Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be panicking about prepayment elecrric

18 replies

Prepaymentfear · 04/10/2019 22:39

Hello.

On Thursday evening I dropped my freshly topped up electric key in a sodding drain. Friday morning I arranged to have a new one posted and I had planned to use the emergency credit to get me through the weekend.

I realised earlier that I can't activate my emergency credit without a key and couldnt get through on the phone before they shut. I know I can get a code in the morning and pick up a spare key from a paypoint, however I have rung all of the local paypoints and none have them in stock. I have 64p left on my meter and I know eon cut off on Saturdays. I have two under 5s and one receives DLA.

I am beyond panicking of how I'm going to get through this weekend. Any tips?

OP posts:
Original poster
Prepaymentfear · 04/10/2019 22:40

Do I have any right to insist they connect me one way or another tomorrow ie can they really leave me electric less? I don't mind sacrificing the £50 I had topped up and putting more on I just can't be electricless with my DD

OP posts:
vodkaredbullgirl · 04/10/2019 22:45

Probably the best thing to do to save that 64p till the morning, is to go to bed and turn every electrical thing off. Ring your company in the morning and tell them that you have rung around and no one has a key.

Is it that they dont have the key for your company? I got told that i could pick up any key, just put it in the meter and activate it and then top up.

TottieandMarchpane · 04/10/2019 22:48

Insist they send someone out to top it up.

PumpkinP · 04/10/2019 22:48

Sorry but this is why I have a smart metre. Stuff like this always use to happen to me and no shops local had the keys so I had to travel very far. I travelled to one once who supposedly had the key and was gonna sort it for me only to be told when I got there (an hour away) that they had no idea what I was talking about. I switched to a smart metre as soon as I could and now I can top op online, over the phone, by text, on the app and at a shop. It’s a must with children.

ThymenBasil · 04/10/2019 22:49

Calling EOn sounds like the best bet. They might have suggestions of places that stock the keys, or a fix hopefully. Crossing fingers for you.

Lockheart · 04/10/2019 22:50

As the above poster said - turn everything you can off now and call Eon first thing tomorrow.

If that fails, are there any nearby relatives or friends you might be able to stay at? Could DD at least go to her father's (to me your post reads as though you might be a single parent - apologies if this doesn't apply)?

PumpkinP · 04/10/2019 22:50

Oh and you don’t need a key/card all you need is the code which you will have on email or can call the company and ask for it. I know it doesn’t help now but for the future.

Original poster
Prepaymentfear · 04/10/2019 22:51

They don't have any keys.

I had an appointment for a smart meter but the location of my meter means they couldn't fit it until a certain model is rolled out.

OP posts:
Original poster
Prepaymentfear · 04/10/2019 22:51

I am a single parent but they haven't seen their dad in 2 years, we don't have any other family

OP posts:
PumpkinP · 04/10/2019 22:54

I had an appointment for a smart meter but the location of my meter means they couldn't fit it until a certain model is rolled out.

Oh that’s a shame. I know people don’t like them but honestly I would never go back to the old ones again as I ended up in this position more than once. Thy may be able to send emergency credit to your metre that you pay back, I know utilita does.

Original poster
Prepaymentfear · 04/10/2019 22:56

@PumpkinP I desperately want one because it's do challenging getting out and about with the children and I'm forever dropping things/losing track of stuff because DD bolts. She bolted Thursday and I pulled my hand out my pocket and it just flew out. I'm so cross with myself

OP posts:
Lockheart · 04/10/2019 22:56

If no family then do you have any friends who might be able to help out? Even if you only ask to go round to cook your dinner or give DD a bath.

Hopefully of course it won't come to that, and Ron can sort it out in the morning.

Lockheart · 04/10/2019 22:59

*Eon!

Cohle · 04/10/2019 23:02

www.eonenergy.com/-/media/PDFs/For-your-home/Prepayment/PP-meter-guide-Nov-2014.pdf?la=en&hash=882541B64A8AAB20AC4CF1331099809F29E588C8

EON won't cut your electricity at night (6pm-9am in winter) and their call centre opens at 8am so you should hopefully be able to call them and sort something out before anything happens to your supply.

Original poster
Prepaymentfear · 05/10/2019 08:06

I'm on hold and feel sick,I have 9pence left and that was with everything switched off overnight

OP posts:
Bunnybigears · 05/10/2019 08:12

Eon will sort it out, they have to as you have children under 5 so are on their vulnerable list, dont panic.

PumpkinP · 05/10/2019 11:43

Hope you managed to get it sorted op

Original poster
Prepaymentfear · 05/10/2019 15:50

3 hours of faffing later we got it sorted. Then the post arrived at 1.30. The key they posted yesterday afternoon arrived in less than 24 hours. Typical isn't it!

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page