Economy7 and key card pre payment meter

[silverdale]

Long one here ur please take the time to read as I need some help here:

So some years back a woman friend moved in to my old property. It has storage heaters and was and is still on an economy7 tariff.
This consisted of a digital meter this was an updated meter (not pre paid) I had to have put in as an upgrade and the older bakerlite type economy7 secondary timer meter in the electric cupboard which I had set to come on through the night to take advantage of the cheap economy7 tariff. These ran fine for me for many years problem free.

So, after she moved in she swapped over from a standard digital meter to a key card pre-paid meter just to manage payments better. I know you pay more but some prefer that.
So she rang me the other day and said she cant cope with the bills and asked me to take a look.
When I went in the property was warm to say the least so I checked the heaters and all was fine.
I then looked at the key card meter and I thought "Were the f##k has the old timer gone ??". It looks like the utility upplier has removed the old economy7 timer when installing a new key pre paid meter.

This then means unless you manually turn the heaters on/off at the wall switch for the heaters say turn on at 12:30am and then go round turning them off 7:30am then all 5 heaters will be on 24/7 as the utility supplier has removed the timer.
The meter she has is a
ACE5000 KDB
I'm no spark so I rang the utility company who she's with and installed the new meter. I posed as a new customer and I pretended that I was moving into a property with storage heaters and what happens with the timer ?. She said they would wire in the old timer to the new meter. She said there is no built in timer in the new digital pre paid key meter, is that true ?. Its a
itron ACE5000 KDB


Next question, the law. Should they have removed the timer ?

Can she get some action done ?

She didnt know there was no timer to turn them on for the cheap rate, she thought the new meter had a new type of economy7 built in timer that would turn the storage heaters on off but after i rang the utility customer service she said they would not remove the old economy7 timer when fitting a new meter.

We are talking a good few years of this and shes at her wits end bill wise. The customer service woman didnt know her arse from her elbow so a few questions:

This ACE5000 KBD pre paid meter, does it have the ability to turn the storage heaters on/off for economy7storage heaters ?

If not when they removed the old meter should they have removed the economy7 timer meter or should they have replaced it with a newer digital timer ?
And
Are they at fault and can she claim ?. She is on economy7 tariff it's on her bills but if the electric company took out the timer then the storage heaters remain on all day and on the higher day rate.
I need some help here guys it's made her ill.
She then mentions something about she had to pay off an old bill that I so called left on when I moved out. That is bullox, I left the bills debt free not in my makeup that especially to a friend.
Help us here guys

 

[topchippyles]

Can you just not add a new timer plug

 

[silverdale]

Well yeah thats what I'm thinking but, I'm hoping we can get them to refit a economy 7 timer I mean, why should she fork out for a spark to change them all over ?. Plus they've been taking money off her for years through no fault of her own. They replaced the meter and like alot of people you would instantly think the new meter would deal with the timer side of things new tech all that.
She's been paying economy 7 tariff so when these have been on all day she's been hammered. she didn't notice as she only has them on two 3rds. Can you imagine through winter for years paying top dollar day tariff which economy 7 on pre-paid is and 24/7.
Like the lady from the utility provider said "We would just wire a new meter in and leave the timer for the "economy 7" I'd like bet she's paid 1000's over she's needed, it's made her ill with worry. i told her let me speak they wont blow my legs off with garb , they'll be sorting this sh^t out and refunding if I can.

I'm not sure what you mean by a new timer plug. They are hard wired into a on off switch socket. so it's either a new plug socket as below in the link and plug the heater in below or swap out the switch front for a socket then add a plug to the a plug to the heater and plug into a timer into the socket in timer for each heater.
wrong so wrong

 

[silverdale]

Greenbrook 24 Hour Mechanical Timer Socket

 

[topchippyles]

Well yeah thats what I'm thinking but, I'm hoping we can get them to refit a economy 7 timer I mean, why should she fork out for a spark to change them all over ?. Plus they've been taking money off her for years through no fault of her own. They replaced the meter and like alot of people you would instantly think the new meter would deal with the timer side of things new tech all that.
She's been paying economy 7 tariff so when these have been on all day she's been hammered. she didn't notice as she only has them on two 3rds. Can you imagine through winter for years paying top dollar day tariff which economy 7 on pre-paid is and 24/7.
Like the lady from the utility provider said "We would just wire a new meter in and leave the timer for the "economy 7" I'd like bet she's paid 1000's over she's needed, it's made her ill with worry. i told her let me speak they wont blow my legs off with garb , they'll be sorting this sh^t out and refunding if I can.

I'm not sure what you mean by a new timer plug. They are hard wired into a on off switch socket. so it's either a new plug socket as below in the link and plug the heater in below or swap out the switch front for a socket then add a plug to the a plug to the heater and plug into a timer into the socket in timer for each heater.
wrong so wrong

Beats paying through the nose running all those heaters 24/7 and they will take forever to reply never mind getting anything done

 

[chookey]

I think the main stumbling block your friend will face is the time it's took her to question the bills, not saying they wouldn't compensate but the time delay isn't their fault. A couple of years ago I changed electricity supplier and the meter fitter asked if I still needed/used the economy 7.

