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octopus energy 'representatives' houding me to get a smart meter

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  • MikeyPGT
    MikeyPGT Posts: 535 Forumite
    500 Posts Third Anniversary Photogenic Name Dropper
    There really is little point in trying to hold back the tide with Smart Meters - eventually your meter will cease to function and at that stage you will have to have a Smart Meter anyway which will open up a whole new world of cheaper tariffs.  I have had absolutely no problem with mine and if you don't want to monitor your own use then just shove the IHD in the drawer and forget about it.  Gas Smart Meters on the other hand aren't worth the bother in my experience ...
    Debt Free Wannabe by 1 December 2027

    Satisfied customer of Octopus Agile - past savings on average 33% of standard tarrif

    Deep seated hatred of Scottish Power and all who sail in her - would love to see Ofgem grow a pair and actually do something about it.
  • Gerry1
    Gerry1 Posts: 10,848 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Peter999_2 said:
    thewhistleblowersdog said:
    Hi fAcefuM7Pra55specrWE

    If you do not want a smart meter - you do not have to have one. There are enough horror stories out there for you to take your time about deciding to have one installed in your home.

    My advice - 
    1. Make an audit of every of every time that the company contacted you - since you notified them that you did not wish to have one installed.
    2. Give them 10-days to best acknowledge your audit, attached to the complaint that you feel bullied, hounded, harassed and the victim of poor information governance.
    3. If you do not receive an apology from the energy company within 14 days of your complaint letter with audit of evidence attached, send them an invoice for every time that you were bothered by the energy company, including the time that you spent in putting together the invoice that you sent them.
    4. Give the company 1-month to apologise and/or pay the invoice.
    5. Then send them a reminder that you will add costs to the invoice in respect of the trauma of having to take them to court.
    6. If the company's repeated harassment started to cause you harm or mental injuries - add a personal injury claim to the invoice. (Personal Injury claims have to be served within 2 to 3 years with evidence or a witness statement that will verify the trauma you suffered.
    I wish that I had taken this advice when it was given to me.
    Unfortunately, energy companies only understand the currency of money - not empathy or respect for your rights.
    What are the horror stories?  .  I've still yet to find one that actually would hold up to scrutiny and would have been any different than a normal meter.
    • A normal meter (unless prepaid) can't cut you off because it doesn't have a kill switch.
    • A normal meter can't ration your usage at any moment (Load Limiting).
    • A normal meter can't disconnect you temporarily (Load Shedding).
    • A normal meter can't start charging you a higher rate when demand is high (Surge Pricing).
    • A normal meter can't charge you a higher rate the more kWh you use (Block Tariffs).
    If you had read the specification you would have known all these facts and wouldn't be making the false claim that they're no different to a normal meter.
    QED :D
  • daveyjp
    daveyjp Posts: 13,560 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    If the companies want to install a meter they have every right and legal powers to do so.  I've had them changed many times over the years as they become time expired.

    It never involved any form of harrassment, they just contacted me and they turned up and changed it.  The current situation should be no different.  Constant calls just riles customers and causes suspicion.
  • Gerry1
    Gerry1 Posts: 10,848 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 3 May at 6:12PM
    mmmmikey said:
    Gerry1 said:
    Peter999_2 said:
    thewhistleblowersdog said:
    Hi fAcefuM7Pra55specrWE

    If you do not want a smart meter - you do not have to have one. There are enough horror stories out there for you to take your time about deciding to have one installed in your home.

    My advice - 
    1. Make an audit of every of every time that the company contacted you - since you notified them that you did not wish to have one installed.
    2. Give them 10-days to best acknowledge your audit, attached to the complaint that you feel bullied, hounded, harassed and the victim of poor information governance.
    3. If you do not receive an apology from the energy company within 14 days of your complaint letter with audit of evidence attached, send them an invoice for every time that you were bothered by the energy company, including the time that you spent in putting together the invoice that you sent them.
    4. Give the company 1-month to apologise and/or pay the invoice.
    5. Then send them a reminder that you will add costs to the invoice in respect of the trauma of having to take them to court.
    6. If the company's repeated harassment started to cause you harm or mental injuries - add a personal injury claim to the invoice. (Personal Injury claims have to be served within 2 to 3 years with evidence or a witness statement that will verify the trauma you suffered.
    I wish that I had taken this advice when it was given to me.
    Unfortunately, energy companies only understand the currency of money - not empathy or respect for your rights.
    What are the horror stories?  .  I've still yet to find one that actually would hold up to scrutiny and would have been any different than a normal meter.
    • A normal meter (unless prepaid) can't cut you off because it doesn't have a kill switch.
    • A normal meter can't ration your usage at any moment (Load Limiting).
    • A normal meter can't disconnect you temporarily (Load Shedding).
    • A normal meter can't start charging you a higher rate when demand is high (Surge Pricing).
    • A normal meter can't charge you a higher rate the more kWh you use (Block Tariffs).
    If you had read the specification you would have known all these facts and wouldn't be making the false claim that they're no different to a normal meter.
    QED :D
    Remote disconnection allows power to be killed to allow the emergency services to safely enter unoccupied but burning buildings
    Are you serious?  My house doesn't burn down every week, so spending north of £400 for such an unlikely event doesn't seem good value.  Knowing how hard it is to contact suppliers such as British Gas, the fire would have been put out long before the FB managed to speak to anyone, let alone someone who could understand the problem and take immediate action.  In a serious fire the comms hub would probably have already been damaged and wouldn't be able to operate the kill switch anyway.
    It's more likely (although still quite rare) that your smart meter causes a fire, e.g. the kill switch overheats because of high currents drawn by a heat pump and EV charging, or because it's been fitted badly.
    I'll just take my chances.
    mmmmikey said:
    Gerry1 said:
    Peter999_2 said:
    thewhistleblowersdog said:
    Hi fAcefuM7Pra55specrWE

