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Smart Meters Supplier IHD Customer Exploitation

Just switched from Octopus Energy to another of the large ‘big six’ established energy suppliers.

Have come across a new potential and massive potential waste of IHDs that may be being sent to landfill prematurely resulting in customers being encouraged or feeling their only solution is to pay for extortionately priced replacements. This seems it is waiting for a class action case and or regulator action to compel suppliers to ensure IHDs are working.

It appears based on my experience that suppliers (after bricking IHDs from SMETS2 meters when switches take place) may then be routinely trying to absolve themselves of their responsibilities to fix the IHD connectivity issues that arise as a result of a switch (due to settings only the IHD/meter which only they as supplier can resolve).

They try to ask customers to prove their supplier issued IHD is less than 1 year old or they encourage them to buy a new one. Even when an IHD is clearly serviceable and less than 1 year old, many customers will not have evidence of this and I would expect more elderly customers would be even less likely to have evidence of this as they are known to prefer telephone to email when interacting with companies.

The supplier will then refuse to help without customer evidence of the age of the device (even when a customer tells them the IHD is significantly less than a year old and communicates clearly issue only arose around the time of their switch of supplier) unless the customer purchases a new IHD for £49.99 plus postage - which seems an extortionate price when a cheap mobile costs about £10.

Apparent appalling waste of what are perfectly serviceable IHDs and also seems like a way large energy suppliers may also be systematically exploiting elderly customers!

Comments

  • QrizB
    QrizB Posts: 19,729 Forumite
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    edited 21 October at 6:40PM
    Duplicate of your post on another thread, and still erroneous.
    See:
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  • I’m pleased that this issue isn’t affecting everyone. That doesn’t mean it’s not widespread or systematic.   

    Keen to hear if anyone else similarly affected by IHDs being bricked after switch or suppliers refusing to fix them?  

    Citizens advice suggests that not all suppliers will help maintain IHDs that are potentially serviceable and so this may well be a widespread problem if others have experienced my issue.  

    New thread as potentially new issue being brought to light - though related to other thread - which others may have experienced.
  • MikeyPGT
    MikeyPGT Posts: 542 Forumite
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    Mine packed in after a month.  To be honest it was neither use nor ornament for the few weeks it actually worked.  
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    Satisfied customer of Octopus Agile - past savings on average 33% of standard tarrif

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  • molerat
    molerat Posts: 35,020 Forumite
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    edited 21 October at 8:12PM
    I switch mine on every morning to take meter reads for my own records, don't really even need to do that as my supplier takes a read at 1am every day and it is shown on their app and web page.  The IHD has worked fine since switching away from the supplier that installed the meters.  For day to day loading use I still have my good old Eon Energy Fit clamp meter which I have had since at least 2014 and is accurate enough when compared to the IHD.
  • MattMattMattUK
    MattMattMattUK Posts: 11,627 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Fifth Anniversary Name Dropper
    Just switched from Octopus Energy to another of the large ‘big six’ established energy suppliers.

    Have come across a new potential and massive potential waste of IHDs that may be being sent to landfill prematurely resulting in customers being encouraged or feeling their only solution is to pay for extortionately priced replacements. This seems it is waiting for a class action case and or regulator action to compel suppliers to ensure IHDs are working.

    It appears based on my experience that suppliers (after bricking IHDs from SMETS2 meters when switches take place) may then be routinely trying to absolve themselves of their responsibilities to fix the IHD connectivity issues that arise as a result of a switch (due to settings only the IHD/meter which only they as supplier can resolve).

    They try to ask customers to prove their supplier issued IHD is less than 1 year old or they encourage them to buy a new one. Even when an IHD is clearly serviceable and less than 1 year old, many customers will not have evidence of this and I would expect more elderly customers would be even less likely to have evidence of this as they are known to prefer telephone to email when interacting with companies.

    The supplier will then refuse to help without customer evidence of the age of the device (even when a customer tells them the IHD is significantly less than a year old and communicates clearly issue only arose around the time of their switch of supplier) unless the customer purchases a new IHD for £49.99 plus postage - which seems an extortionate price when a cheap mobile costs about £10.

    Apparent appalling waste of what are perfectly serviceable IHDs and also seems like a way large energy suppliers may also be systematically exploiting elderly customers!
    That seems to be an incredibly hyperbolic post, especially the idea that somehow IHDs failing is specifically exploiting the elderly. 
  • EssexHebridean
    EssexHebridean Posts: 24,682 Forumite
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    edited Today at 9:31AM
    I think as a starting point, some factual evidence to back up the claims might be of use - without that, it's just theory and scaremongering. 

    I am another customer who still has a functioning IHD in spite of the property no longer being with the supplier that issued it (SMETS2 meter). 
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