eon smart meter started at 618 but they are charging me from 0. And i have no data.

superiphi

The engineer
- installed the meter
- told us it would start at 0
- told us we couldn't get a smart display (IHD) cause there was no socket where the meter was
- told us we would get all the data in the app (currently 3 weeks later i still can't see any real data)

We pointed out to the engineer that the just installed meter showed 618, not 0, and he told us he had to put in 0, it was policy.

We took a video of the meter (since you cant see date/time and reading in one) while the engineer was still on site and sent an email to eon about it immediately.

Was told in an email
- it is quite normal for meters to not start at 0 
- the bill would start from the first reading 
- if there were requirements for IHD they should have been communicated

I cannot access readings from my meter, they dont show in the app or the eon website, just "daily usage". Apart from the day of installation the numbers don't look unreasonable.

Yesterday I receive a statement/invoice and lo and behold it starts from 0 

I email eon again

eon person this time
- tells me meters start at 0
- tells me they have proof the meter started at 0 (except it says "Meter reader" instead of "smart")

after i point this out the eon support guy makes flabbergasting excuses:
- my house is a guesthouse (it is not, never has been in 150 years. We are 2!)
- it is probably the heating (our heating is gas powered water underfloor heating)

The idea that he is defending 1 months worth of use on the day of the meter install is flabbergasting - I'm thinking both engineers and support are incentivised to fleece us?

It should be easy to get the first sending of the meter, hourly data or something but I can't see anyhing in my account - only daily cost and 1 reading. 

Thankfully the video shows the time minutes after installation, the engineer was still here (should have filmed him but we didnt), so it should be a no brainer but I have a feeling it will go to the ombudsman costing me a lot of time

But on the other hand I have a smart meter that is more stupid than my old meter

- i though IHD could be installed in your kitchen or someplace and would give you hourly data and live data so you could optimise your use. why did he claim he could not give us one? and it that is right why were we not told ahead of time?

- can i demand an IHD?

- how else can I access my meter data? 

Thanks

JN

Swipe

You definitely did the right thing making a video and the meter installer should have known whatever reading he recorded would be used for billing. I would have also sent E.On next a photo of the opening reading when you first flagged it. Raise a complaint and send them the video and ask for it to be looked into by their smart metering team. Also, insist that they access and check the smart meter readings from the date the smart meter was commissioned. Tell them you will take it to the energy ombudsman if not resolved. I'd also remind them that the meter, even if not yet commissioned, will have recorded exactly how much energy you have used since the date it was installed. They really don't have a leg to stand on.

tim_p

Did the installer not leave a clearly marked card or sticker with the new meter stating the two readings (old and new)?

EssexHebridean

tim_p said:

Did the installer not leave a clearly marked card or sticker with the new meter stating the two readings (old and new)?

This would be my first port of call as well, although if the installer also stated that he was "required to put 0" (He's required to put whatever is on the meter!) then that might suggest he may perhaps not have been the most up to speed on doing things properly! 

well done for putting things in writing from the start - that makes it a lot easier to prove that starting reading.

You might also want to push them on supplying you with an IHD as well - it doesn't need to be plugged in "by the meter" just within a reasonable range! 

It sounds as though the meter isn't currently communicating though - or certainly wasn't right away - if they are running with that zero reading - can you check the statement and find the closing reading for the statement, and can you confirm whether that closing reading is shown as "smart" or something else?

Can another forumite who is with the same supplier confirm to the OP where they will find the smart data in the app or customer account? 

Swipe

EssexHebridean said:

tim_p said:

Did the installer not leave a clearly marked card or sticker with the new meter stating the two readings (old and new)?

Can another forumite who is with the same supplier confirm to the OP where they will find the smart data in the app or customer account? 

It's displayed under usage graphs in the portal (by memory) and under the usage tab in the app.

