Since your meters and others are in basement, I imagine the meter reader got your meter mixed up with an adjacent one - hence the incorrect readings. Sorting the issue should have been simple, by pulling a new set of smart readings. Readings do require the supplier to initiate the process. Why they cast aside that option in favour of estimates is a mystery, and another ground for complaint.
Hmmm - we have been assuming that a 'Data Collector' reading means a meter reader.
However Googling for "DC" brings up some (possibly confusing) information suggesting that Data Collectors/Data Aggregators could be 3rd parties purposed with obtaining readings on behalf the supplier 😲
So I wonder if it's the case that: if the supplier can't connect to the meter themselves (for whatever reason - requiring the generation of estimates), they employ a 3rd party to pick the data up from the meter
Lots of examples of people with other suppliers querying what are DC readings
We are pleased to bring to the market our recently launched Half Hourly Data Collection and Data Aggregation (DC/DA) service, where we will manage the secure collection of Half Hourly consumption data and ensure accurate data is provided to you, your customers and the registered energy supplier.
I assume (i shouldn't I know) that this is for business customers not domestic customers.
Suppliers do though use contracted meter readers like Morrisons instead of employing their own. So a Morisons reader will visit homes served by many different suppliers, delivering a degree of efficiency.
Current Eon Next customer, ex EDF, Zog and Symbio. Don't think dual fuel saves money and think the smart meter programme is a waste of our money. Chronologically Gifted. If I offend let me know by private message, but I’ll continue to express my opinions nonetheless.
...I assume (i shouldn't I know) that this is for business customers not domestic customers.
Sure, but who's to say whether EOn (as a business) may or may not be making use of their services where they are having to make billing estimates.
I know it's semantics, but from (my fading) memory in the days when meter readers used to periodically come to the house, the bill would have said something pertaining to "Actual Reading" rather than the phrase "Data Collector"
whoever did the collecting they got it wrong and as a contractor to Eon Next the latter carries the can for the wrong reading.
I'm not disputing that, and there are definitely many other examples on the interweb where "Data Collector" readings are seriously wrong
However it sounds like they're generated in much the same way as the often criticised EAC guesstimates, and not by physical eyeball meter reads.
This from M.S.E forum, based on an Octopus DC estimate
the "Data Collector" term within the bill, they said:
The bill you received for gas is based on an estimate reading as we were missing actual readings. The "Data Collector" meter reading figure is an estimation provided by a third party who calculates official estimates for all properties in the country. This estimate is based on historical meter readings from your meter and should be fairly accurate.
”finger in the air” would produce a better result. I’ve bee a critic of EAC figures in the past because of the opacity of their computation.
if Eon Next want / need to make an estimate why they find the need to go to a third party is beyond me. They are responsible for the accuracy or other of their billing and surely have enough information themselves to make an assessment. And surely they have algorithms to apply a sense check when an abnormal reading is accepted, especially if it comes from a third party. We surely expect more professionalism in our billing.
...
if Eon Next want / need to make an estimate why they find the need to go to a third party is beyond me. ...
Seems like it's an industry standard practice (not just EOn) if you Google for "smart meter data collector" - you'll find loads of other examples of weird estimates on other energy supplier forums
”finger in the air” would produce a better result. I’ve bee a critic of EAC figures in the past because of the opacity of their computation.
if Eon Next want / need to make an estimate why they find the need to go to a third party is beyond me. They are responsible for the accuracy or other of their billing and surely have enough information themselves to make an assessment. And surely they have algorithms to apply a sense check when an abnormal reading is accepted, especially if it comes from a third party. We surely expect more professionalism in our billing.
I also can't understand that a so-called Smart Meter can fail to send the required readings for a period of 6 months, and this not trigger some kind of intervention. I would also have expected to receive advice from Eon, and perhaps a request to submit manual readings until the problem was fixed.
as far as I understand it, readings are not sent on a set schedule from the meter, they have to be subject to a specific request from the supplier. So glitch in the request getting through (so nothing to do with your set up) could have been responsible. While your half hourly consumption is retained on the meter readings are not. That again is my understanding. While we might recognise that if you have a past reading and you have the half hourly consumption since then, that would enable you to have a pretty good stab at a new reading, that doesn’t seem to work in the energy supply industry.
Done their online complaint procedure on their website now, will see what they come back with, hopefully not all the rubbish I've had so far on WhatsApp.
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