Compensation offer

EssexHebridean

cannugec5 said:

Grumpy_chap said:

born_again said:

Never heard of a mobile getting readings from a smart meter?

But how does that effect your supplier getting readings?

I understand that some providers have an app that allows information about usage to be viewed on the mobile phone.  I am unsure how much of a delay there is in that data so do not know whether the phone app (if constantly monitored) would alert in real time if use peaks allowing you to turn something off.

That type of app would rely on the supplier getting the readings to then inform the app.  

If the supplier does not receive the smart reader readings, then the same amount of electricity has still been used and the billing should revert to the old days of "dumb" meters, so estimated bill unless a manual read is noted.

Exactly that! I have the Octopus App on my phone and can access live usage . It is interesting and helps me identify high usage - not through any notifications but by looking at the app ie being proactive. 

However it doesn’t show me ‘readings’ unless I open up the bill attachments. 

I don’t see how a failure of the ability to use the app could be worth £1000. I don’t understand why the OP has not been checking bills for 10 months, not noticing they are estimated and not therefore submitted readings. 

Because to the general public, smart meters are marketed as a “golden bullet” to an end to needing to read meters, the impression is given that once you have them, you can just sit back and everything will be perfect. Indeed, in thr majority of cases that is exactly what happens, but nobody ever tells those same members of the public that they ought to still be checking their readings themselves, and comparing them with bills. Rather than “Einstein” and Angela’s jokey banter, Angela’s time would be far better spent on actually educating the public IMO.  Even the utility supply companies can be guilty of perpetuating the same rhetoric - it’s not so many years ago that a water company engineer told me it would be fine to fit a water meter behind our soon to be built in dishwasher because “it will just send the readings itself - you’ll not need to be able to get to it at all”. Unsurprisingly I told him in no uncertain terms that would not be happening, but for every “me” I bet there’s another half dozen people at least who would just say “great!” and let them crack on… 

I think sometimes we forget that a lot of us are here because we are - frankly - a bit geeky about things. We actively enjoy honing our energy use, looking for the best deals, playing with smart tariffs etc. The majority of people aren’t like that, and the things we take for granted, or see as “just common sense” - they know nothing or at best very little about. Remember, we all had to learn this stuff once - and the person who doesn’t know the things that we do might make us look like a fool with their knowledge in another area. 

jvjack

EssexHebridean  nicely put. There are millions of interests or niches to get into , and checking the accuracy of utility bills is just one.