    If you do not want a smart meter - you do not have to have one. There are enough horror stories out there for you to take your time about deciding to have one installed in your home.

    My advice - 
    1. Make an audit of every of every time that the company contacted you - since you notified them that you did not wish to have one installed.
    2. Give them 10-days to best acknowledge your audit, attached to the complaint that you feel bullied, hounded, harassed and the victim of poor information governance.
    3. If you do not receive an apology from the energy company within 14 days of your complaint letter with audit of evidence attached, send them an invoice for every time that you were bothered by the energy company, including the time that you spent in putting together the invoice that you sent them.
    4. Give the company 1-month to apologise and/or pay the invoice.
    5. Then send them a reminder that you will add costs to the invoice in respect of the trauma of having to take them to court.
    6. If the company's repeated harassment started to cause you harm or mental injuries - add a personal injury claim to the invoice. (Personal Injury claims have to be served within 2 to 3 years with evidence or a witness statement that will verify the trauma you suffered.
    I wish that I had taken this advice when it was given to me.
    Unfortunately, energy companies only understand the currency of money - not empathy or respect for your rights.
    What are the horror stories?  .  I've still yet to find one that actually would hold up to scrutiny and would have been any different than a normal meter.
    • A normal meter (unless prepaid) can't cut you off because it doesn't have a kill switch.
    • A normal meter can't ration your usage at any moment (Load Limiting).
    • A normal meter can't disconnect you temporarily (Load Shedding).
    • A normal meter can't start charging you a higher rate when demand is high (Surge Pricing).
    • A normal meter can't charge you a higher rate the more kWh you use (Block Tariffs).
    If you had read the specification you would have known all these facts and wouldn't be making the false claim that they're no different to a normal meter.
    QED :D
    Surge pricing is another way of describing time of use tariffs and many contributors have saved £100s and in some case £1000+ per annum by taking advantage of them.
    Surge pricing (dynamic, unexpected) isn't the same as a Time of Use tariff (static, predictable) such as E7/E10.
    mmmmikey said:
    Gerry1 said:
    Peter999_2 said:
    thewhistleblowersdog said:
    Hi fAcefuM7Pra55specrWE

    If you do not want a smart meter - you do not have to have one. There are enough horror stories out there for you to take your time about deciding to have one installed in your home.

    My advice - 
    1. Make an audit of every of every time that the company contacted you - since you notified them that you did not wish to have one installed.
    2. Give them 10-days to best acknowledge your audit, attached to the complaint that you feel bullied, hounded, harassed and the victim of poor information governance.
    3. If you do not receive an apology from the energy company within 14 days of your complaint letter with audit of evidence attached, send them an invoice for every time that you were bothered by the energy company, including the time that you spent in putting together the invoice that you sent them.
    4. Give the company 1-month to apologise and/or pay the invoice.
    5. Then send them a reminder that you will add costs to the invoice in respect of the trauma of having to take them to court.
    6. If the company's repeated harassment started to cause you harm or mental injuries - add a personal injury claim to the invoice. (Personal Injury claims have to be served within 2 to 3 years with evidence or a witness statement that will verify the trauma you suffered.
    I wish that I had taken this advice when it was given to me.
    Unfortunately, energy companies only understand the currency of money - not empathy or respect for your rights.
    What are the horror stories?  .  I've still yet to find one that actually would hold up to scrutiny and would have been any different than a normal meter.
    • A normal meter (unless prepaid) can't cut you off because it doesn't have a kill switch.
    • A normal meter can't ration your usage at any moment (Load Limiting).
    • A normal meter can't disconnect you temporarily (Load Shedding).
    • A normal meter can't start charging you a higher rate when demand is high (Surge Pricing).
    • A normal meter can't charge you a higher rate the more kWh you use (Block Tariffs).
    If you had read the specification you would have known all these facts and wouldn't be making the false claim that they're no different to a normal meter.
    QED :D
    Block pricing can work with either smart or old-fashioned meters
    Nope, if the consumer has a non-smart meter and doesn't send frequent meter readings then the supplier can't work out to which time blocks the energy usage should be apportioned.
  • matt_drummer
    matt_drummer Posts: 2,013 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    edited 3 May at 6:22PM
    Gerry1 said:

    Nope, if the consumer has a non-smart meter and doesn't send frequent meter readings then the supplier can't work out to which time blocks the energy usage should be apportioned.
    Then they'll charge non smart meters the highest rate all of the time? If not, why not?

