Electric Ireland - pre-pay meter installed without authorisation

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Snowdon

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Hi, I hope this is the right forum and maybe someone can offer some advice here...

We have a property let out via an agency. The last tenant got a pre-pay gas meter installed by Electric Ireland without my authorisation, and now the new tenant is complaining that EI are asking her for €200 to have it removed,because she wants to pay a regular bill (understandably enough since the gas is cheaper).

I contacted EI asking for this €200 fee to be waived since it was installed without authorisation, but they told me that my wife had authorised it. She had no memory of doing so, and I found this very surprising since her name and phone number would not be on any documentation relating to the house (I had bought it before we were married). When she called EI and enquired further, they said her phone number didn't match the phone number that was used for the "authorisation".

After repeated attempts to contact EI, they eventually told me that the matter was between me and the former tenant (so basically tough sh1t, pay the 200 snots). Their argument was "what are we supposed to do if someone tells us they're the landlord?" and the woman I spoke to rejected my arguments that they could check with the PRTB, get written authorisation along with proof of ownership (like they had requested from me before talking to me) or get the tenant to pay for the installation (so that there would be no charge for removal).

I am surely not the first landlord that this has happened to, but when I said this to the woman in EI, her response was "well you're the first case I've seen". I asked for an address where I could make a written complaint, but all she gave me was the address of the department she was working in, which I don't reckon is going to give me an impartial hearing.

First of all, has anyone else here been in this situation? Have I got reasonable grounds for complaint, and a waiver of this €200 charge? (At the end of the day, that's all I'm looking for).

Secondly, if I want to make an official complaint about Electric Ireland (since their authorisation procedure is pathetic), who can I complain to who will actually listen and potentially do something about this?
 
Surely this would have come to light with a proper exit inspection and a meter reading, in which case you could have deducted the cost from the old tenant.
As regards EI, I cannot help you.
 
Snowdon said:
Their argument was "what are we supposed to do if someone tells us they're the landlord?" and the woman I spoke to rejected my arguments that they could check with the PRTB, get written authorisation along with proof of ownership (like they had requested from me before talking to me) or get the tenant to pay for the installation (so that there would be no charge for removal).
Click to expand...

How could EI check with the PRTB. It's not possible. Did the tenants lie, possibly. If EI did not go via the correct procedure then they are at fault. So first you have to figure out the procedure for changing how a house is billed.

This is what I would do:

Pay the €200 so your current tenant gets the cheaper gas and is happy.
Find out EI procedures for changeover of supply method of billing and make a complaint in writing. Email is easier if that's possible.
Find out if a landlord can prevant tenants from changing their methods of billing, I'm not sure if this is allowed, if it is, then you should agree it with the tenant not to change from what is there when they rent initially, if not, then you make it a condition of tenancy that they pay the 200€ to restore back to previous situation on moving.

To be honest as a landlord paying the € 200 is tax deductable so it's irrelevant really.
 
They do not have consent.Normally when they are putting one in, they might get the owner to sign a consent form. Ask them to send you out a copy of the landlord consent form that was filled in.


Other than that- stay on the phone until they put you through to a supervisor.


Also- if you check the terms and conditions- it does not specify that a cost will always be incurred at the time of removal and it does not state the fee. Ask them to provide you with a link or documentation to support the 200 euro fee.
 
Bronte said:
To be honest as a landlord paying the € 200 is tax deductable so it's irrelevant really.
Click to expand...

The fact that the €200 is tax deductible only means it doesn't cost you the full €200; it still costs about €100 so I wouldn't say irrelevant. I have often heard people claiming that because something is deductible it is free to the landlord or business owner and it really annoys me.

By the same rationale, why not donate all of your income to the Irish Cancer Society - it's deductible ;-)
 
@Snowdon,

Have you looked into taking Electric Ireland to the small claims court to make them pay for the damage they did to your property?
 
I had a similar problem with a different company a while back. PrePayPower I think. The tenant left without notice and I only discovered the prepay meter (for electricity) when it started alerting due to low credit. The company insisted that there was a minimum contract that I would have to pay to exit and to have the meter removed. The company also insisted that my management agent had approved it on my behalf. After spending sometime on the phone and a bit of back and forth, as there were no records supporting the approval and the contract was not with me, they removed the meter 48 hours later without charge.

If you are not happy with the complaints handling procedure, you can raise the issue with the CER, or you can examine legal options, sometimes a letter is enough. Probably worth doing both, but both are lengthy and will not satisfy your new tenants.
 
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