Key card problem

  • Bob1943's Avatar
    Level 1
    My father recieved a new e.on next pre-payment card on Wednesday, he followed the instructions and asked me to top up for him, so I put £10 on the card at my local Nisa shop which appeared to work. I put the card into the meter to be greeted with the message “CARD NOT ACCEPTED”. I tried this several times and even cleaned the card but to no avail.

    I called e.on to speak to someone and after being on hold for nearly 35 minutes, finally got through to someone, who wasn’t massively helpful, he put me on hold for a further 10 minutes, before coming back and telling me that he was going to send a new card through to my father with the outstanding £10 credit on.

    That card arrived today. My dad asked me to try it out again, and yet again the same message appeared on the display ”CARD NOT ACCEPTED”. Again I tried several times and even cleaned the card, but again no luck.

    So again I called the e.on call centre, and after, yet again, another lengthy wait got through to someone. I explained the situation, that we had been sent two cards, both of which didn’t work. He asked for proof of the top up, which I was more than happy to take a photo of and send to the hi@eonnext.con email address. The agent then told me that he was arranging a card for me at a local shop, which was a Costcutter. He gave me a code which I was to give the sales assistant and he would give me a card which I would need to register and then I could top up and receive the outstanding £10. All I had to do was wait two hours.

    So at 4pm this afternoon I went to the shop to be told they didn’t have any gas cards only keys. As there is a second Costcutter (this one with a Post Office) within 100 meters (odd I know!), I tried there, only to be told they too didn’t supply gas cards.

    What on earth is going on? We never asked to be moved to e.on next, everything was fine before all this.

    I am now left in the situation with my dad, who is nearly 80 and suffers from COPD, with only £15 on his gas meter, I hope this can be resolved before this runs out.

    Both he and I are deeply unimpressed with all this. I tried to call back, but being a Friday afternoon everybody has gone home, I tried the emergency pre-payment number and this time it sounded like somebody picked up the phone and replaced the reciever, this I was miffed about as I was on hold for nearly an hour.

    EDIT: I have just gone to check the balance of the gas and now the unit is buzzing! Is this normal?
    Last edited by Bob1943; 22-04-22 at 17:02. Reason: Something else has happened!
  • 9 Replies

  • theunknowntech's Avatar
    Level 80
    Hi @Bob1943 ,

    If you keep having card failures like this, then that would suggest to me the entire meter is faulty and needs to be replaced. That buzzing is most likely happening because the meter is trying to warn you of a low credit balance and that you need to top up asap.

    I would probably also strongly recommend upgrading him to smart meters, register him onto the Priority Services Register and getting him off of Pay As You Go as soon as you reasonably can. Someone in your fathers circumstances SHOULD NOT be on Prepayment Meters as it's unsafe for him to be cut off. If you have a medical condition like that, you're likely to be reliant on your supplies working properly, so I would definitely recommend moving to at very least a Direct Debit based tariff on either fixed or variable rate. Combined with the Priority Services Register, that will apply additional protections to stop this happening again.

    I will notify all moderators of this matter as your father should not be left in the dark like this. @Beki_EONNext @HannahD_EONNext @Han_EONNext @PeterT_EONNext @DebF_EONNext @Anasa_EONNext @Bennie_EONNext please see that this is resolved at the earliest opportunity. Social media is not going to be a solution in this instance.
    Just another guy passing by... The unknown tech way...
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  • Bob1943's Avatar
    Level 1
    Thanks for the reply. I feel like an idiot, as it wasn’t the meter buzzing, it was the fridge which is sat next to it! 😩

    Anyways, I tried the old card and it is still being read fine by the meter, just says 0.00 credit. Now, if I was to put money on this card, would I be able to top up?

    Also after speaking to dad, he is adamant that he neither wants Smart Meters nor go on Direct Debit. He has had it this way for many, many years and doesn’t want to change.
  • theunknowntech's Avatar
    Level 80
    Sure thing, feel free to give that existing card a go and see what happens. I'd only put a very small top-up on it as a test so you don't lose too much cash if it fails.

    To be honest, reading your post gave me the impression your dad wouldn't take my advice. At very least, may I please strongly encourage that he at least signs up for the Priority Services Register. This will not force him to go onto a Direct Debit or get smart meters, but it will result in E.On Next being aware of his health conditions and making arrangements to prioritise him in the event of a supply failure. There's no charge for this service and it's got a lot of powerful features that will help him out.

    I'm not one to force anyone's hand, but if his health condition gets worse, I would recommend that he reconsiders his decision. Smart meters will eventually have to be fitted in his home as well because the existing ones won't last forever. On average, all meters have somewhere around a 10-15 year service life. If you're OK to show me photos of the current ones, I can give you a rough estimate of how much service life is left on them before they're likely to be due for recertification and replacement.
  • DebF_EONNext's Avatar
    Community Team
    Hey @Bob1943 I have popped you a private message.

    Thanks for the tag @theunknowntech 😊 you really are one of our very own community superheroes. We will need to get you a cape soon!

    Deb 🌻
    "Green is the prime colour of the world and that from which it's loveliness arises"-Pedro Calderon De La Barca 🌳

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  • Bob1943's Avatar
    Level 1
    Ok, can someone from e.on help please? My issue was being dealt with by DebF but she finished her shift earlier and was passing the issue to someone called Pete, but I’ve heard nothing since 12.00 this afternoon. Deb did say that she hoped that the matter would hopefully be dealt with today. I posted some photos of my meter to Deb but have heard nothing since.

    Will someone get back to me today or will I have to wait until Monday?
  • PeterT_EONNext's Avatar
    Community Team
    Hi @Bob1943 I'm sorry, I've sent you a private message earlier but it doesn't look like it's been sent to you. Please can you click on my name and send me a private message so that I can assist you with this as soon as possible.

    Thanks - Pete 😊
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  • PeterT_EONNext's Avatar
    Community Team
    @Bob1943 I've sent you a message so please get back to me there 😊
  • Bob1943's Avatar
    Level 1
    Ok. So i recieved a THIRD card today with the outstanding £10 on, and guess what IT STILL DOESN’T WORK!!!

    Luckily the old card is still working so I have managed to top up using that. Both my dad and I are fed up with all this and just want it resolved. When I spoke to PeteT on Saturday he mentioned about having new meters. That’s fine, but my dad has made it clear to me he does not want a smart meter and will only have a meter that uses a card.

    So if someone could kindly reply to this via here or PM, I would be very grateful.
  • Han_EONNext's Avatar
    Community Team
    Hey there @Bob1943 👋

    We are sorry to hear that the card isn't as expected! I have just checked in with Pete it is on his to do list, he will send you a message within the next few hours 😊

    Hannah
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