[MrDandy]

I recently added credit to my stick to top up my electricity meter. I do this by going to a shop that provides a pay point. I was charged £1 by my Nisa Local to top up my stick. They said this is due to electricity costs. Is this legal and what can Eon do about this? Electricity meters are already above average for cost without this additional charge. Views?

[theunknowntech]

Hi @MrDandy ,

That doesn't sound right at all to me. The full value of the top-up is meant to go on the key and you are only supposed to be charged the precise value of the amount to top-up by. You might want to report that shop for potentially breaking the rules.

If your Nisa shop used PayPoint, please contact enquiries@paypoint.com

I quote their policy here:

Originally Posted by PayPoint

My local shop tried to charge me to top up/pay my bill/use a PayPoint service – is this allowed?

PayPoint is a free to use service. If you were attempting to pay by cash, please email details of the store(s) to enquiries@paypoint.com and we will contact the retailer to remind them of our policies.

Please note: If you were attempting to pay by debit/credit card, please be aware that new government legislation specifies that companies are no longer allowed to charge customers for debit or credit card payments.

If a retailer tries to charge you a fee because you are choosing to pay by card, you can refuse and report it to Trading Standards by calling the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06.

If it was Payzone, call 01606 566 566.

Originally Posted by Payzone

• Are all Payzone services free for the customer to use?
  There are no additional charges for using a Payzone terminal to pay a bill or top up across ALL Payzone stores. If you experience an issue with retailers charging fees, contact the Payzone Help Desk on 01606 566 566 or get in touch by filling out a contact form.

You may also report the store to Nisa if you wish. You can do that here: https://www.nisalocally.co.uk/corporate/contact-nisa/

[Lee_EONNext]

Hi @MrDandy

Can I ask if this is still happening? I agree with JoeSoap, this is not something i've heard of before nor for me should be happening, the cost of Energy and topping up is nothing to do with the outlet.

Getting a smart meter would allow you to top up remotely. Let me know if this is still happening.

Thanks

[MrDandy]

I have since started using a smart meter, so I no longer need to use the top up stick. I don’t know if they still do this but I did email PayPoint letting them know. Thanks for the advice.