i don't know if anyone will be able to help me on this but I am at my wits end!!

I moved into a rented flat a few months ago, and found that it had a gas 'prepayment' meter fitted, where you have a card a bit like a credit card which you have to charge up with money and insert into the meter. It appears that the previous tenant got into arrears with her gas bill.

I had NPower account where I previously lived and so wanted to use them as my supplier here. I rang to arrange the bills and was given a card to use with the meter. I told them I wanted a normal credit meter and they said thewy would sort it out. Two months later, still nothing ..

So I rang them and hassled for an appointment for the meter to be changed.

IST APPT - 18th October. No-one showed up. Waited in all day, rang them a couple of times as I was told it was between 8-2 , no-one showed. The said it was Transco's fault, they would investigate.

2ND APPT - 26th October. Someone turned up to READ the meter - not change it - after hours on the phone to NPower they admitted it was their mistake, they had booked it wrongly. They said they would get soemone out as an emergency to do it that day or the next - promised to call me back - needless to say, noone did and when they called me back they said 1st November was the earliest they could do.

3RD APPT - today!! Been waiting in all day (again). I've rang NPower, once at 12.30 to double check - yes, they said, someone on the way - then I rang back at 3.15 (bearing in mind my appt card said between 8-2pm) and they claim someone came this morning at 8.45 (EH?) but found that additional work was needed .. they said someone will be back today before 8pm. Well, I've been painting the doors and woodwork in the hall all day and I haven't seen anyone come near the front door/gas meter box and certainly no-one has knocked or left any kind of card.

I am frankly so p***d off I can't tell you .. three days off work wasted so far .. I am really sceptical they will come back today - (it's getting dark soon)

Are there any relevant legislations or consumer laws I can quote to them to make them take me seriously - I am so fed up having to pay in advance for my gas and paying extra for the priviledge too (prepayment meters charge more per unit for gas). It's not as it I have EVER been in debt with NPower (or british gas either for that matter) and Npower just keep blaming Transco, but Transco won't deal with me (it has to go through the supplier they say)

HELP!

Okies, first they do not charge more per unit for gas. Its actually less, however they do charge a daily standing charge (about 20p) which on a normal meter they do not so yuppers you do pay more unless you use an absolute load of gas then you get to a point you can pay less.

You are entitled to 20 pound for each missed appointment. This is their GOS (Guarantee of service) guidelines for missed appointments.

They could come back today as transco work till 8pm for meter changes. Give them a call direct on 0845 6066766 not sure if they will tell you as a customer anything but you can try. You didnt get number from me though. lol.

If you wanna check if their is debt set on meter before they take it then,

Press in button A till it bleeps then release and continue to press it in and out. This will take you through screens 1-24, on screen 24 insert your card and go to screen 27 this will tell you amount of debt set on meter. Screen 25 and 26 will tell you how much a week it is taking usually on Wednesday at 2.00AM unless their is not enough funds in meter to take it then it will take 70% of what you put in it (providing it states 70% on screen 24) .

Hope my mad typing helps.

thanks for your reply.

Thanks so much ... I am gong to get my £20's then!!! (although I had to take days off work and I don;t get paid when I'm off so am down alot more then that )

I badgered Npower and got Transco's number and they said someone should be coming here today ... although whether they will or not is another matter it's really dark so I can't imagine anyone wanting to do the meter work when they can't see it!

There shouldn't be any debt on the meter it was reset when I moved in here and I had no debt ... but hey I'm going for a look!!!

I worked out that it's pricier as I want to switch to another supplier

Yeah make sure you check cause if there is a debt set and your not in debt you can claim it back. Also try to phone transco to check if a job is booked. They will still have to come out upto 8 for the meter change as they work till then and got to do sombodies so why not yours. Although I also doubt they will given their track record.

When the advisor told you they came out at such a time and they rebooked it etc did they put you on hold to get this information ? If not you have been lied too as there is no way the advisor can check without phoning transco first. Actually it is not transco any more but national grid.

Your owed 80 pound right ?

When I rang NPower at 3 today, and they said someone had been already, they did put me on hold and came back to me. They said that someone had been, looked at the meter and said it needed extra work (??) but they were coming back after 12 to do it. so they didnt' rebook it as such, just said that someone would still be here today.

But to be honest I very much doubt someone had been as I just went down to look at the meter and there was a huge spider web right in front ... (unless that spider has been on drugs dunno how such a massive web could be built in a few hours)

I rang Transco and they did say it is still 'live' on their system so to expect someone. I am really fed up waiting tho as the meter is nearly out of credit, so I can't put the heating on and we are freezing, and if they don't turn up I have to get my daughter organised and schlep about 1/2 an hour away to get some credit put on the card, grrrrr. She won't be a happy bunny

I will be so glad if they do turn up soon, (althought bleeding annoyed as i needn't have been off work today)

If transco said it is still live then their is a good chance they will come out. All you can do is wait. Usually it is the suppliers that mess you about but Nat grid are usually ok. Hope they do for you.

they didn't turn up.