 

[silverdale]

No your wrong there, shes been complaining for years and been fobbed off after every call. Even been told it's your daughters hair straighteners.

So she rang and got permission to speak on her account and now this is were the fun begins.
When I left the property there was an economy 7 timer in the property along with a meter. I had used with no issues for 15 years plus.

Roughly around 12 months after she moved in she requested a key pre paid meter which they installed.

Not long after the pre paid meter bills went to launch pad 1. The only time any utility company touched that meter was when one company updated the meter when I was in there (economy 7 was left in place) and about 9-12 months after she moved in. At no other time has it been touched.
The new key meter has seals so someone has took out the economy 7 timer meter and re-rooted the live direct into the meter. considering the seals are all in tacked and I know it's not her and 100% sure it's not me then it can only be the utility company when they put her a pre-paid key meter in roughly 12 months after she moved in.

This ties in with the same dates that the rocket fuel electric bills began for her. She regular rang them for help and advise to lower her bill but lets face it, those on help no jack friggin sh!te. For them to blame hair straighteners on humongous bills just shows you the level of technical advise she was getting and as she said patronizing customer services drove her wild.

They said to me "We'll call out 29th December" I said you taking the urine ?? another argument so I said if you have wired this wrong and something happens I will hold you accountable.
I then got 12th Dec
I'll know more Thurs as I am going to the house to help out sort this sh!t out once and fer all. And I will make sure she get a winter refund for roughly 8 years and an economy 7 re-installed for the one they took out. She should not need to go round putting timers and plug sockets on every heater when the timer they took out did that job.

 

[chookey]

No your wrong there, shes been complaining for years and been fobbed off after every call. Even been told it's your daughters hair straighteners.

That's the 1st time you've mentioned she's complained to them.. I suppose I need to brush up on my mind reading skills.

 

[silverdale]

That's the 1st time you've mentioned she's complained to them.. I suppose I need to brush up on my mind reading skills.

Not rocket science m8 and no minding bending thought process necessary,

high bills you get on the blower and ask why if you need to be told that then lifes gonna get so much harder as you clock on

 

[chookey]

Not rocket science m8 and no minding bending thought process necessary,

high bills you get on the blower and ask why

I see , you ask for help without giving too much information. You then tell someone trying to help they're wrong and though you hadn't mentioned something we're supposed to work out what this total stranger would or wouldn't do?

Sheer class!! We won't have this problem in the future, I'm sure there's no need to tell you, just work it out.

 

[silverdale]

I see , you ask for help without giving too much information. You then tell someone trying to help they're wrong and though you hadn't mentioned something we're supposed to work out what this total stranger would or wouldn't do?

Sheer class!! We won't have this problem in the future, I'm sure there's no need to tell you, just work it out.

yep whatever get a fookin stress ball lad, if youve no help or advise don't post please m8 thanks

 

[topchippyles]

I see , you ask for help without giving too much information. You then tell someone trying to help they're wrong and though you hadn't mentioned something we're supposed to work out what this total stranger would or wouldn't do?

Sheer class!! We won't have this problem in the future, I'm sure there's no need to tell you, just work it out.

I only pop in and out on this forum but the one thing i always seem to come across is you just piss everyone off chookey,Your just talk total shite man

 

[silverdale]

well said thank you

 

[avid]

I think there has just been some crossed wires here. No pun intended but the majority of members on here just try and help each other, including chookey...

 

[owen]

I know this is a bit off the mark, it is a pity that photos were not taken at the beginning of the let, any changes made can be sorted with the (tenant) but in this case (not the tenant) the electric company removing a timer. Was the timer part of the install of the storage heaters.
Best of luck with the company, in fighting your corner for the tenant.

Den

 

[chookey]

I only pop in and out on this forum but the one thing i always seem to come across is you just piss everyone off chookey,Your just talk total shite man

Who are you?

 

[river4ever]

Who are you?

I have knowledge of that member.
To say he is a top bloke would be an understatement. This goes back to when scripts were the craze. He knows his stuff inside out.... as i know for fact with experience over years of chat of and on with him.
He did mention he does not come on here often, reason being is issue with members. Many i know have left here and went else where.
So take a step back @chookey and let forum run, as seems when you post members on here run away from DW.

 

[chookey]

I have knowledge of that member.
To say he is a top bloke would be an understatement. This goes back to when scripts were the craze. He knows his stuff inside out.... as i know for fact with experience over years of chat of and on with him.
He did mention he does not come on here often, reason being is issue with members. Many i know have left here and went else where.
So take a step back @chookey and let forum run, as seems when you post members on here run away from DW.

Yeah, I'll do what you tell me.

 

[topchippyles]

Who are you?

I had a thousand posts+ over 6 years but they all got deleted after the forum upgrade so get stuffed Difference between us is i do not reply if nothing nice to say unlike the bollocks you spout

 

[chookey]

I had a thousand posts+ over 6 years but they all got deleted after the forum upgrade so get stuffed Difference between us is i do not reply if nothing nice to say unlike the bollocks you spout

You really miss those posts mate? What would you like me to get stuffed with? You replied with 2 posts in this thread, neither of which were very nice. Methinks you lie