Energy Prices (Strictly NO referrals!)
- Thread starter DXP55
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Energy suppliers switching customers with Smart Meters onto prepayment mode remotely if they fall into debt:
BBC News - Rise in energy firms remotely switching homes to prepay meters https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63554879
BBC News - Rise in energy firms remotely switching homes to prepay meters https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63554879
Yup and people told me to take my tin foil hat off when I queried whether needed to keep my smart meter or could have it removed.
Not sure why they would be surprised or why they would think it would be specific to smart meters. Go into debt and they will come to your house and switch the meter.
Soldato
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13 degrees in my office this morning. Heating off is becoming pretty uncomfortable 
Unless you are exempt from it being changed (which also applies to the smart meter) then they will get a warrant and you get another £150 debt added to your meter (which won’t happen on the smart meter).
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I don’t know why we have a stigma attached to prepayment meters. I’m happy with mine I tried to get a smart meter installed 18 months ago by octopus and I’m still waiting.
Glad I didn’t it would cost me a fortune to have a smart now.
Glad I didn’t it would cost me a fortune to have a smart now.
You get access to some pretty good rates with smart meters on Octopus.
Yeah but I lose my fit payment which is worth a lot more to me.
Somebody I know was with OVO with SMETS1 smart meters installed, they fell into debt due to a dispute and were transferred to a PAYG tariff on Boost (owned by OVO?).
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It’s a bit naughty really. People will be falling into debt because they can’t afford these ridiculous prices. So much for trying to help people instead they dump them on prepayment and penalise them. Maybe they should be some of the people that receive targeted support rather than penalised for being poor.
Man of Honour
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Any other industry would be torn apart. The energy sector gets away with anything they like.
Soldato
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Can tell the days and evenings I have the kids.
Why would you lose your FiT payment? There will be a separate meter measuring solar generation for FiT payments, which a smart meter wont affect.
Because it can measure export rather than estimating 50% has been exported.
Soldato
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? i dont think that the 2 issues are directly related. So smart meters make it easier for suppliers to force customers to pay for the energy they use.......... well in which case that is an argument for not using banks or direct debits and stuffing all our cash under our mattress.
Right now things suck for people, and i really feel for people who have no idea how to pay for the energy they use...... but equally, energy suppliers have gone under left right and centre over the last 12 months or so....... do they not have a right to get paid from their customers for the energy they use? a smart meter may make this easier for that to happen.
but a smart meter also allows customers to get far better deals on their energy, it allows me to get an hr of completely free energy every month (although i dont as its too much hassle to go in the attic and over ride my pre set energy use and the power hr is always when i am running off grid) as well as get cheaper energy when it is less in demand (i save heaps on this)........... over the next 6 months it also allows people to get paid for some of the energy they DONT use when demand is at its greatest (admittedly i am not going to get anything from that as i already use no peak energy).
imo smart meters are still the way to go for *most* customers................. but ultimately if you really dont want to change then dont..... but just dont complain if you are unable to get smart tariffs and end up paying more per month than those of us who did get them.
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Energy companies going under had nothing to do with the customer they were poorly managed.
No one is complaining about not being on a smart meter as it is likely a choice, however penalising people for being on them with higher unit prices and sc is predatory. It shouldn’t be a thing.
No one is complaining about not being on a smart meter as it is likely a choice, however penalising people for being on them with higher unit prices and sc is predatory. It shouldn’t be a thing.
Soldato
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I would say it is a bit from column A and a bit from column B. my dad was a small business owner before he retired and non payers were a real problem... for a company that is struggling, non payers could absolutely tip a business over the edge..
I would agree those who have smart meters converted into a prepay mode should not be forced to pay more for what they use......... but having non payers meters converted to prepay i dont think is outrageous.
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