from that company?

Which would be less hassle do you think?

I do remember someone posting that one or the other was a nightmare to deal with re installing smart meters but can't remember which.

Netexporter

Gas and electric smart meters are best fitted as a pair, so it would be wise to move to a single supplier. Octopus have the greatest number of tariffs that may save you money in conjunction with a smart meter. If you get a referral code, for Octopus, you'll get £50 credited to your account, as will the person who referred you. Customer service and billing are also superior to the dinosaur suppliers, too.

twopenny

Thanks. Not sure if I can cope with all at once!

So much going on already but it would sound reasonable so will give it a go.

"Customer service and billing are also superior to the dinosaur suppliers, too." - I can only hope.

Hours of my time spent on bot chat and phone just to get back to where I started when a quick 5min call could have solved a problem of their making. Grrrrrrrrrr!

Netexporter

twopenny said:

Thanks. Not sure if I can cope with all at once!

So much going on already but it would sound reasonable so will give it a go.

"Customer service and billing are also superior to the dinosaur suppliers, too." - I can only hope.

Hours of my time spent on bot chat and phone just to get back to where I started when a quick 5min call could have solved a problem of their making. Grrrrrrrrrr!

You would do well to wait a little while, as both EDF and BG are migrating their customers to new billing software, which is making it appear as new accounts, on the migration system, so they have to wait 28 days before they can try again.

The new supplier does all the work, in getting you transferred and getting you old accounts closed, so apart from filling in your details, it isn't too onerous. Also, if you are with one supplier, it will only be one appointment to change both meters.

Alnat1

Never had to hang on more than 15 minutes for Octopus to pick up the phone and usually it's only a couple of minutes if you avoid 9am and around lunchtime.

MikeJXE

As far as I am concerned the best customer services are the ones you don't have to contact

I have been with Octopus since February, moved home to one that was on Octopus 

I was with SSE then OVO also on smart meter, never had a problem with the smart meter but I did with OVO who wanted a DD higher than necessary 

When I moved I contacted Octopus and gave them my usage figures for the last 2 years and requested the DD I considered appropriate .

Octopus accepted them, I have had 1 refund from them and I have reduced my DD both of which I requested online

I have never had to email or call them, I don't have a smart meter and after reading posts on here regarding problems I am not about to request one as I am not looking for trouble, If it ain't broke don't fix it is my thinking. 

I have the old dumb meters, I read my meters weekly, I give Octopus the readings every 1st of the month, a bill is produced within a couple of days and deducted from my credit. I record usage on a spreadsheet and know what my bill will be before Octopus do. 

I Know that I could be missing out on TOU tariffs but I'm a low user and like it the way it is, no hassle no stress, no long phone calls and unanswered emails. 

I recommend Octopus 

Spoonie_Turtle

Another vote for Octopus here.  We do have a smart meter, required to stay on our good tariff (Tracker), and their customer service via Twitter can be astonishingly good. Also over the phone is good too.  E-mails are fine once you get a human dealing with them, but for a few months now I've had to get past the AI responses first.

I also hear they have a decent smart metering team to sort out any problems.  (Ours has worked fine from the start though so I've not needed their help.)

In the interests of balance I have to say that don't get everything right all the time, but without wishing to belittle the very real difficulties some people have faced, they do still seem to be the best supplier at the moment, ahead of the others.

For another aspect of balance, Eon now uses the same billing platform and has referral codes like Octopus (but their choice of tariffs is nowhere near as varied, yet).

Netexporter

For another aspect of balance, Eon now uses the same billing platform and has referral codes like Octopus (but their choice of tariffs is nowhere near as varied, yet

Also EDF are currently migrating to Octopus' Kraken platform. Whether their customer service improves remains to be seen.

QrizB

twopenny said:

Which would be less hassle do you think?

If you stick with two separate suppliers, you will have a better chance of a smooth smart meter installation if you have the electricity meter done first.

Spoonie_Turtle

Netexporter said:

For another aspect of balance, Eon now uses the same billing platform and has referral codes like Octopus (but their choice of tariffs is nowhere near as varied, yet

Also EDF are currently migrating to Octopus' Kraken platform. Whether their customer service improves remains to be seen.

True, though the OP says they want to leave EDF.

twopenny

Wow thanks folks!
That's a lot more information than I expected and really helpful 
A lot to think about but not for long I hope.

I'm getting old, hard to come to terms with, and need automation in case of collapse etc. Lol, found out my 80 & 90yr old neighbours are ahead of me and without the net!
I've also done with tech. Was there at the beginning, enthusiastic but now I want only what is useful. 

Yes, want to wait till the new accounts sort themselves out. Hopefully not too long.
Then up and at 'um. 
Even heard some 25yr old youngsters discussing how frustrating all the changes are. 
So thanks again for all the info to help me and probably others.