ᐅ Utility company has incorrect meter numbers in their system – what should I do?
Created on: 4 Sep 2023 15:53
K
kati1337
Hello everyone,
We have received the welcome letters from our local supplier (Pfalzwerke) confirming that we have been placed on the basic supply tariff. We have two meters, and Pfalzwerke is demanding a total prepayment of 390€.
Of course, we don’t want to pay that much, so we intended to switch to another electricity provider based on our actual, calculated electricity consumption.
However, we noticed that the meter numbers on the welcome letters are incorrect. After speaking with Pfalzwerke Netz by phone, it turned out that these wrong meter numbers from the letters are registered in their system. They do not recognize the actual meter numbers we have on our meters.
When I asked what I should do next, the customer service agent didn’t have an answer. He advised against signing a contract using the incorrect meter numbers registered in their system since these might belong to someone else (??). Also, entering a contract with the correct meter numbers likely won’t work because these are unknown to the grid operator’s system.
Do you have any suggestions on how I should proceed? I definitely don’t want to be stuck on their basic supply tariff. Their reputation in the region, judging by Google reviews, matches my experience: they seem overwhelmed and understaffed. I don’t expect any quick resolution from the grid operator.
What would you do in my place? Would you pay these absurdly high prepayments? Honestly, I don’t see why I should. Those aren’t my meter numbers, the calculation is baseless and not transparent. They don’t even have my SEPA mandate yet.
I am considering simply not paying when the first prepayment is due or disputing the payment because the meter number is not mine. Is the contract even valid? First, the meter number is wrong. Secondly, the cancellation policy states a "14-day period starting from the day the contract was concluded." The contract is dated August 14, but I only received the letter explaining these terms on August 28. Moreover, it was sent to the construction site address and just left there without a mailbox. The meters were also installed later than the supposed contract date.
On the other hand, I do not want them to cut off our power. The first prepayment is due at the end of September. If nothing is resolved by then, I am thinking of involving a lawyer.
Additionally, I am considering going ahead and signing my desired electricity contract using the CORRECT meter numbers as seen in the meter cabinet, and just waiting to see what happens.
We have received the welcome letters from our local supplier (Pfalzwerke) confirming that we have been placed on the basic supply tariff. We have two meters, and Pfalzwerke is demanding a total prepayment of 390€.
Of course, we don’t want to pay that much, so we intended to switch to another electricity provider based on our actual, calculated electricity consumption.
However, we noticed that the meter numbers on the welcome letters are incorrect. After speaking with Pfalzwerke Netz by phone, it turned out that these wrong meter numbers from the letters are registered in their system. They do not recognize the actual meter numbers we have on our meters.
When I asked what I should do next, the customer service agent didn’t have an answer. He advised against signing a contract using the incorrect meter numbers registered in their system since these might belong to someone else (??). Also, entering a contract with the correct meter numbers likely won’t work because these are unknown to the grid operator’s system.
Do you have any suggestions on how I should proceed? I definitely don’t want to be stuck on their basic supply tariff. Their reputation in the region, judging by Google reviews, matches my experience: they seem overwhelmed and understaffed. I don’t expect any quick resolution from the grid operator.
What would you do in my place? Would you pay these absurdly high prepayments? Honestly, I don’t see why I should. Those aren’t my meter numbers, the calculation is baseless and not transparent. They don’t even have my SEPA mandate yet.
I am considering simply not paying when the first prepayment is due or disputing the payment because the meter number is not mine. Is the contract even valid? First, the meter number is wrong. Secondly, the cancellation policy states a "14-day period starting from the day the contract was concluded." The contract is dated August 14, but I only received the letter explaining these terms on August 28. Moreover, it was sent to the construction site address and just left there without a mailbox. The meters were also installed later than the supposed contract date.
On the other hand, I do not want them to cut off our power. The first prepayment is due at the end of September. If nothing is resolved by then, I am thinking of involving a lawyer.
Additionally, I am considering going ahead and signing my desired electricity contract using the CORRECT meter numbers as seen in the meter cabinet, and just waiting to see what happens.
kati1337 schrieb:
I am also considering just going ahead and signing my desired electricity contract using the CORRECT meter numbers, as shown on the meter box, and seeing what happens. The representative from the grid operator already told you that your meter numbers are not registered in their system. Your grid operator will remain Pfalzwerke Netz even if you choose a different supplier. So if you now register with another supplier using unregistered meter numbers, Pfalzwerke Netz will have no choice but to reject your registration due to unknown meter numbers.
I suspect you will need to resolve this issue directly with Pfalzwerke Netz.
R
RotorMotor4 Sep 2023 16:13Why don’t they just fix it?
H
HeimatBauer4 Sep 2023 16:15Caution – the meter numbers on the meter are not necessarily the meter numbers that the grid operator reports to the electricity supplier! In my case, I have a heat pump cascade, and it is NOT like that!
First, as correctly mentioned, you need to get the correct meter numbers from the grid operator. I don’t want to discourage you, but for me (in a different federal state), it actually took nearly three years (!) and a massive three-digit number of emails and phone calls until I finally got the heat pump electricity correctly reflected in the heat pump billing! No joke! Just this past weekend, I actually received an admission from the supplier that they had overcharged me by a four-digit amount and will refund it.
So without identified meter numbers, a contract with the electricity provider will not work. When they receive a meter number from you, the first thing they do is ask the grid operator, and if the grid operator does not have it registered, they will reject it.
First, as correctly mentioned, you need to get the correct meter numbers from the grid operator. I don’t want to discourage you, but for me (in a different federal state), it actually took nearly three years (!) and a massive three-digit number of emails and phone calls until I finally got the heat pump electricity correctly reflected in the heat pump billing! No joke! Just this past weekend, I actually received an admission from the supplier that they had overcharged me by a four-digit amount and will refund it.
So without identified meter numbers, a contract with the electricity provider will not work. When they receive a meter number from you, the first thing they do is ask the grid operator, and if the grid operator does not have it registered, they will reject it.
R
RotorMotor4 Sep 2023 16:19The topic raised by @HeimatBauer is completely different. The cascade with virtual meter numbers has nothing to do with incorrect numbers in the system. If necessary, contact BNetzA.
H
HeimatBauer4 Sep 2023 16:23RotorMotor schrieb:
Why don’t they just fix this?Muahuahua, I’m laughing so hard – this may seem very simple to you, but in the life of grid operators, cases like this simply aren’t accounted for; there’s no checkbox for that.
So yes, the grid operator has to assign the relevant meters correctly. Nothing is more complicated than that. Even if they are standard meters without any cascade.
Serious question: Is this really something the Federal Network Agency should handle? I still have a few issues to settle with my grid operator.
Similar topics