No wonder folks energy bills are often wrong! (Lowri Beck again)

[Mr Gus]

Just had a knock on the door from another cretin from lowry beck who wanted to read the meter unannounced.

Problem the same as last time in that in a street of detached houses the guy was insisent that next doors was ours.
Having previously had a doorstep argument whwereby the Lowri Beck idiot was full of himself & insistent that he had access whenever he wanted,incorrectly (based on the grandfathered gas regs applied to electricity) We have tunnel vision once more, unnanounced visit (presumably to catch meter fiddlers) & the insane myopic belief that a meter box on another completely unconnected building is our meter.

Yes, I've had to complain previously & stated that their house is not our house & that our meter is accessed via the field gate, by arrangement only, ..it really makes me think how these guys must screw up every day, you ask for details to be corrected, it never is,

..& the merry go round starts over.

[Oldgreybeard]

Just had a knock on the door from another cretin from lowry beck who wanted to read the meter unannounced.

Problem the same as last time in that in a street of detached houses the guy was insisent that next doors was ours.
Having previously had a doorstep argument whwereby the Lowri Beck idiot was full of himself & insistent that he had access whenever he wanted,incorrectly (based on the grandfathered gas regs applied to electricity) We have tunnel vision once more, unnanounced visit (presumably to catch meter fiddlers) & the insane myopic belief that a meter box on another completely unconnected building is our meter.

Yes, I've had to complain previously & stated that their house is not our house & that our meter is accessed via the field gate, by arrangement only, ..it really makes me think how these guys must screw up every day, you ask for details to be corrected, it never is,

..& the merry go round starts over.

We had exactly the same problem when Iresa went bust. Somehow the meter details got screwed up and I was told we owed around £3,000, when in reality I was in credit by a couple of hundred pounds. Took months to resolve, during which time I had to fight to stop action being taken for debt. I had records of the meter readings going back at least a couple of years, plus I still had a photo of the meter that I'd taken as a precaution when we first switched to Iresa (just to confirm the last reading from our old supplier). Everyone involved agreed there had been a cock up with the meter reference numbers and address database, but no one seemed able to stop the debt recovery process for a debt that didn't exist.

The lesson I learned from that experience was to periodically take a photo of the meter, so you have recent evidence both of the reading and the meter reference number.

[Mr Gus]

It does mean that if the useless customer services personnel you get through to on the phone DON'T update your records (verbatim from the homeowner) then they are a liability & unable to perform their paid duties (reflected as part of your bill)

Ditto the inspection staff.

I just turned the guy away at the door & asked for a "by mutual arrangement visit by a competent engineer) ..based on the succesive fellas continual determination to read a meter on a completely unconnected property, it never goes down well, & after so many years of "their fault my problem" attitudes by the lot of them (energy companies & contracted subsidiaries) ..no patience left.

It's easier to close the door on them & resolve (called octopus @9.40am phone lines are closed, ..but open from 9) than get to the state of "their mistake & massive unwarranted debt action in place on your account)

But then, why would they ever want to change the perceived ability to strong arm their way onto a property & weaken their stance in order to up their game & potentially save money by way of a better database & less return visits!?

[Oldgreybeard]

My experience was that sending a photo of the meter, showing both the reading and the meter reference number, seems to be fairly universally accepted as evidence. I've done this a couple of times now, once with the Iresa to Octopus problem and again more recently with SSE and FiT meter evidence. It does seem that suppliers can make errors in linking the correct meter to the property. In addition to our problem, I've since heard of a few more cases where this has happened, all linked to customers that have been switched by OFGEM, following the collapse of their old supplier.

The whole thing seems a bit odd, as there is a robust database of all supply points held by the DNOs, who assign a 21 digit MPAN to every consumer (Meter Point Administration Number). The MPAN database seems pretty solid, and is rigidly tied to an address. It seems the problems are with the linkage between the MPAN and the meter serial number list. This is the bit that seems to break more often than it should. In part I suspect this is because every supplier uses a different system to link MPANs to meter reference numbers.

[Mr Gus]

That's what we are used to doing also, but I just checked Octopus energy (10min long phone wait but pleasant person when answered)

Despite having explained & asked for detailed explanation such as "restricted access, via field by prior arrangement" it has not been written down beyond " restricted access" ..gah! till today ..what a waste of time ..thanks octopus!

It begs the question as to why Lowri Beck are still trying, & getting it wrong regardless.

[nowty]

I keep getting them now and again, I suspect due to my unusual readings.

[Mr Gus]

Just ask em outright, & get them to log the results of an inspection & leave you alone.

[AGT]

Let them in to read the meter if you have nothing to hide, why all
the grief/stress.

[Mr Gus]

Guarding breeds & wrong meter due to their ineptitude, why entertain the stupid!?

(plus previous history of property damage, & worse)

[AGT]

Oh ok, that’s cleared it up.