Current Eon Next and EDF customer, ex Zog and Symbio. Don't think dual fuel saves money and don't like smart meters. Chronologically Gifted. If I offend let me know by private message, but I’ll continue to express my opinions nonetheless.
Getting EON to change a meter
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Level 9128-04-23
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Level 7728-04-23@meldrewreborn
You are too kind 😂. -
Level 505-05-23Only fair to EON to update this...
Mother finally had an email yesterday about getting an appointment for EON's metering guys to come around and fit a replacement.
She rang up today, and tells me she is booked in for 12 days time.
Not sure if it was a result of this forum thread, or me emailing all the time... credit to EON for sorting this eventually.
(Of course my Mother in her late 70's had given up trying to get them to sort it). -
05-05-23@Marco77
I am glad to hear that your Mother's meter seems to be solved. The forum is always a good place to come and have a look at things and ask for support from other members or us. I can say that I cannot take the credit in this case for the functionality of the smart meter, but I am sure a super star from our team has been doing an amazing job.
There are a couple of things I would like to address after reading this thread.
I am aware not only as an Energy Specialist, but also as a customer, that the name of the smart meter team or specialist may be daunting. I do understand why they might be referred to as a 'black hole' but I can reassure you that the team deals with hundreds of queries everyday. The customer service supports them at the best they can and there are mechanisms where different teams have to communicate between each other which can let to a longer waiting time for queries to get resolved at times.
For me personally, when I have a similar issue, as an energy specialist I can get frustrated, because I know how stressful it can be for the customer, although at time we can only go so far and beyond on specific things and I am a big believer or proactive solutions.
We are always open to constructive feedback and making sure that things can be better for our customers. Which is why I find a thread like this to be a great tool if utilised correctly 😁 -
Level 9105-05-23@Bennie_EONNext
While I'm immensely pleased for @Marco77 and mother, the promised experience (we do not know that the end result will be as we might hope) is in really sharp contrast to the experience of countless others in trying to resolve smart meter issues, all of which get referred to the smart meter team and its specialists.. Its not that the referral itself is daunting, its more that overwhelmingly the outcome is not to the satisfaction of the customer.
I'd love to be able to say that the evidence supports the smart metring team having a stellar reputation, but that's not the experience i glean from posts here. I personally feel that the focus is overwhelmingly on fitting new smart meters not getting existing non functioning meters working as per the TV adverts. If you wish to change the perception try getting E.on Next to publish some statistics to show how many new smart meters are fitted each month and how many existing dumb meters are replaced for customers. Then we'd have something to support our respective positions. I can only presume that the information isn't made available because it would show conclusively how bad things actually are. I think that is very constructive feedback. -
Level 505-05-23Though we do seem to have got some sort of result.. it really shouldn't be this hard.
For reference, my mother is perfectly capable of doing things for herself and fully 'with it'. She did however get frustrated with E.on basically fobbing her off. She was told months ago she must buy a new IHD from Chameleon (an Ivy Bud). Great, but the issue was that a) they didn't have any available for SMETS1 meters (they make one - but didn't have any), and b) it wasn't the IHD that was duff - it was the meter.
She only whinged to me as she was worried about bills through the winter and wanted to monitor her usage on a daily basis. She normally likes to deal with her own issues.
Not a downer on the people from E.on who will read this - but it appears there is a structural problem within the company.
We ended up with four or five different people - each one then had to go through the same issue to get to the same stalemate position.
This means of course that E.on (the company) have paid five people to do the job whereas only one was required. That either comes off their bottom line, or effectively gets paid for by the consumer.
They also don't seem to believe the customer.
I feel I had to argue my case to get the position understood.
As it happens, I am/were involved in energy distribution so broadly know my stuff. The average consumer isn't going to understand the underlying systems. Of course, they shouldn't have to.
Again, not a downer on the actual staff, but I find it annoying that they are told to call themselves 'Energy Specialists'.
They really are not!
It would be interesting to see if my original posting on this forum was the thing that got things moving. I generally don't like 'shaming' companies in to action, but nothing was happening.
There is of course the slight problem that energy companies are effectively caught in the middle. Government targets and penalties are applied if the company doesn't install enough smart meters. I don't think fixing broken ones count. Also, this particular meter was 'inherited' from a previous supplier so not originally E.on's problem. But, that said, if you are an energy company this is part of the overhead of existing. -
Level 9105-05-23@Marco77
Absolutely spot on. I'd have given you 5 "thumbs up" if I could.
Personally I would have found it difficult to work for a company with "effective polices" (as opposed to the fictions put out by the PR department) like those at E.on next because I'd feel that my job was really to deny customers access to customer service remedies which a responsible company would provide as a matter of course.
When suppliers take you on as a customer they also take on your meter. Otherwise things would be even more problematic than they are already. -
Level 519-05-23Hi all, time for an update.
It hasn't gone well. Old SMETS1 meter is now gone, but no IHD!
Guy turned up a couple of days ago and swapped the meter. I turned up just as he was going so didn't get to ask any questions.
Plus points; looks a neat install, the comms hub that was separately powered and being used for the gas meter has either gone or been moved to the top of the electricity meter.
The Henley blocks and meter tail mess has gone - this is good.
I don't know if it is the same comms hub or if that was replaced - I think I have a serial number of the old one, so could check next time I go over there.
Negative points:
He didn't leave a new IHD.
She was told that the old IHD would start working within 72 hours.
However - and I am happy to be wrong here - I can't see a mechanism for that delay. We are talking here about the IHD being paired with the comms hub... it is all local. Nothing to do with the meter reporting back to the DCC.
The IHD said it wasn't paired with the electricity meter.
Position now is she still wants a working In Home Display. She must be one of the few that actually use it - most go in a drawer.
I understand her requirement - she worries about the cost and needs to see the daily costs she is incurring.
Best plan seems to be;
Now we have a (possibly) working SMETS2 meter, we should be able to buy an IHD from Hildebrand.
Chameleon never answer my email queries about the Ivy Bud - so I am not reccomending them.
The Glow is £69
She doesn't mind paying this if it gets her a solution.
What are the chances of E.on Next knocking this off her bill as they can't sort it?
Anyone from E.on care to comment? -
Level 530-05-23Further update.
I know this forum is the customer forum, but I would expect E.On Next to dip in and comment.
My last posting was 1 week ago, inviting such comment, but nothing. I do note however, that the E.On people tend to chirp in with 'happy' comments, rather than actually tring to deal with any issues raised on here. I guess they are paid to do a job, and that is what they are told to do. No issue with the people, but it is an odd way to deal with a customer forum by the Company.
The installer did give duff information... the IHD did not start working 72 hours after he left. I knew that it wouldn't - it is a simple Zigbee network contained within the dwelling.
I gave up with E.On Next
I signed up for a FREE account with Hildebrand, I gave them the copy of the bill and within a day we had readings in the app. This of course proves the data is being pulled by the DCC.
Of course, the app on a phone is too small for my mother to see clearly, so we will be buying the Glow CAD/IHD.
As it happens, I have a Glow here on my own meters... its is connected via MQTT to Home Assistant and pulls real-time readings through from the meters.
1 Point for changing the meter
Minus several million for lying about the IHD and not fixing the customer issue.
This has taken 6 months.
It isn't a hard problem to solve - just a lack of getting on with it on the part of E.On Next.
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