EonNext at it again with 'End Of Life Meter' tactics for exchanging to a Smart meter

Terry_S_Mc

For the past few weeks I have started to receive email, texts and phone calls from EonNext almost daily trying again to convince me into having their Smart Meter fitted. I am elderly and on their vulnerable register through disability.
 
They have me on file not to be contacted about smart meters and I had previously opted out of any form of contact regarding smart meters. I was previously harassed for months by them a couple of years ago over fitting a smart meter until I made a complaint, which brought it to a stop.
 
But it has all started again this year, but this time they are now saying "the meter has come to the end of it's life" as a new tactic to get it exchanged to a smart meter. Email's, texts and phone calls to the extent it is harassment all over again.

What don't they understand? and is there any way to stop the harassment permanently?
On one hand we are told we do not have to accept a smart meter all the time our meter is working perfectly, then on the other we are being harassed into accepting one through different tactics by our power supplier.

I would like some independent advice on this please.

liviboy

If the meter is end of life then they can replace it (and with a smart meter),

The meter doesn’t belong to you.

There is zero reason not to have a smart meter!

Hoenir

Has the meter come to the end of it's usefull economic life ? If that's factual. There's no harassment. The meter requires replacing. 

Brie

Meters have a recommended shelf life.  Yours has passed it's recommended shelf life.  So Eon is proposing supplying a new meter, free of charge, to replace the one that may or may not be giving incorrect readings.  

They have the right to do this.  In fact I do believe it is an obligation.  I didn't think I wanted one, and then it turned out I already had them and didn't know!!  All discovered when I changed supplier who could connect properly with the meters and save me the hassle of having to read them.  So I no longer have to clear out the cleaning cupboard and shift the back portion of the wall (why it was put there I don't know) to read the electric meter.  And I no longer have to find the key to the gas box and go out in the rain, sometimes with a torch, to read the gas meter.  It makes me happy!!

They can't do anything evil with the meter when it's installed.  They can't magically change you to a different tariff or put you on prepayment without warning.  There would be lots of warnings and those would only happen if you consistently didn't pay your bill.  

The only thing I would add as a warning is that I've heard a few random stories of readings going silly on the change so I would suggest that when (because it will be when and not if) the meters get changed take a photo of both of the meter readings before the old meters are taken out and then again when the new ones are installed.  And check that your next bill matches those readings. 

And then you can relax. 

lohr500

How do you know your meter is working perfectly?
You could be paying more than you should if it is reading high!!!!

Spoonie_Turtle

Well, to see if it's genuine or a 'harassment tactic', you can check your electricity meter's certification period
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schedule-4-uk-nationally-approved-electricity-meters

If you're not sure about the certification date of your own meter you can post a picture here and knowledgeable members will be able to help.  If it's at or near the end of its certification period it will legally need to be replaced, and will realistically be replaced with a smart meter.

Gas meters don't seem to have certification periods in the same way but your supplier is responsible for it and is therefore entitled to change it if they want regardless of whether it's dangerous or broken or not.

Unless you have a complex metering situation on a tariff your supplier won't support once the meter is changed (such as Economy 10 or the nore specialist SSE tariffs), there is no reason to refuse a smart meter anyway.

Terry_S_Mc

The meter is not very old and is an up to date digital one  working perfectly as they have checked it and I was told so.

It does not have a replacement date on it so how would the user check on what is purported  by the Energy Company?
But I suspect you are incorrect in saying "there is zero reason not to have a smart meter". I expect there must be many reasons and I have a few of my own.

Brie

define "not very old"  I'm not very old compared to some work colleagues but I'm collecting my pension.

I think old in terms of a meter is said to be 15 years.  Do you think it's much younger than that?  If so tell them.

Hoenir

Terry_S_Mc said:

 I expect there must be many reasons and I have a few of my own.

What are your reasons? 

dunstonh

But it has all started again this year, but this time they are now saying "the meter has come to the end of it's life" as a new tactic to get it exchanged to a smart meter. Email's, texts and phone calls to the extent it is harassment all over again.

It is not a new tactic.   Reference to tactics is just paranoia.  Meters do have a shelf life and they are required to change meters getting towards end of life.    

What don't they understand? and is there any way to stop the harassment permanently?

The way to stop it is get a smart meter installed.    There is no logical reason to refuse.     

The meter is not very old and is an up to date digital one  working perfectly as they have checked it and I was told so.

Some of the last-of-the-line digital meters were prone to failure very early in their life, and because of that, their certification dates are short.    I had a digital meter put in 2015.  it was replaced in 2018 as it started going out of sync and replaced again with another meter in 2023 as again it was going out of sync.     

But I suspect you are incorrect in saying "there is zero reason not to have a smart meter". I expect there must be many reasons and I have a few of my own.

Everyone is going to be on a smart meter sooner or later.     There is no problem with smart meters with the current generation.       So, what is your problem with them?

Chances are your reasons for not wanting them are bogus or obsolete.  (SMETS1 -  not having one of those was justifiable.   However, SMETS2 sorted the issues).

Spoonie_Turtle

Terry_S_Mc said:

The meter is not very old and is an up to date digital one  working perfectly as they have checked it and I was told so.

It does not have a replacement date on it so how would the user check on what is purported  by the Energy Company?
But I suspect you are incorrect in saying "there is zero reason not to have a smart meter". I expect there must be many reasons and I have a few of my own.

Meters have their certification date indicated somewhere on the front, hence recommending posting a picture if it wasn't clear to you on yours.
It's definitely not by date of installation.  In the past sometimes refurbished meters have been used (in which case they were obviously older), and sometimes new meters sat for a few years after manufacture before being installed (which was the case for our previous one, manufactured and certified 4 years before it ended up being installed).

Okay then, what reasons do you think there are not to have smart meters?