derwendolly said:
All this I do undestand BUT it is time for them to check on the accuracy of their algorithm! My account is NEVER in debit or in a neutral balance!! I am always at least £200 in CREDIT even AFTER they have taken their quarterly share!! Hence my indignation, which has now turned to rage, after receiving both emails and letters insinuating that my meter readings are 'inaccurate'. To add fuel to the fire, they then said that they would send an engineer to put me on a Smart meter. :mad::mad::mad::mad: The account in still in credit to the tune of at least £380 after they have taken out an increased May monthly payment to start the new quarter.
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Sympathise totally. they are treating you very badly indeed.
As I said before, Octopus actually do listen and do modify your DD, so in the short term you could just switch to them, but if you want to have a go at your present supplier then I'd write them a letter stating what you think is unfair, making a formal complaint, and if they do nothing, take it to the Ombudsman. with your payment record, Octopus will welcome you with open arms, but you'll have to have a smart meter. :eek::eek::eek:
We don't have a problem with that, but then each case is different and we have a special reason for wanting one.;)
 
DanClarke said:
"Smart Meters" are all about the introduction of differential pricing, nothing more. You will use what you use, you don't have the option to turn the fridge/freezer off or watch live TV at a different time. What they want is the mechanism to charge more at peak times. There will be no off-setting of paying less at slack times, its just another rip-off. All utilities should be government run at cost + investment and not for paying fat dividends to shareholders (foreign or domestic) IMHO. /rant. ;)
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Do you have link to this, or summat?
 
Hippo said:
Ovo push for smart meters but yer don't have to have one. Just say no and when contacted for an appointment, say no or ignore if yer dun't want one.

Eye dun't use much energy and they questioned my usage anorl. They all do it so yer next supplier will be the same if yer move.
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As I have said before, not all suppliers are the same, and we have been very happy with Octopus, they DO listen and they DON'T force you to have DDs that are too high. Obvs our usage varies dramatically during a year, but they do accept that and we are now paying far less than we ought to be to reduce what we owe. They just know that we'll catch up in the end through being away for 6 months.
If you don't use much they may well see this as being a bit abnormal and maybe you could be fiddling the meter, not knowing you like we do!!
If it happened to us, which it didn't I'd just say, "send a meter reader round". He/she could tell if the meter was being fiddled and obvs read the meter to prove you were in the right.
If I was DD I'd take a pic of the meter reading and send it to them along with making a formal complaint.
 
Hippo said:
The last time i asked a large buyer how much they paid per unit was about 5 years ago. It was 32 sovs per kwh. Think cheapest was around 0.07 sovs. Thats the difference in variation through the day and year. Priced heavily at true peak to get heavy users to reduce at peak times. We as the end buyer dun't get a direct hit with that cost.

The middle men are heavily regulated. If they make too much profit then the regulator clamps down on them. Dun't ferget there's a need for someone to run yer account and sort out payment. There will always be a cost for that function and a need to do it. And peeps in a call centre. And everyfink else they need to run a company.

Shareholders... those who borrow money to the company to finance its cash flow, and take the risk of losing it all if the company folds. Dividends limited by the regulator keeping an eye on profits in the background. If there were no shareholders then the company would have to finance itself with borrowing, with interest on top.

Eye fink splitting up the day with more price breaks would be a good fing. Eye could choose to avoid the peaks and pay less. My employers meter gives a reading every 15 minnits. But we use loads of energy every day.
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Altho all French users of electric have two rates each day, do you know if having a white meter in the UK is worth it? We've never had one and thort you could only get it if you had night store heaters or summat. Our house came with the immersion heater connected in such a way that you had to make a real effort to get it to NOT work only at night during the low cost rate time.
 
derwendolly said:
My anger is their doubting my meter reading 'cos they think it is too low so they ''are going to send an engineer to fit a smart meter''. No such thing as asking me for my permission about which they have been told 'no' already.
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If they get really heavy DO contact the Ombudsman, they can't break into your house without a policeman present and some sort of warrant. And the judge would have to be convinced they'd good reason for that, I'd have thought.
Fully understand your anger, I'd be incandescent and not polite either. In fact I'd refuse to talk to them at all.:(:(:(
 
Stanleysteamer said:
If you don't use much they may well see this as being a bit abnormal and maybe you could be fiddling the meter, not knowing you like we do!!
If it happened to us, which it didn't I'd just say, "send a meter reader round". He/she could tell if the meter was being fiddled and obvs read the meter to prove you were in the right.
If I was DD I'd take a pic of the meter reading and send it to them along with making a formal complaint.
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I did tell them that they are more than welcome to send a meter reader along to check the figures BUT that I did NOT consent to him/her installing a Smart meter. This was NOT what they wanted.
 
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Stanleysteamer said:
Do you have link to this, or summat?
Click to expand...
Well, you only have to search to see that it is what "Smart Meters" are all about.
Telegraph article wants you to have a "free trial" of the telegraph subscription, but I did find this article elsewhere.
https://www.electrifying.com/blog/a...stick-to-help-make-electricity-supply-greener
In this one they are trying to say its "ECO" when in fact its just paying more at peak times. The energy still has to be produced, the gas/coal burnt. It just means YOU pay more.
So are they saying you should not have your lunch at lunch time? Or, if you do want your lunch and cuppa at lunch time you should pay more for it?

Attached is a paper relating to Italy and smart metering.
 

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Stanleysteamer said:
If they get really heavy DO contact the Ombudsman, they can't break into your house without a policeman present and some sort of warrant. And the judge would have to be convinced they'd good reason for that, I'd have thought.
Fully understand your anger, I'd be incandescent and not polite either. In fact I'd refuse to talk to them at all.:(:(:(
Click to expand...

