Crossed meter or not?

baglessupright

Chris_b2z said:

The engineer suggested that this is a widespread problem affecting a specific batch of meters and yet EON support didn't seem to be aware of it. That's a concern.

I would have expected the defective batch to be recalled or pro-actively replaced. 

You would think so, wouldn't you? I can only assume that it's a cost thing... this batch of meters are prone to failure but they won't ALL fail. Better to wait and see if they do because, otherwise, they might be replacing meters that never would have been a problem in the first place.

EDITED: Presumably, some of them have already been replaced by smart meters and the fact that we're all supposed to be clamouring to have a smart meter installed will also lessen the need to be proactive about replacing the potentially defective ones.

ArbitraryRandom

And there's probably not a central list of where they were installed - the supplier that installed them would know, but customers move (a lot more now than they used to), so YOUR supplier might not know you have a problematic one until someone comes out to take a look. 

QrizB

Chris_b2z said:

The engineer suggested that this is a widespread problem affecting a specific batch of meters and yet EON support didn't seem to be aware of it. That's a concern. I would have expected the defective batch to be recalled or pro-actively replaced.

Remember the Ford Pinto? (I don't; I was in short trousers at the time.)

Let's imagine that an "average" batch of meters has a failure rate of 1 in 1000. Let's also assume that this particular batch is 100x worse than normal, with an average failure rate of 1 in 10.

That still means replacing 10x more meters than will actually go wrong during use. The suppliers might have decided to deal with them as and when they cause problems, noting that (for the past 5+ years) they've all been scheduled for replacement with smart meters anyway.

Chris_b2z

QrizB said:

Remember the Ford Pinto?

I'm not sure I agree with that comparison. If I knew the Fiat Pinto had a bad reputation for poor quality then I would have the option to buy a Ford Cortina instead. This choice does not apply to energy consumers. We rely entirely on energy suppliers to provide us with a meter that can accurately measure our usage and have no visibility of any defects that have been identified. We wouldn't be aware of the problem and we can't shop around for an alternative.
How many customers may have overpaid (and are continuing to overpay) as a result of this defect? Your guess is as good as mine. Is there a regulator out there that should be protecting the consumer?
Here's a reminder of how it was dealt with in Ireland - Irish Sun Article

MeteredOut

Chris_b2z said:

QrizB said:

Remember the Ford Pinto?

I'm not sure I agree with that comparison. If I knew the Fiat Pinto had a bad reputation for poor quality then I would have the option to buy a Ford Cortina instead. This choice does not apply to energy consumers. We rely entirely on energy suppliers to provide us with a meter that can accurately measure our usage and have no visibility of any defects that have been identified. We wouldn't be aware of the problem and we can't shop around for an alternative.
How many customers may have overpaid (and are continuing to overpay) as a result of this defect? Your guess is as good as mine. Is there a regulator out there that should be protecting the consumer?
Here's a reminder of how it was dealt with in Ireland - Irish Sun Article

When I raised my complaint with the energy ombusdman about my dodgy gas meter, a meter that is know to have issues when the battery runs low, I asked the chap dealing with my case whether they do anything about such issues. He said they did track trends on claims they receive to see if there are any commonalities and work with the energy providers if they find any. 

But, it sounded like that was something more theoretical than actually something they pro-actively manage.

baglessupright

Yesterday I went into my account to see if there were any updates, only to discover that they'd removed the wrong meter from the account!

The redundant Economy 7 meter - ending 981 - which the engineer dismantled was still on the account whilst the faulty meter - 687 - which is still in the cupboard but awaiting replacement, has the message, 'Your meter is no longer active'.

Can they do anything right?

ArbitraryRandom

At this rate you'll have to get your case handler an  e-Christmas card  

baglessupright

ArbitraryRandom said:

At this rate you'll have to get your case handler an  e-Christmas card  

I might - if they'd actually been in contact with me! So far, I've heard nothing from them at all since the meter was found to be faulty. I just rang the engineer about this latest issue and he's sorting it for me. (I'm sick of listening to all the crappy music and the "We're sorry to keep you waiting..." messages!)

Chrysalis

I found the pic of my old meter, guess what

Posting the pic.

Granted might not be the same type/batch, the pic next to it on phone doesnt have the missing right hand side, but I might find some others that have full meter visible.

Was replaced in 2022, 19 years after certification.

baglessupright

Chrysalis said:

I found the pic of my old meter, guess what

Posting the pic.

Granted might not be the same type/batch, the pic next to it on phone doesnt have the missing right hand side, but I might find some others that have full meter visible.

Was replaced in 2022, 19 years after certification.

The engineer told me that all meters have a 'life' of 10 years but electricity suppliers all claim that it's 20 years.