British Gas - Smart Meters

FergusNo6

My Mother in law lives in Cornwall on her own. She's 92 and recently diagnosed with mixed dementia. As she is physically not capable of reading the meters I arranged for BG to install smart meters thinking that this would be the obvious solution. Time has passed and although the gas meter is sumbitting reading the electricity meternever has. I have spoken to BG on numerous occasions only to get palmed off with that it can take 31 days for the meter to start taking readings. It's now day 30 and they still tell me the same thing. I cannot get to her home every month to take readings and her neighbours are both too old themselves to take the readings for her( this was the advice from BG). She's on the priority list, yet they won't send anyone out to read her meter. I've now raised a complaint but it's shocking how the elderly are treated by these companies.

uss_tish

I am just about to leave BG over failure to install smart meters despite 3 attempts. They installed the electric smart meter (which actually doesn’t work) but were unable to do the gas and they just keep fobbing me off. This has been ongoing for 4 months and I am still providing manual readings.

Also, I was looking to replace my boiler and they insisted I needed a home visit when in fact didn’t, the on-line route would have been cheaper as it’s a straight like for like replacement. To make matters worse, the engineer who visited not only added on £500 worth of ‘tailored extras’ but also suggested a boiler way over capacity for my needs. I have now got a quote for £900 less from another supplier. 

Hence, I am switching supplier today.

EssexHebridean

OK OP - first thing - can you get her (or perhaps a home help if she has one, or friend?) to give you the long number from probably the base of the IHD? If so, then you should be able to register with one of the third parties like Loop or Bright who can access smart meter data. the reason for suggesting this is that if the gas meter is communicating, that seems to indicate that the comms hub (attached to the electricity meter) is doing its job - so it will be interesting to see whether in fact all the info is being sent from that comms hub, but for some reason  BG are only pulling part of it?  (I think I am correct in saying that the number from the IHD is needed to access this info - hopefully someone else will confirm) 

Scot_39

FergusNo6 said:

My Mother in law lives in Cornwall on her own. She's 92 and recently diagnosed with mixed dementia. As she is physically not capable of reading the meters I arranged for BG to install smart meters thinking that this would be the obvious solution. Time has passed and although the gas meter is sumbitting reading the electricity meternever has. I have spoken to BG on numerous occasions only to get palmed off with that it can take 31 days for the meter to start taking readings. It's now day 30 and they still tell me the same thing. I cannot get to her home every month to take readings and her neighbours are both too old themselves to take the readings for her( this was the advice from BG). She's on the priority list, yet they won't send anyone out to read her meter. I've now raised a complaint but it's shocking how the elderly are treated by these companies.

Traditionally the PSR should give her meter visit readings - my mums were annual with SG until declared technically blind with AMD when they offered 6m as her then billing statement cycle about a decade ago.

Their own website now says quarterly readings (my sister now billed quarterly statement with  SG so kind of makes sense)

https://www.britishgas.co.uk/priority-service-register

But not with operating smart meters.  There probably arguably correctly now refusing visits as she has smart meters that they say should be working eventually within that time frame.

But it is strange gas works as gas goes gas meter to comms hub mounted on electric to dcc to BG.  But it's not unheard of either.

The ihd should give readings of totals too if has one. If its still an option.  If shes managing alone for now it might be.  And if dexterity an issue - she may be entitled to an accessible in home display  - bigger text, buttons etc..

Edit : Just a thought re gas though - does IHD only give the figure converted to kWh - or would it give the original m3 figure as well in a menu.  What about the apps ?   Because the supplier will be expecting I guess m3 if enter manually.

But as above an app may be your best bet.  But that assumes iirc the electric meter is communicating to dcc and the misplaced readings are at bg end.  Not always the case.

One Loop guide says only need address and ability to confirm correct mpan from a bill if have one.

Bright used to need the ihd code - on mine I have to pry off the little stand to read it off back in tiny print.


 

mac.d

I've experience of British Gas and the Priority Services Register making no difference. An old, housebound neighbour gets regular meter readings visits from Scottish Power for their electric, but BG haven't read the gas meter once in the past year since I phoned them to sort out a billing issue and reiterating they were on the PSR so should've had meter readings visits. Incidentally, It'd only be every quarter at most they'd send a meter reader.

I've had success with Octopus in getting non-working smart meters sorted (both times gas readings ok but no electric), one required a new comms hub, the other a new meter. But there are lots of reports of suppliers dragging their heels on non-working smart meters.

In the short term, it'd be worth trying what EssexHebridean suggest in installing an app like Bright and seeing if it gets the electric data. You do need the GUID code from the IHD to set it up.

Apart from that continue to pursue your complaint with them, then progress it to the ombudsman after 8 weeks if needed.