Seems like this is more common than they are admitting to. Whilst accepting the meters are their property, I cannot accept that after being hassled to get one, paying a daily service charge that includes metering and supply costs , that they can just wash their hands of having to fix it. If its not fit for purpose, then it should be replaced, unfortunately SP are hiding behind the fact that it is still a meter so no compulsion to replace - well guess what my old dial meter was still a meter but you replaced that whilst it was still working.
Cant help thinking this is all about biting off more than they can chew and with such a baglog of Smart meters to install, fixing broken ones is way down the 'to do list' for SP.
@dw4481 If you're certain your gas meter is not working (but still supplying) you need to get it reported and fixed ASAP because SP are unlkely to write off any gas usage since the last reliable reading they had from it. They will more than likely bill you an estimated usage for the period the meter does not record. And we all know how accurate estimated bills are...
The gas meter is probably still working and sending data even if it is not showing up on the IHD or the App. You can take manual readings from the gas meter if you wake it up by pressing a button.
The customer interfaces are a shambles at the moment, but it does not mean the smart meters have stopped working.
Already posted regarding this. Quite annoyed that I asked for a complaint to be raised and was told that it would be sent. More than 10 days later still waiting. It is not the fact that the smart meter is not working, as it is, it is the fact that the monitor is not we were told we would be able to monitor our useage!
What makes you think they lied? How do you know your meters are not sending data? They can work without an IHD.
@DavcI admire your optimism in this, but it is not the experience of several ofus here. I had ACTAVO run checks remotely on my system when this all happened to me (indeed their agent was really helpful). The term used and accepted by the installers and SP is that the meters have been 'bricked'. They have returned to being just a dumb meter... They are not somehow sending data clandestinely to SP, they have failed when a software patch has been pushed to them via the network (perhaps an internal battery issue as suggested by ACTAVO). They still meter accurately, but they do not send data to the Electricity meter, then on to SP (because thats how it all works - Gas -> Electric -> Supplier). You can check this on your account, if like me your Electricity meter is still working you can see a SMART reading when you go to the 'Enter your own readings' bit of the website for the electricity which will be close to what the smart meter is displaying - but on the gas there will be an old reading, or no reading in the box below. SP have catergorically stated that, in their opinion they are not obliged to replace this meter of mine because it can still be read manually - so they accept it is not smart any more but will NOT do anything about it. So I will be reopening my complaint they closed and fully escalating it to the ombudsman because the line SP are taking seems not to follow the code of practice.
The IHD is a 'red herring' in all of this, it is a different issue to the Gas Meter fails. It is just an awful piece of tech that fails too often and despite their obligations under the code of practice, SP are unable to replace them due to shortages, with new Smart Meter install customers getting what little they have.
@dw4481 Many people who've had complaints with SP are not at all impressed with their ability to resolve them to mutual satisfaction. So I suggest you to start collating data on your PAST gas usage now, while you still have a chance to get at the data and make head or tail of it. You'll need it if you escalate a complaint to the ombudsman. See if you can find your ACTUAL, (not estimated) gas usage readings from this period last year, the year before, in fact as many past years as you can so you'll be able to compare them to the high bill SP will undoubtedly present you with when the meter is fixed. With true readings of what you've historically used in early winter, SP (or the ombudsman if you go that far) are more likely to bill you a comparable, fair amount.