Sadly, the meter is inside a box on the outside of the bungalow. I have little doubt that one of my dogs would attempt to rebel all boarders but my concern is that I do occassionally leave the house and even go away for a few days break. If I am at home I would ask him to leave immediately after giving him a look at the meter to see for himself and if he failed to comply then it would be a case of phoning the Police to protect me from an intruder. :)
 
DanClarke said:
Well, you only have to search to see that it is what "Smart Meters" are all about.
Telegraph article wants you to have a "free trial" of the telegraph subscription, but I did find this article elsewhere.
https://www.electrifying.com/blog/a...stick-to-help-make-electricity-supply-greener
In this one they are trying to say its "ECO" when in fact its just paying more at peak times. The energy still has to be produced, the gas/coal burnt. It just means YOU pay more.
So are they saying you should not have your lunch at lunch time? Or, if you do want your lunch and cuppa at lunch time you should pay more for it?

Attached is a paper relating to Italy and smart metering.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the link, mate.
I suppose we cannot be at all surprised at what private enterprise does when running what used to be a public utility. Especially when life gets "difficult" for them!
It is just a case of trying to find the shyster that is the least shysterish.
If they weren't shysters there'd be no need for Ombudsmen etc.
 
derwendolly said:
Sadly, the meter is inside a box on the outside of the bungalow. I have little doubt that one of my dogs would attempt to rebel all boarders but my concern is that I do occassionally leave the house and even go away for a few days break. If I am at home I would ask him to leave immediately after giving him a look at the meter to see for himself and if he failed to comply then it would be a case of phoning the Police to protect me from an intruder. :)
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In that case I do not know if the box is their property or not, nor if putting a bar and a padlock across it could be seen as "denying them access" or summat. Our box is behind a locked gate so they have to ask permission to look inside it.
Looking inside your box when you are not there means coming onto your land without permission which deffo is trespass.
And if they give you their meter reading from when you were not present that would be evidence of trespass, so frankly, I doubt they'd do it.
I'd ask them outright if they would ever do it, and take a note of the time and date and who you spoke to as they record all calls.
We do this as a matter of course whenever talking to a bank cos they make the odd mistake and it makes it easier to get it put right and to prove that the mistake was their fault. Do you have a CCTV covering the box?
There is no doubt that you are being reasonable and they are trying to take you for a ride.:(:(:(
 
Stanleysteamer said:
In that case I do not know if the box is their property or not, nor if putting a bar and a padlock across it could be seen as "denying them access" or summat. Our box is behind a locked gate so they have to ask permission to look inside it.
Looking inside your box when you are not there means coming onto your land without permission which deffo is trespass.
And if they give you their meter reading from when you were not present that would be evidence of trespass, so frankly, I doubt they'd do it.
I'd ask them outright if they would ever do it, and take a note of the time and date and who you spoke to as they record all calls.
We do this as a matter of course whenever talking to a bank cos they make the odd mistake and it makes it easier to get it put right and to prove that the mistake was their fault. Do you have a CCTV covering the box?
There is no doubt that you are being reasonable and they are trying to take you for a ride.:(:(:(
Click to expand...
I could put a padlock and chain on the front gates so they would have to climb over. I will have a camera focused on the drive gates and entrance.
 
derwendolly said:
I could put a padlock and chain on the front gates so they would have to climb over. I will have a camera focused on the drive gates and entrance.
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Luckily BOTH of my meters are inside the building structure so they cannot gain access without me knowing about it. They keep pestering me to up my payment to £330 a month but I am always in credit.
I don't want to be their free source of money TBH. :)
 
Who really wants to pay for Domino's or whatever when you can simply deconstruct a cheap fresh supermarket Pizza scrape off the cheese and add your own layer of butter softened onions & peppers and make some home-made Italian sausage with quality butchers sausages and ground fennel and then put the cheese back on top? @Shimsteriom would be proud of me.
Delicious.
1f603.png

20220430_174547.jpg

....and when cooked....
20220430_180942.jpg
 
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Stanleysteamer said:
As I have said before, not all suppliers are the same, and we have been very happy with Octopus, they DO listen and they DON'T force you to have DDs that are too high. Obvs our usage varies dramatically during a year, but they do accept that and we are now paying far less than we ought to be to reduce what we owe. They just know that we'll catch up in the end through being away for 6 months.
If you don't use much they may well see this as being a bit abnormal and maybe you could be fiddling the meter, not knowing you like we do!!
If it happened to us, which it didn't I'd just say, "send a meter reader round". He/she could tell if the meter was being fiddled and obvs read the meter to prove you were in the right.
If I was DD I'd take a pic of the meter reading and send it to them along with making a formal complaint.
Click to expand...
They all listen. Sometimes peeps fall out with their suppliers. I was questioned as to why my meter readings were low when me castle was unoccupied. The first fing they fink of is the meter is faulty. Hence gerrin a replacement fitted. But if yer tell them yer dun't use much leccy and why, they will understand. Eye assume they put a tick on yer account to keep a record yer a low user and the reason why. Gerrin a smart meter fitted int a problem. There's lots of spoof theories on the web that it is. Ovo will accept pic readings via their fone app of you can email them.

Direct debits are negotiable, but all suppliers have been told by Oftgen to monitor accounts to reduce the risk of potential bad debt. Ovo have no choice in this. Same for others. A recent discussion wiv my supplier ovo advised they have had to put in new policies to monitor accounts differently to before. The sweep of direct debit increases across the UK is partly down to this as well as the generation costs going up. Them's who picked a lucky time to go into a fixed price deal are lucky. Mine ended several months ago.
 
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