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Original poster

Gas Meter has been broken for a year - do I have to pay?

47 replies

WellRested · 30/03/2023 16:08

Our outside gas meter has been broken for about a year. I have told edf about it twice in that time with no action taken by them. (They have also been round themselves to check It in January and noted that it was blank but did nothing about it!)

I pay by direct debit and have only been served estimated bills in that time, they ask for meter readings I cannot provide despite having a smart meter. Electricity meter seems to be working fine and relaying to the smart meter.

I contacted them again last week and finally got them to say they would arrange for a replacement gas meter.

My question is, if the gas meter has been broken for a year, they will not know what my gas usage has been for that time, so am I eligible to pay? Would I be within my rights to ask for a refund on my direct debits if they cannot provide evidence of the amount of gas used in the last year?

Would be interested to know if anyone has experienced similar!

Thanks!

OP posts:
Hopedun · 31/03/2023 12:46

Oh and the ombudsman said they have based our bills on the highest amount a household could expect in the UK not on our actual circumstances or the accurate readings from our last company. The estimates always go in their favour. The ombudsman was great.

cosmiccosmos · 31/03/2023 12:49

The thing is OP they cannot prove what you've used. You could say that you haven't had your hearing on etc as you were worried about the high cost. You've told them, and I hope you've kept records ie emails etc, and they've not done anything about it. My understanding is that the own the meter, so it's not your fault. I would be only paying a very small amount if anything. To be honest I would have reduced my dd down or not paid at all. The onus is on them to prove you've used gas and frankly they can't prove it!

DelurkingAJ · 31/03/2023 12:55

We had this when we moved in. I chased so mushy times and got to opening a complaint before they finally sent someone round. At one stage they closed the account on the basis that we weren’t using any gas despite having records on their system that there was a problem. It’s fixed and they’re billing us now but they haven’t added in an estimated usage (how can they when we moved in and told them it was broken days later and they did nothing for three months?). If they chase then I will happily discuss but given their utter ineptitude I’m just glad we’ve got a working meter at all!

Callmenat · 31/03/2023 21:57

cosmiccosmos · 31/03/2023 12:49

The thing is OP they cannot prove what you've used. You could say that you haven't had your hearing on etc as you were worried about the high cost. You've told them, and I hope you've kept records ie emails etc, and they've not done anything about it. My understanding is that the own the meter, so it's not your fault. I would be only paying a very small amount if anything. To be honest I would have reduced my dd down or not paid at all. The onus is on them to prove you've used gas and frankly they can't prove it!

Absolute 💯 nonsense.

hollypolly12 · 31/03/2023 22:22

@Callmenat I love when people on mn get so tetchy about things they clearly have no clue about 😂
It's not nonsense at all. Energy suppliers are responsible for the meters and if it's broken it's their responsibility to fix it.

We haven't paid for gas since august 2021 because they said they can't send an engineer as they are prioritising smart meter installations after the back log from covid. We pay for standing charge only. They told us they can't carry on billing us on estimates if we're actively trying to provide meter readings. Explain that one 🫢

Okunevo · 02/04/2023 16:20

Callmenat · 31/03/2023 11:55

They will owe an estimated amount. Not nothing at all.

Show quote history

How do they estimate? My gas usage has halved in the last year.

Callmenat · 02/04/2023 16:50

Okunevo · 02/04/2023 16:20

How do they estimate? My gas usage has halved in the last year.

Show quote history

Previous consumption. How else?! Hardly rocket science is it!

Okunevo · 02/04/2023 16:52

Callmenat · 02/04/2023 16:50

Previous consumption. How else?! Hardly rocket science is it!

Show quote history

How can they base it on previous consumption when prices have doubled? We've had to do our best to halve our usage (which we have done for gas, electric down about 20%) to compensate.

Okunevo · 02/04/2023 16:54

Why should anyone pay for last year's consumption if they haven't used that much? I couldn't afford that at today's prices! They should have to prove what you have used in order to charge for it.

Callmenat · 02/04/2023 16:55

Okunevo · 02/04/2023 16:52

How can they base it on previous consumption when prices have doubled? We've had to do our best to halve our usage (which we have done for gas, electric down about 20%) to compensate.

Show quote history

Consumption will be estimated and the current kwh cost per unit applied to give an estimated bill. It is an 'estimate' so won't be 100 percent accurate but is how they'll assess it in the absence of precise readings.

