Notice of High Gas Bill...

[PCPaul]

Having switched to a capped gas supplier six months back, I was surprised to get a 'Notice of High Bill' letter from them - especially since I have given them 'real' meter readings every time.

It turned out on investigation that their meter reader had been round and read the initial '0' as a '1' - adding 10,000 cubic thingies to the total.

Based on how many we actually used, I estimate that would have been an extra £30,000 for this quarter. I'm quite glad they have a sanity check built in to their system!

[fictitiousemail]

Did they ask you re-read the meter or were they just being polite in telling you to empty your piggy bank?

[PCPaul]

They seemed quite keen to pin down the source of the error - double checking meter reference numbers etc.

To be fair to the meter reader it is sort of round a corner and poorly lit - but then I would imagine many meters are like that...

[fred]

In article , PCPaul writes

It's nice to see an outfit trying to correct an error before billing, care to share the provider?

[dg]

The meter reader was previously sacked from his loss adjusting job

dg

[chrisj.doran]

I have one meter where the 100s wheel has been mismounted so that it's always between two digits. I read it low, but last time the meter reader read it high. I dread the time when we both send in readings on the same day and they think it's wrapped round and I've consumed

99,899 units!

I was under the impression that the sanity check was done in their PDAs because on one occasion my (EDF) leccy meter reader entered the number then went back and read it again. I assumed he got a "don't be silly" message, but I didn't ask.

Chris

[Edward W. Thompson]

Scottish Power called me a few months ago asking me to read the electricity meter as they believed the reading by their 'Reader' was erroneous. I read the meters evry month and post them (online0 to my provider as I don't trust the Readers. Not that I think there is anything faudulent just it must be so easy for errors to occur.

[Dave Baker]

The PDA flags up any reading that's more than 15% different from what the system expects based on your previous bills. It doesn't tell him whether it's high or low but suggests the need to take the reading again and also do a check for any tampering with the meter.

[Man at B&Q]

So why not get it fixed rather than waiting for it to happen? Whilst not an identical situation, I have no sympathy for the (seemimgly many) people you see on TV complaining about a very large bill because they have never bothered to check the estimated meter readings for themselves.

MBQ

MBQ

[David Hansen]

On Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:56:12 -0800 (PST) someone who may be [e-mail] wrote this:-

Then the meter is faulty. Your electricity charges include a metering service, so ask your supplier to arrange for their metering supplier to replace it.

[OG]

But make a careful note of the old and new meter readings - when our meter was replaced, they got the readings the wrong way round and wanted to overcharge us several hundred quid as a result.

[<me9]

As well as reading ours I took a digital photo (or 2) of the old meter before it was removed.

[PCPaul]

Don't see why not - it was Eon. I went with them for gas+leccy on a capped deal - partly to avoid too nasty surprises, and partly for the new toy energy meter ;-)

Unfortunately I buggered up the signing up online and went for the same tariff but without the meter offer - I rang up when I realised and they said they couldn't change it now but the bloke in customer support said he'd make a note of it and get back in touch when the cointract was set up to switch it and send me the meter... and blow me down he did, weeks later!

I've heard bad things about Eon (and about everybody else as well, really) but they've done it all right so far...

[fred]

I've got them for a small business premises, no-one could touch them at the time on tariff. I too had heard bad things, and am suspicious of branding changes (nee Powergen), but they seem ok so far, thanks for sharing.