Scot_39

In my portal there are no graphs at EOn Next - they are pushing a new version of the app - that is meant to do the graphs - even down to 1/2 hourly if I remember the prompt last time I got it

On your my account dashboard, scroll down to view meter reading history -  thats got monthly statement dates and 3 monthly cap change (peak and off peak in my case) absolute readings on it - and these appear on my monthly statements as and when of course.

Dont see anything fancier on line currently. Maybe not looking in the right place ? @Swipe ??

superiphi

I'll go check what is on the sticker but I assume he put 0 - i think he did this before the meter was fully booted.
Then he went to his vehicle to call and request the connection, and wait for whatever things need to happen.

When he came back we pointed out it was 618 not zero but I didn't think to check the sticker. That is when we made the video as it seemed weird he would say he registered it as 0 when it was showing 618.

The engineer was cheerful but I thought the bit about the display was weird too. I'll ask for it.

Will check when I am home tonight and update

superiphi

Apologies we had to go away and did not get back to the house for a whole month.

On the card the engineer wrote 0000

Husband was there and pointed out the meter showed 618 and the engineers told us "I have to put 0" 

Which I assume is a lie. Why would he do that?

We wrote next to it 618 so we would have an easy record - and took the video and emailed the information. The engineer was still in his car waiting for confirmation of activation when we did that.

---

Email sent on day of install, 11:28 engineer is leaving 

"The engineer has come and installed the meter
He said that we could not get an in house display, which I do not understand. How can I get detailed readings to be sure my smart meter is trustworthy and to be able to detect high usage and act on it?
I also don't understand, if something needed to be done in preparation in order to have a smart display, then this should have been communicated in the dozens of preparatory calls and emails. I am not pleased about it and would like this display please?
Just to add to the problems the smart meter reading does not start at 0 even though the engineer says it should. Please can you confirm the correct start value is being used? 618 not 000! Am I getting a second hand meter that was rejected because problematic before? "

(the whole bit about refurbished meter was just me being a bit silly not wanting to go "the engineer put a wrong reading on purpose")

Response within the hour (!) - with hindsight I think these are all some AI interaction

"If the engineer mentioned that you couldn't get one, it might be due to specific technical or logistical reasons.

In the meantime, you can still get detailed readings directly from your smart meter. Most smart meters have a digital display that shows your energy usage in kilowatt-hours (kWh). You can navigate through different screens using buttons on the meter to see real-time power usage and other relevant information. You can download our online app portal or check on the website for usage and adding readings.

It's not uncommon for new meters to have a starting reading that isn't zero. This can happen because meters are often tested and calibrated before installation, which can result in a non-zero starting value. The starting value of 618 should be recorded. It's unlikely that you're receiving a second-hand meter."

---

Email the day I received an incorrect bill starting from 0

"I'm afraid you were wrong. I have received a statement and it did not use the real readings from the smart meter but the fake value of zero. 
I am furious at the dishonesty of this.  Is it a policy to steal a bit from each meter install? It's not acceptable and it is making me waste my time once again on eon failings, after two no shows. 

Fix this please"

The response is empty waffle about each line individually as if unrelated question

---

Further email from me

"Our meter started at 618 we have screenshot and video (so the date and time are clear) to show this.  I reported this immediately on the day. You should find the email, I have sent a follow-up to it as well
It also should be obvious unless you think that we did a months worth of usage in that one hour on the day? 
We were also not given the kitchen monitoring display and told the eon app would do all. It does not. I cannot see live or even hour by hour readings from my meter. It's no use to help manage usage! The app gives no access to meter information, I expected to see live usage, hour by hour stats, this is nowhere.
We have live video of our meter and we made the engineer aware the meter was at 618. He saw it yet still entered zero because, he said, he was supposed to. That's why we took a video and immediately sent an email. Can't deny these as you are trying now.
I have been lied to and set up for a fake bill
I want a credit and access to the data of my meter or I want the meter removed, I do not trust eon anymore "

the response:

The property is a guesthouse which it has no one bedroom and all heating is on as well as lights plus daily standing charges , a property with more than 3+ bedrooms how much electricity should they be using?Secondly, the engineer knew that the meter is suppose to start at zero. Thirdly , the in home display shows your daily usage not hourly usage.
The is an attachment below proving that the meter started at zero not 618 as you state.

