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Mistake when I switched to a dual-rate tariff
In April I put solar panels on my house & switched to a dual-rate tariff with an off-peak overnight rate.
In July last year I noticed import & export wasn’t being reported properly in my energy provider’s usage dashboard. I raised it with them, only to be fobbed off and gaslit for months that everything was fine.
In December, both my gas & electricity smart meters stopped sending data to the suppliers. I reported it as soon as I was aware, again to be told its nothing to worry about and it’ll sort itself.
After months of chasing my complaint was finally escalated, with the following results;
– both smart meters replaced (April)
– They admitted I’ve been overcharged £1.8k due to the metering discrepancies I’d highlighted in July
– when my smart meter stopped reporting data, as per their T&Cs they billed me at standard variable rate. From January to March I’ve been charged £2.7k. My usage from inverter data was £300.
They have refunded the £1.8k overcharge against the £2.7k bill, this is incorrect as I shouldn’t be charged the £2.7k either. They’re currently remaining firm that the £2.7k is justified as per their T&Cs if meter stops reading. My argument is if they fixed the meter when I advised them it had stopped reporting instead of waiting 3 months, I wouldn’t be charged 3 months on standard variable tariff. They have outright refused to use my inverter data to correctly bill me for the Jan-March period.
Any thoughts or advice on resolving this?
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13 Replies
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Just raise it with the energy regulator as a complaint , will waste a lot less time.
That’s were it will end up to make a decision if you keep dragging it out.
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Complain to OFGEM
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Smart meters hold 13 months of data. Ask them to retrieve data and rebill at the proper rates.
If they refuse or fail to access the data raise as formal complaint and if still not resolved then ask fir a deadlock letter and refer issue to OfGem
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Ombudsman. I wouldn’t bother going direct to them any more. That will just delay things.
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Was your meter double reading, I had that issue, but managed to get it replaced within a few weeks. I was out of pocket by £20-30, but couldn’t be arsed to chase it.
If not, are you sure your calculation are correct, your saying you’ve been charged 9 times more then you could of been. With your £300 estimate, about £100 would be standing charge, meaning your night rate would of have to have been 2p to calculate out to match a £2700 bill on standard rate
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standing charge 45p/day @ 90 days approx, £40. No it was under-reading hence the £1.8k refund
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Go to energy ombudsman
https://www.energyombudsman.org/
energyombudsman.org
Resolve Energy Complaints | Energy Ombudsman
The Energy Ombudsman provide a free and impartial service that aims to resolve disputes between consumers and suppliers in the energy sector.
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Energy Ombudsman to raise a complaint it does not matter what anyone on Facebook says it’s between you and your energy supplier, to me it sounds wrong however I not read there t&c and it might say faults are to be fixed within 3 months and if the meter stops working you go on standard variable tariff, so they have followed there own procedure.
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If they have taken (or charged) money that is unwarranted this is basically theft or fraud and no matter what T&Cs says they cannot “contract out of the law”. You most likely have redress under common law TORT. Make a complaint to the regulator but also get legal advice and make a formal claim against them.
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if the offers they have made have been in response to a complaint then you can decline the offers and escalate to the energy ombudsman. And if any of the charges relate to more than 12 months ago this should be highlighted to the ombudsman as they cannot charge you for energy older than 12 months
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Can someone please explain to me why the customer gets billed at the standard rate when the equipment which is used to record usage fails. It seems to me to be unfair terms and conditions as the customer has no control over this ?
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There are a lot of suggestions on here to go direct to the ombudsman. However, my experience of doing this chimes with another comment- the ombudsman will only get involved once the complaints process has run its course and you have a letter of deadlock from the supplier.
My advice would be that you ensure your complaint is formal, tell them exactly what you want in redress (including an amount for distress and inconvenience in having to pursue it- which will be increasing all the time) and if they are unwilling to agree, demand a letter of deadlock so you can engage the ombudsman.
Just to add- if you push your supplier for the deadlock letter, they may think again about their stance if they feel they are on shaky ground.
Also, I wouldn’t be shy about shouting about it on their social media- it may get picked up by their PR team as something they want to get resolved.
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This reply was modified 4 hours, 54 minutes ago by Pete Taylor.
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This reply was modified 4 hours, 54 minutes ago by
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I had similar, smart meter down for over a year, and once back up, only showed about a month’s worth of data. Charged at variable rate, received a bill, but only after 12 months, not aware of the T’s and C’s. Was offered £400 goodwill gesture, but stood my ground, and eventually they retrieved most of the data and rebilled correctly. Did suggest/threaten the ombudsman. Got the £400 as well.
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