To think that i have been screwed over by Utility Warehouse and their fucking smart meter?

[malificent7]

I joined Utility Warehouse 18 months as i was quoted gas, electric and broadband for £95 a month. Bargain.

The theory was when bundled together, utilities are cheaper.

All was tickedy boo until they installed a smart meter and my bills shot up to £150 pcm.

They said its because the meter calculated i had used more electric than i was paying so they calculated how much i owed from the start and spread the cost.

I immediately went on compare the market and switched to EDF who charge me 50 a month. Happy days.

However, in July i paid EDF 50 then 180 by Utility Warehouse. Plus got another bill from Utility Warehouse fir 240. I HAVE FRICKING left them!

Phoned them up and apparently it's all areas.

Aibu to think if an energy company quotes me 95pcm ig should be that?

I woukd like to add i live in a well insulated, 2 bed terraced modern house and havnt used heating since January. We also had no cooker for 6 months but i do have a tumbler.

Am waifung for a catch with EDF.

I agree that you get both gas and electric smart meters (but I still don't want either of them)

But the smart meters are still a bit shit and a lot can't be transferred between utility companies so what was the point in installing them before they work properly?

It does feel quite rushed, and the switching between suppliers thing does come a lot.

I think a lot of people aren't aware that the current SMETS1 meters will be able to do that, once the communication network that all suppliers will be using is set up correctly. (And I think that should be sometime in 2018, but obviously it's no good it you want to switch sooner!)

But yes, it's rushed and there's been too many teething problems, ime.

The only way to compare utility providers is to compare their cost per unit. Ultimately, you'll pay for what you use, no matter what estimate they try and tempt you with. You'll just get a bill at the end of the year for the outstanding amount, or they'll bump up your payment.

I submit meter readings online every 3 months and overpay a bit - that way I usually end up with a nice rebate when I cancel my agreement (usually when moving house, which is handy).

pigsDOfly - sorry, I have got that wrong then. (Not on gas grid myself, we use biomass - but I LOVE my electricity smart meter as you always know where you are).

Not to worry Grumpy. I thought it was both, but you had me doubting myself for a moment, which is why I googled it.

That time of use tariff from British gas had much higher unit rates than others the rest of the time.

The whole game plays on people not doing maths.

I pay £200 a month

£130 for the gas and electric, £70 because I've apparently underpaid in the past.

As a lone parent to a 2 year old (with a hefty childcare bill), in an expensive area, working part time and studying, it's crippling me.

Apparently they're bringing in a grant this month that I could apply to which will wipe your debts. I hope so. I was still paying £80 a month before so not sure how it got so high.

I only live in a small 2 bed. We're hardly ever bloody here! Run the tumble drier every couple of days. Maybe I should apply for the grant (which I think is company wide, government funded), then look at swapping. Shocked by how cheap other peoples bills are!

I'm with British Gas for gas and electric. They keep ringing trying to get us to agree to having a smart meter, but frankly I'd rather stick with putting the meter readings online at the end of every month and then paying the bills the next month by DD for what we used.

From what I can understand if we get a smart meter we will be switched to paying monthly amounts based on annual consumption - with credit or debit adjustments at the end of the year.

I hate that shit. I'd rather pay for what was used the previous month only as now. I don't trust any of the fuckers and as I am reading the meters i have a record of every reading each month for the past 10 years. I will know immediately if a reading is higher than expected.

Our smart meter was installed when we were with Ovo, but has never worked. Nor does it work with any other company. It just sits in the understairs cupboard winking every now and then, but not sending any info.

OP, would it help to check your usage monthly yourself and spend a bit of time working out the costs? We check our readings regularly because we've had ishoos, particularly with Scottish Power, who are utter prats. They got the readings wrong, although they were sent regularly, got the cost per unit wrong, sent threatening letters and a year later, are still arguing and making silent phone calls. Btw, the ombudsman is worse then useless and had plenty of negative reviews on their website.

We looked at UW, but decided against them because there really wasn't a saving.

You can not be forced to have a smart meter. You can be forced to change your meter due to age, however, a smart meter can be put into 'non comms' mode, which means it would work the same way as your old meter.
There is a theory that older meters are less accurate, which may explain hikes post new smart meter.

It is correct that the current (SMETS1) meters do not automatically convey readings and usage etc. But, energy suppliers should be picking that piece up in the background for the consumer.

Seems like it is sitting on the too difficult pile though

BMW6 - that may be the default suggested option but it is not the only possibility

You can have a smart meter and vary your bills over the year instead of settling over a year if you wish. That is nothing to do with having a smart meter, just with what your supplier is offering in terms of products.