Okunevo · 02/04/2023 17:02

Callmenat · 02/04/2023 16:55

Consumption will be estimated and the current kwh cost per unit applied to give an estimated bill. It is an 'estimate' so won't be 100 percent accurate but is how they'll assess it in the absence of precise readings.

Show quote history

That's horrible 😞. So you'd be stuck paying for last year's consumption at double the price with absolutely zero opportunity to reduce usage because they can't be bothered to fix or replace the meter? I wouldn't be able to pay.

pippitypoppitypoo · 02/04/2023 18:06

No you wouldn't because if anyone with a broken meter was billed in this way you'd just complain and the company would accept that it wouldn't be fair to bill you on basis of estimates that could be way out. Per the experience of everyone on this thread that this has happened to.....

Okunevo · 02/04/2023 18:49

@pippitypoppitypoo I was just wondering how they'd estimate. Personally, I think it would be fair to only be charged standing charges once you have notified them that it's broken, or maybe what you paid last year. I don't know how @Callmenat thinks it's right to be charged double what you paid last year with no proof of usage!

Morph22010 · 02/04/2023 18:52

Mine broke and Eon were a nightmare getting it fixed, kept cancelling appointments last minute, when it was fixed it came back on to not much further on that the last smart metre reading about 18 months before. They ended up redoing the estimated bills and I ended up not being charged for gas for the 18 months, I also got £90 which was £30 for each missed appointment

Callmenat · 02/04/2023 18:56

pippitypoppitypoo · 02/04/2023 18:06

No you wouldn't because if anyone with a broken meter was billed in this way you'd just complain and the company would accept that it wouldn't be fair to bill you on basis of estimates that could be way out. Per the experience of everyone on this thread that this has happened to.....

How do you think they would bill then brain box?

Desmondo2021 · 02/04/2023 19:04

I had this with 3 years of a broken water meter. They fixed it and started charging me from that point AND refunded the credit balance I'd built up through an automated direct debit. Sweet!

pippitypoppitypoo · 02/04/2023 19:07

They would accept that they had no basis on which to charge you as no evidence of your consumption (except of course standing charge, that would be reasonable). That is what has happened to some others where it is proven that there's no way to know what their consumption was Smile

Callmenat · 02/04/2023 19:07

pippitypoppitypoo · 02/04/2023 19:07

They would accept that they had no basis on which to charge you as no evidence of your consumption (except of course standing charge, that would be reasonable). That is what has happened to some others where it is proven that there's no way to know what their consumption was Smile

💯 percent nonsense

EggbertHeartsTina · 02/04/2023 20:03

Our electricity meter died in September 2022. I booked an appointment to replace it with Ovo; this appointment kept getting cancelled / engineer wouldn’t show etc. Ovo was charging me estimates based on my previous usage but told me they might be able to pull actual readings from the dead meter and charge / refund me the difference. Given that it was winter 2022-23 I was very stressed that they weren’t fixing it quickly as I knew I was using more energy and I was dreading a huge bill when it was mended. I wanted it fixing so I could track my usage.

Anyway, by last month March 2023 it still wasn’t fixed and I was clueless as to how much I’d used over winter with higher prices etc. They tried to cancel another appointment and I ended up crying down the phone - suddenly an engineer was available.

Meter was unsalvageable and so I ended up getting charged based on summer usage for winter 22-23; so it was actually a financially good outcome for me. But the service was appalling!

Sewfrickinamazeballs · 03/04/2023 07:07

We had this, also with EDF. Ours was broken for 18 months, we did a house reno so it got replaced when we moved it. I can't remember exactly how they worked it out but it was sort of based on the expected spend for that time based on previous use, they actually gave some back as our direct debit amount meant we had overpaid what they thought we had used. It's basically guess work, call them and ask how they will work it out.

Callmenat · 03/04/2023 09:32

@Okunevo callmenat thinks it's right to be charged double what you paid last year with no proof of usage!

You haven't quire followed it have you? Read it slowly this time or get someone to help you. It really isn't rocket science 😕

Okunevo · 03/04/2023 09:39

Callmenat · 03/04/2023 09:32

@Okunevo callmenat thinks it's right to be charged double what you paid last year with no proof of usage!

You haven't quire followed it have you? Read it slowly this time or get someone to help you. It really isn't rocket science 😕

No need to be rude. Most people will have reduced usage in the last year so what might have worked when prices were stable would be horrendously unfair now.

I can afford to pay what I paid a year ago, I can't afford double, therefore I needed to halve my gas usage. Charging based on last year's usage would be unaffordable and unfair.

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