PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information

[Jester]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information/Press/Research

I have to laugh at E.ON's claim. I am a customer of theirs and find them very unsympathetic to the fact that we pay around 25 % of our monthly income on fuel (i.e. Gas & Electricity). They are simply stinging us harder and harder.

[Amethyst]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information/Press/Research

Times

ENERGY companies are overcharging customers by as much as £1 billion a year in defiance of European Union rules, it was claimed last week.
Lawyers said the breach could lead to consumers taking their utility firms to court to reclaim hundreds of pounds, in an echo of last year’s revolt over bank charges.
The 10m customers who pay by cash or cheque every quarter are being charged £699m more than is justifiable, according to a report from a committee of MPs last week. Pre-payment meter customers, including those with second homes, are paying up to £400m more.
The excess is in breach of an EU directive which states that any difference between payment methods should reflect the cost to the supplier. This is only £20 even though suppliers charge up to £69 more, MPs say.
Graham Kerr of watchdog Energywatch said: “I expect consumers to demand lower payments or even ask for a refund in the same way as bank-charge customers.”
The MPs on the Business and Enterprise committee called for suppliers to be forced to lower tariffs through price controls if they fail to act in 12 months.
This follows British Gas’s decision to raise gas bills by an average of 35% and electricity tariffs by 9%, increasing the average bill by about £267 a year — the highest ever single increase. About 1.6m of the firm’s customers who pay by direct debit have seen a steeper increase of 42%. Customers in London, the Midlands and East Anglia have suffered a rise of almost 44%.
The energy giant, which has nearly 16m UK customers, blamed the rise — its second in six months — on increases in wholesale energy prices since last year of up to 89%. EDF set the ball rolling this month when it raised gas by 22% and electricity prices by 17%. However, unlike British Gas, the French supplier has not committed to keep prices on hold until the end of the year. The remaining four big energy firms are expected to follow suit.
Customers who pay by cash or cheque every quarter, also known as standard credit customers, are charged an average of 11% more for their energy — or £89 a year extra a year, according to the MPs. The report said: “The ‘Big Six’ are on average overcharging pre-payment customers by £59 a year, and those on standard credit by £69.”
Tom Brennan of Atlas Chambers, the law firm that initiated a surge in bank-charge claims last year, said the excess charge was in breach of EU directives set out in 2003. “If the MPs’ report is correct, then it would seem energy firms are in breach of their duties,” he said. “It would suggest the consumer could and should bring these claims to a court if they cannot obtain a refund from their supplier.”
Consumers would be able to claim back for four years of overpayments. With 3.64m pre-payment and 10.14m standard credit customers in Britain, the potential cost to energy firms could be more than £3 billion.
Regulator Ofgem will publish its investigation into energy firms next month.

[Amethyst]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information

Rightio...bear with me on this

Prepayment Meter - standard rate Eon (which is what i pay)

10.55pence per KwH
£1.50 per week standing charge



Standard Electricty supply paid by direct Debit (Eon)

Normal units up to 900 kWhs per year 19.2465 pence
Normal units 10.5525 pence per kWh
No standing charge
3% discount for Direct debit payment


Okay so my average is £10 per week which is 94 KwH/week ish

so 94 kwH week at 10.55kwH = £9.917 + standing charge per week £1.50 = £11.417 x 52 = annual bill £593.684


on standard DD - 94kWH week is 4888 kwH year ----- of which 900 are 19.245pence £173.205 and 3988 are 10.5525 pence per kWH which is £420.83 - so total £592.035 LESS 3% discount for DD payment ( £17.82105 ) gives annual bill of £574.21

therefore difference per annum on 94kwH/week is £19.47


assuming rates havent changed in that year etc etc.

the thing is....on standard electricity there are OPTIONS of different rates, some of which are cheaper than the standard....and you dont have those options with prepayment. This comparison is like for like as close as it can be- bog standard one rate day & night etc.

[borgbaiter]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information

hi

the lower rate units (900) would be per quarter (billing period as they are never a proper quarter in my experience) not per year wouldnt they?


they make the calculations complicated for this very reason. ive done various spreadsheets to work out my bills with each supplier ive had. its like pulling teeth to get their calculations but they will give them in the end.



Borgbaiter


ps remembered what i was going to ask after sending :-)

Can you do a SAR's request for utility supliers in the same way as banks?

[Tools]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information

You can Subject Access Request ANYONE who holds data on you under the Data Protection Act, of course the statutory £10 fee applies. Ask them for every piece of information they have on you. This can also include audio copies of telephone conversations

[COSIMA]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information/Press/Research

Another type of discrimination is done by Southern Electric. They don't allow prepay customers to have an online account.....WHY?
npower do, and it is helpful to see all the payments and information just as a quarterly payer would.
So now I have cleared my SE account I am moving over to npower.

[Orpladd]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information

I have a problem with pre pay metre. I am a private tennant and my ex flatmate has been screwing with the bills now i get home yesterday and british gas letter in my kitchen saying under warrent a pay as you go metre has been fitted i cant find it. I believe the landlord has had it fitted in his shop downstairs. This means as i am already in dispute wirh the landlord and he is allready trying to evict me i have no access to the metre due to shop opening hours and my hours of work thus i have no access to metre and cant top it up is this legal????