CottonEyedJoe - make sure you are submitting meter readings regularly. I know it doesn't help you now but a smart meter would help prevent people accidentally underpaying and then bring left with debts to repay as you are now. Do you know how long until you clear the backlog?
In terms of reducing cost, the largest share of your bills will be for heating. Do you have thermostats on your radiators? Would be worth looking at the schedule your boiler runs on to make sure you aren't wasting any money by having heating come on when you are not there. Also heavy curtains can really help particularly if your windows are a bit old

I hope everyone here is changing supplier regularly.I am doing mine now using the MSE website which does the calculations for you based on last year's usage(should be able to get that from your bills)and works out the best tarrifs for you.
It also tells you how much a month it will cost.
What I don't understand is why energy costs different amounts depending on where you live.

to repeat - be very careful with comparison sites. I use uswitch which allows you to compare against your current tariff, not against what you would pay if you did nothing. Doing that turns an apparent £60 a year saving into a real saving of 13p. (Electricity only)

This squares with my spreadsheet.

energy costs different amounts around the country because the generators charge different amounts, and the supply issues are different. The cute logos are simply the suppliers, and can be two blokes in an office as well as the 'big six'.

Electricity prices have gone up 30% in a year so even the most dedicated switcher will pay more.

There's a lot of misinformation on here, and I must say, offensive stuff about UW and UW people like myself that I believe is incorrect and misplaced. I know that in joining as a customer you need to either a. provide your annual energy usage (either actual amounts or an estimate from previous provider - it should be available on a recent bill) or estimate via giving no. of bedrooms, no. of adults/ children in the house, type of heating, age of house etc. If an estimate is used you are encouraged to provide meter readings (if not with a smart meter) over the first few months. When you get a quote there is a statement that you read yourself or is read to you about the price you will finally pay will obviously depend on actual usage if it varies from the estimate. You can also see the actual kWh rates to do a direct comparison with other providers. If your payments go up (which would have been detailed to you in a letter) it is because you are using more energy than the original figures provided by you.

There are hundreds of thousands of people saving money with UW ; when I joined as a partner I was a customer that saved over £400/year. it made a real and positive difference to our family. That was before the cashback card came in and other benefits to increase my savings even further.

Please be respectful when you want to complain, and check facts about why what you need to pay may increase. There are many mums of young children who have not only saved good money with Utility Warehouse but also have become partners and have started building themselves a lovely income by genuinely helping others to also save money. They are honest, hard-working, genuine and out to help their friends and family as much as themselves.

Appletree...if you are working for them you will defend them of course. I did save money at first...until I got the smart meter..

You could try to sound a little less MLM bot, appletree99. That might convince at least some people...

I was also sucked into UW by a "friend"
She promised us the earth.
free LEd light bulbs for signing up which 3 years on we still have not got.
A great mobile contract except I didnt get reception in my village - she blatently lied to me about that!
Said we would get cash back on all our shopping - hardly,
The worst of it is she is constantly boasting on her FB page how she has recently bought a 1 million £ house and her husband has given up his job and how many freebie holidays she has had due to how well she is doing with UW and you know what everyone else should join her and sell for them.
She is no longer a friend!!

Yeah it's MLM bollocks. The only person I know who has done well out of it is a landlord who makes it a condition of his leases that tenants have to use UW. Ie he is a shady character anyway.

Hi,
we now find ourselves in a similar position. Have left UW and just been slapped with a horrendous final bill for our gas. Apparantly its a deficit as our "budget plan" didnt cover the actual usage, may I ask how you managed to get your final bill reduced? Strikes me as a very unethical way of doing business.

I doubt it was a fixed rate. This will be their 'estimate' for a monthly DD. You should always check the rates per energy unit, as they can estimate whatever they like.

We have a smart meter with OVO and the rates are exactly the same.

ZOMBIE THREAD

I hope those of you getting debts written off realise that it is the rest of us who'll end up paying paying for them through increased tariffs.

I was forced to have a smart meter. Fuckers said they would get a court order if I didn't let them come and fit it. Apparently that's legit as my meters were so old

But presumably you can switch suppliers as soon as they've installed it, which will make it a dumb meter again.

Interesting. I changed broadband from Virgin in September. With phone, its about 45 quid a month. It has been shit since installation. Drops out regularly, crackly phone, etc. I keep being told the problem is sorted, it limps on, with ishoos, but usable, then goes to being practically unusable again. I save about 5 a month over Virgin, and quite frankly, I really changed from Virgin cos their customer service was crap. I am so glad I didn't get gas and electric with them, as if they don't sort it soon, I will cancel the contract on the grounds that the service is not fit for purpose.