Smart Meters

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Cels

Cels

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Does anyone on here have a smart meter fitted? My electric meter is on the blink (the display is blank so I have no idea how much credit is left and I can't top up) so ScottishPower is basically bullying me into having a smart meter installed.

Can anybody with one installed tell me what the installation process is and what I should expect, please? Is it a case of them removing one meter and replacing it with a new one, or does the "engineer" need to run safety tests on sockets and outlets etc.?

@Joey66, I recall you having trouble with yours a while back, how is it now? Any issues? Any advice you can give me?

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I think we are all going to have to agree to a smart meter sooner or later. Of course, you don't actually need to keep it plugged in ...
 
Cels said:
Does anyone on here have a smart meter fitted? My electric meter is on the blink (the display is blank so I have no idea how much credit is left and I can't top up) so ScottishPower is basically bullying me into having a smart meter installed.

Can anybody with one installed tell me what the installation process is and what I should expect, please? Is it a case of them removing one meter and replacing it with a new one, or does the "engineer" need to run safety tests on sockets and outlets etc.?

@Joey66, I recall you having trouble with yours a while back, how is it now? Any issues? Any advice you can give me?

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My nephew is a gas fitter & he does not have any advises all our family to steer clear - Watchdog a while back public had died with explosions - fitters are NVQ - not very qualified - plus if they go wrong they can easily overcharge you - one customer had their current account completely empty along with others -

My son reads ours by I phone - & enters them online your old meter is okay if working properly no one can force you to have a smart meter - we tried to get the late Mother in laws done for convenience as she was very ill in hospital for 14 months before sadly dying - the guy who came out from SSE could only do the electric & refused to do the lead on the Gas meter -

I had the national Gas company out that afternoon - he stated it was feasible to do it if he knew what he was doing ... lead piping in older properties lead piping is not desirable but not illegal to have ...
We left to join Octopus a far better company ....

It just put me off them on the news every now & then you hear reports of fronts of houses being blown up - my guess some clown has fitted a Smart meter incorrectly -

My meters are staying put ..... you, by law can keep your old meters tell them that & join Octopus -but I feel if you move now you may have to have a smart meter check it out .... SSE 0r OVO are a crap company
 

Cels said:
Does anyone on here have a smart meter fitted? My electric meter is on the blink (the display is blank so I have no idea how much credit is left and I can't top up) so ScottishPower is basically bullying me into having a smart meter installed.

Can anybody with one installed tell me what the installation process is and what I should expect, please? Is it a case of them removing one meter and replacing it with a new one, or does the "engineer" need to run safety tests on sockets and outlets etc.?

@Joey66, I recall you having trouble with yours a while back, how is it now? Any issues? Any advice you can give me?

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A smart meter is the same as any digital meter, it just has a sim card in it that updates your usage automatically rather than a fella having to come and read it or them using an estimate.
 
Cels said:
Sorry mate, I'm not 100% sure what you mean. I have £50 credit on the key thing but it's not getting credited to the meter when inserted. I've posted a photo of the meter below.
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If you have that sort of meter maybe you may have to take a chance on a smart meter but move over to octopus OVO -SSE have offshore call centres - they are useless - Octopus are in the UK & cheaper
 

Cels said:
Sorry mate, I'm not 100% sure what you mean. I have £50 credit on the key thing but it's not getting credited to the meter when inserted. I've posted a photo of the meter below.
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When my power company went to the wall at the start of the big power scam I was dumped on British Gas. At the time I wanted a smart meter installing as I was planning on getting an electric car and could access better deals.

British gas found themselves with loads of extra customers, a price cap and (we're told) expensive wholesale prices. Basically they lied to me twice that smart meter tech wouldn't work at my address. 2 x 40 minute phone calls around Asia, in an attemot to get one, resulted in them ringing off when I pointed out the lie as both my direct neighbours had them. Quite simply they didn't want their customers saving money - they wanted to profit.

In the meantime ive only heard bad things about smart meters, overcharging, inreliability and the fact that they stop being smart if you switch provider anyway. No way i want one.

Scroll on 3 years and I'm getting weekly emails, texts, and now phone calls from BG telling me to book an appointment to have one fitted. Twice I've asked the lovely people who phone up to remove me from their list and stop harassing me else I'll go to another provider.

I simply won't cooperate with a business that lies with me - and have to wonder what their motive is to push these things when it suits them. Trap customers? Overcharge them? Lay off meter readers? None of those butter my parsnips.
 
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Joey66 said:
If you have that sort of meter maybe you may have to take a chance on a smart meter but move over to octopus OVO -SSE have offshore call centres - they are useless - Octopus are in the UK & cheaper
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Cheers mate. When I contacted ScottishPower they told me my meter was no longer manufactured so couldn't be replaced 'like for like' unless they had a refurbished one in stock. SP got in touch again today and told me that I would have to get a smart meter as they don't have any of the traditional ones. I've looked at Octopus, and I'm not sure if I'm getting misinformation, but it seems they'll not take me on if I have a traditional meter. Instead, SP would have to install their smart meter first, and then I can swap over to Octopus. Either way, SP have told me they would contact me on Friday to make an installation appointment. I just can't get them to tell me what to expect on the day of installation and what, if any, modifications they'll need to make in my home, etc.



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Cels said:
Cheers mate. When I contacted ScottishPower they told me my meter was no longer manufactured so couldn't be replaced 'like for like' unless they had a refurbished one in stock. SP got in touch again today and told me that I would have to get a smart meter as they don't have any of the traditional ones. I've looked at Octopus, and I'm not sure if I'm getting misinformation, but it seems they'll not take me on if I have a traditional meter. Instead, SP would have to install their smart meter first, and then I can swap over to Octopus. Either way, SP have told me they would contact me on Friday to make an installation appointment. I just can't get them to tell me what to expect on the day of installation and what, if any, modifications they'll need to make in my home, etc.



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Telephone Octopus tomorrow they will fit your Smart meter - SSE OVO are aver post energy firm full of crap !
 

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