At this point honestly I have no idea

1. The attachment in question is a screenshot with 2 readings, and only one of the two has "smart meter" next to it, the other does not so must be the engineer. The 0, like on the bill, is "agent supplied". So does not prove what they claim it does.
2. The property is not a guesthouse, never has been in its history, and does not have electric heaters. No idea why they say that.

---

My response 

"I now realise it was you yourself who emailed us on the day to not worry, readings of NOT 0 are normal. And here you are this week telling me it is always 0. Which is it???? Here is what the website shows (screenshot). YOu can see that the 0 is what the engineer entered not the meter's senting. The meter's sending would have been 618. 618 is what the meter showed immediately after installation, we pointed this out and took a video (link)this was taken immediately after install when the engineer went up to call to get things activated. Your tracking will show he was on site
What do you think is more likely - that I used on the hour of the installation almost as much electricity as i used in january and february, or - that my meter started at 618? I'm starting to think it is eon policy to try to do this to every customer - not your choice I am sure I would like the hourly data from my meter I should have access to, and I would also like the IHD that is part of the package, so that this kind of silliness does not happen again

---

Their response

"Thank you for the response.

I will have to communicate with the installation team and get back to you or I will pass them your information then they can contact you via email."

This is currently in draft to go back

I have received no communication - I have given a full month. 
Escalate this to someone who can correct the data and produce a refund - one month and no response or action is not acceptable.

A quick reminder
- We have video proof the freshly installed meter was not at 0. Taken at the same time as the engineer was in his vehicle outside calling in the activation.
- We have an email sent on the day and your own response on the day telling me not to worry, it is common for a meter to not be at 0 and the bill will use the readings.
- Then we receive a bill using the engineer's 0 not the readings from the meter. I was charged for phantom usage.
To make things worse, I do not have the half hourly data in the phone app, I do not have the in house display. Please supply the display as promised.

If this is not enough, the historical half hourly updates from the meter should show very clearly that the first readings sent by the app were not 0. Please provide them as a matter of urgency so this can be resolved

bagand96

Open a formal complaint with Eon https://www.eonnext.com/unhappy

I would do it by email (or if you prefer recorded post) then you can keep their responses and it's easier to prove later than a phonecall.

Eon then have 8 weeks to resolve the issue after which you can go to the Energy Ombudsman. You have pretty conclusive evidence. https://www.energyombudsman.org/our-process

superiphi

Thank you I have sent this summary, expanded, to that email

I would have thought this was such a no brainer:

- statement uses "meter reader" value of 00 and smart value of 870 
- we documented meter starting point of 618 with video sent on the day
- graphs in the app show roughly 300kwh for 5th-31st of March (alas no way to see the recorded meter readings)
- 870-618 is 252 fairly consistent with the graphs

they go whoops sorry and sorted!

but instead we have an entire series of inventions and lies:

- told i cant have an in house display because no socket by the meter (other people have it in their kitchen!)

- told the app will have the data (it doesn't)

- told the reading has to be recorded as 0 even when it shows 618 (??)

- told that it is normal the reading is a number, not 0, and the bill will use that

- told later that the meters always start at 0 and yes i used 618 units on the day

- told that my house is a guesthouse (never been a guesthouse in 150 years. We are 2 people)

- told that it's the heating (we have underfloor water heating!)

I mean, why? Is it really policy, as the engineer said, to try to fleece every install?

I find that unacceptable and there has to be a place we can report these in case there is a systematic pattern of abuse

Swipe

Ask them for a deadlock letter and then you can go straight to the ombudsman.