Eon Next prepayment meters

[bussnapperwm]

I am seriously getting miffed off with eon next.

My mother has a prepayment meter with them (well, I say them, she was a former MEB then npower customer before npower were brought by eon.)

Back in September the meter decided to go blank so she couldn't see how much she had left on it. Phoned up same day, was told an engineer would be requested to attend 3 weeks later.

They didn't turn up.

Phoned up again the day after when we was told they had been requested...

"We only put the request through, they have to confirm it".

Not happy at that so asked when an engineer would be visiting.

"I'm not sure, but we will contact you within a week to confirm an appointment."

Two weeks later, Phoned again.

Still no idea.

Phoned up again last week

"We're still waiting for an engineer to confirm the appointment."

It's now 2 and a bit months since the problem happened. My mother doesn't want to go DD as she has read the stories of those overcharged by DD and she is of the school of thought "the electric is with the electric company, gas with the gas, phone with BT" that some late 50yos are so she doesn't want to switch.

I have advised her to make a formal complaint but what other things should I suggest to her.

 

[GusB]

I am seriously getting miffed off with eon next.

My mother has a prepayment meter with them (well, I say them, she was a former MEB then npower customer before npower were brought by eon.)

Back in September the meter decided to go blank so she couldn't see how much she had left on it. Phoned up same day, was told an engineer would be requested to attend 3 weeks later.

They didn't turn up.

Phoned up again the day after when we was told they had been requested...

"We only put the request through, they have to confirm it".

Not happy at that so asked when an engineer would be visiting.

"I'm not sure, but we will contact you within a week to confirm an appointment."

Two weeks later, Phoned again.

Still no idea.

Phoned up again last week

"We're still waiting for an engineer to confirm the appointment."

It's now 2 and a bit months since the problem happened. My mother doesn't want to go DD as she has read the stories of those overcharged by DD and she is of the school of thought "the electric is with the electric company, gas with the gas, phone with BT" that some late 50yos are so she doesn't want to switch.

I have advised her to make a formal complaint but what other things should I suggest to her.

Keep a record of every time they say they're supposed to come out - it used to be a £30 payment due for every time the MOP (Meter operator) failed to attend as promised, but I've not worked in the industry for a while, so my info may be out of date.

I assume that your mum can't take a meter reading due to the display being blank. This really isn't acceptable, as you have no idea how much energy is being used. My expertise stops here, as I never had to deal with pre-pay meters, but if there is anything showing on the meter, take photos. Keep any paperwork.

I'm guessing that e.on must be a bit swamped right now. I had no idea that they'd taken on npower customers, but I know that they've had to take on customers from suppliers that have gone bust (I switched before my last supplier went to the wall, but I'm still awaiting my final bill).

Finally, if your mum can afford to have a credit meter rather than PAYG, do it. Direct debit can be a pain in the bum and suppliers will tend to over-estimate consumption, but she can't be charged overall for more than what she actually uses and direct debit tariffs are normally cheaper. It's a hassle, but having a regular record of meter readings can prove them wrong. Do make a complaint - they have to take it seriously, and if it's not resolved to your satisfaction you can request a deadlock letter which then allows you to take your case to the energy ombudsman.

 

[bussnapperwm]

I can happily report that eon next have finally come last week to fix my mothers prepayment meter.

Engineer couldn't fix it so he used a replacement that he had.
Replacement 1 failed whilst the engineer was on the premises.
Replacement 2 is up and running so my mother is happy.

Apparently its a common fault with the meter (it's a key one) but at least all sorted for now.

 

[DarloRich]

If at all possible: Get rid of the pre pay meter. Awful things.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

You are not the only one to have had dealings with Eon!

One of our rental properties has a prepayment electric meter. It was installed due to tenant not paying (another story).

All well and good until the tenant was evicted, we set about a major refurbishment including a full re-wire of the property. We required an isolator to be fitted before we could start work. Information online suggested Eon had a dedicated team to do this.

Upon ringing Eon, it turned into a match of phone tennis with Eon and Scottish Power (who are the DNO in the area). Eon would say they ‘don’t do isolators’ and to ring SP, SP said ditto. It took literally months. Only when I threatened to snip the seals and pull the fuse they decided they can send an engineer.

Engineer came and installed quickly, all well and dandy. He mentioned that a lot of the mobile engineers won’t even touch those kind of jobs and put it down to laziness on their part!

 

[Nym]

You are not the only one to have had dealings with Eon!

One of our rental properties has a prepayment electric meter. It was installed due to tenant not paying (another story).

All well and good until the tenant was evicted, we set about a major refurbishment including a full re-wire of the property. We required an isolator to be fitted before we could start work. Information online suggested Eon had a dedicated team to do this.

Upon ringing Eon, it turned into a match of phone tennis with Eon and Scottish Power (who are the DNO in the area). Eon would say they ‘don’t do isolators’ and to ring SP, SP said ditto. It took literally months. Only when I threatened to snip the seals and pull the fuse they decided they can send an engineer.

Engineer came and installed quickly, all well and dandy. He mentioned that a lot of the mobile engineers won’t even touch those kind of jobs and put it down to laziness on their part!

If you ever have to do one of them again, I'd suggest going to a 3rd party supplier like Haste.

 

[najaB]

If at all possible: Get rid of the pre pay meter. Awful things.

They're not as bad as they used to be. The price differential between pre-pay and credit isn't anywhere near what it used to be.

As an example, locally the British Gas prepayment electricity tariff is 20.480p/kWh with a standing charge of 31.75p a day as compared to the standard variable tariff of 20.835p/kWh and standing charge of 27.395p a day.

 

[DarloRich]

They're not as bad as they used to be. The price differential between pre-pay and credit isn't anywhere near what it used to be.

As an example, locally the British Gas prepayment electricity tariff is 20.480p/kWh with a standing charge of 31.75p a day as compared to the standard variable tariff of 20.835p/kWh and standing charge of 27.395p a day.

TBH It was the hassle. It always runs out at the worst possible time. I also think middle and richer classes get to run up much bigger debts than poor people do yet seem to be able to get away with it.

I also didn't like having to chose between heat or light when I was skint. I think these meters are wrong. They punish poor people for being poor. It also feels very much Oliver Twist.

PS when I had one the cost differential was an insult. Poor? Out of work? Bad Credit? Not like the look of you? Unlucky. Pay more scum.

 

[najaB]

PS when I had one the cost differential was an insult. Poor? Out of work? Bad Credit? Not like the look of you? Unlucky. Pay more scum.

Yeah, they used to be something like 20% more expensive.