    When is all this starting Gerry?

    It seems a shame to miss out on the financial benefits a smart meter offers if this is not starting for a while?

    I still don't understand why companies that make money from selling us electricity will want to stop us using it.

    Can you explain?
  • Gerry1
    Gerry1 Posts: 10,848 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    matt_drummer said:
    Gerry1 said:

    Nope, if the consumer has a non-smart meter and doesn't send frequent meter readings then the supplier can't work out to which time blocks the energy usage should be apportioned.
    Then they'll charge non smart meters the highest rate all of the time? If not, why not?

    When is all this starting Gerry?

    It seems a shame to miss out on the financial benefits a smart meter offers if this is not starting for a while?

    I still don't understand why companies that make money from selling us electricity will want to stop us using it.

    Can you explain?
    There will be a shortfall because we've not bothered to build sufficient new power stations for yonks, and many existing ones are life expired and will be switched off in the next few years.  It'll be exacerbated by the widespread rollout of heat pumps and EVs.
    So instead of being able to use anything anytime, you'll be rationed when peak demand cannot be met.
    Cook a meal in the electric oven, keep warm with the heatpump, pop the clothes into the tumble dryer and charge the EV before you go out?  Smart meter says NO !
  • Peter999_2
    Peter999_2 Posts: 1,344 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Gerry1 said:
    Peter999_2 said:
    thewhistleblowersdog said:
    Hi fAcefuM7Pra55specrWE

    If you do not want a smart meter - you do not have to have one. There are enough horror stories out there for you to take your time about deciding to have one installed in your home.

    My advice - 
    1. Make an audit of every of every time that the company contacted you - since you notified them that you did not wish to have one installed.
    2. Give them 10-days to best acknowledge your audit, attached to the complaint that you feel bullied, hounded, harassed and the victim of poor information governance.
    3. If you do not receive an apology from the energy company within 14 days of your complaint letter with audit of evidence attached, send them an invoice for every time that you were bothered by the energy company, including the time that you spent in putting together the invoice that you sent them.
    4. Give the company 1-month to apologise and/or pay the invoice.
    5. Then send them a reminder that you will add costs to the invoice in respect of the trauma of having to take them to court.
    6. If the company's repeated harassment started to cause you harm or mental injuries - add a personal injury claim to the invoice. (Personal Injury claims have to be served within 2 to 3 years with evidence or a witness statement that will verify the trauma you suffered.
    I wish that I had taken this advice when it was given to me.
    Unfortunately, energy companies only understand the currency of money - not empathy or respect for your rights.
    What are the horror stories?  .  I've still yet to find one that actually would hold up to scrutiny and would have been any different than a normal meter.
    • A normal meter (unless prepaid) can't cut you off because it doesn't have a kill switch.
    • A normal meter can't ration your usage at any moment (Load Limiting).
    • A normal meter can't disconnect you temporarily (Load Shedding).
    • A normal meter can't start charging you a higher rate when demand is high (Surge Pricing).
    • A normal meter can't charge you a higher rate the more kWh you use (Block Tariffs).
    If you had read the specification you would have known all these facts and wouldn't be making the false claim that they're no different to a normal meter.
    QED :D
    You are literally listing some of the advantages.

    A normal meter can be cut off by someone with a warrant visiting your house and cutting it off.   
    The procedure of shutting off the smart meter is just as strict as getting a warrant.

    A normal meter can't ration your usage at any moment (Load Limiting).
    If we got to the stage where rationing was required, instead of being about to limit how much you use they will just switch off the substations and leave whole areas without any power at all.    I can remember this happening in the 70s and my mother going to my grandparents to watch coronation street as our electric was cut off.    Limiting use is better than completely cutting all your electric.

    A normal meter can't disconnect you temporarily (Load Shedding).
    Again,  they would just be able to do this at the substation instead and cut the power to swarthes of people

    A normal meter can't start charging you a higher rate when demand is high (Surge Pricing).
    As I explained, this is why I am currently saving a lot of money every month.   A bit of load shifting is great.  You don't have to sign up to the cheap tariffs if you don't want to.

    A normal meter can't charge you a higher rate the more kWh you use (Block Tariffs).
    Same as the surge pricing.    If you're willing to it's easy to save money on your bill.

    Like I say, these "horror" stories never stand up to closer scrutiny.
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