ESB meter reading gone dead and billing nightmare

ah sure !

For around 18 months we were getting estimates bills which we paid by direct debit. Eventually got fed up when the first bill of 2013 came in and was way to high. Checked the meter and we did not own all of it. Cancelled the direct debit , refused to pay the bill ( BoardGais ) . Before the next bill was due i submitted the correct readings , got a bill for the correct amount and paid it. All good so far.
Now the fun starts , the meter screen went dead and ESB couldn't read it . They came a week or 2 later and changed the meter.  Next bill has arrived and what a bill !! It is a huge estimate ( they couldn't read the meter ) .

Board Gais does not want to hear about it and tell me to call ESB.
ESB send me back to BoardGais.

It is not our fault if the meter went dead yet we have to pay for electricity we did not use.
The frustrating part of it is that nobody in ESB or BoardGais will listen to you  , the only answer is pay your bill.

Anybody was in this situation before ?

EI: Una

Hi there,

We Electric Ireland operate separately to ESB Networks (which operates and maintains the grid on behalf of all suppliers) so they and your supplier are the people to keep communicating with. ESB Networks do not have a presence on Boards.ie.

Generally speaking, if there is an issue with an electricity meter, the customer's supplier needs to liaise with ESB Networks to arrange for a technician to inspect the meter. While this is pending, it is advisable for the customer to make payments into their electricity account when they can, in order to reduce the bill that will eventually generate for the usage while the issue is being resolved.

ESB Networks endeavours to read a domestic meter four times per year, and the remaining two bills are based on estimates (which can be corrected immediately with a customer reading). This is subject to accessibility of the meter though. If a customer is receiving successive estimates, we strongly urge them to check whether the meter can be made more accessible, or if not, send us customer readings.

Regards,
Una

ah sure !

Thanks Una .
The meter is accessible and no they did not come in 18 months.
The meter was dead so it was replaced , i couldn't and ESB couldn't read it .
Anyway i guess it is nobody's fault and i just have to pay for other's mistakes.

Boards members , Anybody had a similar issue ?

EI: Una

Hi again,

Just for clarification: is there an issue with the replacement meter, causing difficulty with reading it?

Regards,
Una

ah sure !

Electric Ireland: Una wrote: »

Hi again,

Just for clarification: is there an issue with the replacement meter, causing difficulty with reading it?

Regards,
Una

No the new meter is fine, the readings are working . Since it is a new meter the readings started from scratch ( 0000 )
I have an issue with the last ESTIMATE bill i got while the previous meter was dead. ESB couldn't read it so just sent an estimate that was enormous !

EI: Una

Hi again,

Thanks for clarifying. For how many months did the estimate cover?

Regards,
Una

ah sure !

Electric Ireland: Una wrote: »

Hi again,

Thanks for clarifying. For how many months did the estimate cover?

Regards,
Una

The previous bill was based on 4 months after i submitted an actual reading  so i guess this estimate was based on that previous bill . This is wrong.  This is just a guess though. And to ad to that we were away for 10 days during that time !

EI: Una

Hi again,

Previous usage for an estimate can be the criteria on which a bill is based - it is a standard and fast procedure though to correct an estimated bill once a reading is submitted. If it is not possible to send a reading, it is advisable to contact the supplier to see whether a payment plan can be put in place. If there is an overpayment, the difference will show in a subsequent bill.

When a customer wishes to query an electricity estimate, we would generally advise speaking with the supplier as well as ESB Networks.

All the best,
Una

ah sure !

Electric Ireland: Una wrote: »

Hi again,

Previous usage for an estimate can be the criteria on which a bill is based - it is a standard and fast procedure though to correct an estimated bill once a reading is submitted. If it is not possible to send a reading, it is advisable to contact the supplier to see whether a payment plan can be put in place. If there is an overpayment, the difference will show in a subsequent bill.

When a customer wishes to query an electricity estimate, we would generally advise speaking with the supplier as well as ESB Networks.

All the best,
Una

that's useful !

Boards.ie: Niamh

Since this is not an Electric Ireland issue, I am closing the thread here. OP has started a similar thread in Consumer Issues if you want to contribute there.