I rang Trancso at about 5.45 and they said it was 'still live' and to call back if noone showed up by 7pm

I called back at 7pm and was told someone had been round at 5.38 and there was 'no access'. (This morning Transco that someone had called at 8.45 am and said it was a big job (no it's not it's a standard meter change!) so was coming back after 12). Well I've been here all day - I am FUMING!!

The person from Transco I spoke to at 7pm actually hung up on me while I was complaining and saying I was here all day.

I am so unbelievably fed up - I am on complaining bandwagon tomorrow BIG time. This is ridiculous and the pitiful compensation of £20 won't help much for 3, now 4 days off work (which no-one has offered me so who do I ask for that from?)

BTDT - it doesn't matter who your supplier is, it's going to be Transco/Fulcrum doing the work. Of course, Npower don;t employ meter readers either - a Transco company does that too. All this consumer choice is just so much nonsensical branding and not much else. Same gas, same service - but just 20+ different firms for you to pay and have a different consuner experience with. Sometimes I dispair - although the last time Transco let me down, they did make a respectible compensation payment, which made me a happy bunny. If you don;t ask, you don't get!

Trust me on this one. i has the same problem with npower they would not change my elec/gas meters for billed ones. i was with them for 6 months. I then changed to another company who put the meters in. when npower phoned me to ask why i was leaving i told them and they said you have to be with them for 12months before they change meters as it costs them alot of money. when i trasferrd the other company switched in 2 weeks of joining. i suggest you change companies. then when you get this callback tell them exactly what is what. I promise they will change your meters in the hope you will stay with them.

Khan is right, as long as you have no debt you can change and they probably will change the meter. I know my company would. It takes 4 weeks to change over.

Might be an idea to check that they have the right address.

Try not to steam in, tempting though it may be, since that will only get their

backs up and then they won't help. Human nature I'm afraid. You could ask them to describe your house, door colour; is there a drive way; was there a car outside the house; what make/colour was it etc to see if they did come to your house.

to be honest I have to be carefull as I work for this company, the £20 Standards of servic are looked into very deep. Most engineers that work for transco doing mex's are infact contractors so really they are a law to them selves. As for the reason failed mex do to additional work, this normal means either a concealed meter ( under ground slightly) or the pipes need to be altered / supply

They finally turned up and did the meter yesterday :D :D(the fifth set date), but only after I rang and rang yesterday and finally got a bright person at NPower who thought to check they were going to the right address, and made the engineer ring me up to confirm the address - they were going to a similarly named street in an entirely different postcode. (Don't these people have london A-Zs???)

I received a cheque for £80 compensation in the post today having rung up and complained to a senior person at NPower. Better then a poke in the eye I suppose! But i'm still looking to change gas supplier now....

Ah, well, back to the bank battle .....

thank you everyone for all your help and advice!

That is great apple, they have to give the 20 per app missed. Although not evenyone knows that lol and its not somthing they advertise. Glad your sorted.

and the final part of the whole sorry saga ....

Tonight someone from NPower rang me up.

"hello Ms Crumble, we are very surprised to have received an application today for you to change your supplier." Mr Npower says "Did you know about this?"

"yes of course" replies me.

"Could we ask why you wish to change supplier?" said Mr NPower

"Why certainly' replies me and I proceeded (very restrained, I thought, under the circumstances) to tell him just how rubbish I thought they were.

There was rather a long silence

"oh I see" replied Mr Npower "I'll just put a note on this account then".

ah that was so enjoyable :D :D :D

and the final part of the whole sorry saga ....

 

Tonight someone from NPower rang me up.

 

"hello Ms Crumble, we are very surprised to have received an application today for you to change your supplier." Mr Npower says "Did you know about this?"

"yes of course" replies me.

"Could we ask why you wish to change supplier?" said Mr NPower

 

"Why certainly' replies me and I proceeded (very restrained, I thought, under the circumstances) to tell him just how rubbish I thought they were.

 

There was rather a long silence

"oh I see" replied Mr Npower "I'll just put a note on this account then".

 

ah that was so enjoyable :D :D :D

Hi hope they dont put a supplier objection on your account, they can do this even if you owe them 1p! although normaly its £20

It's the little things like this that make switching supplier so satisfiying. Mine was when I received a bill for £2,800 because they transposed 2 digits during a reading, and it was so obvious, but I was threatened everything from disconnection to blacklisting. And then you get some wally in retentions trying to keep you.....!

Well I've never owed them anything, previous address was perfect and never had a debt here as everything has been prepaid so they can't use that excuse!