I had the same issue with Bord Gais / Gas Networks ... they rejected the readings as they were so out of whack with previous readings \ estimations. Possibly with covid meter wasn't read and usage increased. I think Bord Gais were left significantly out of pocket as the previous owner had passed away.I had a major billing issue with SSE that took months to resolve, but got it eventually.
Basically, there was some kind of error with a meter reading before or just after I moved in and ALL readings I gave or the ESB reader gave were rejected.
It was exacerbated by the fact that the house has no central heating, only storage heaters downstairs (3 broken ones I should say) and 2x panel heaters upstairs which have broken timers but otherwise work. So calculating actual energy use was challenging, but eventually, after 4 months of to and fro with SSE I got it.
Basically I took photographs and videos of my readings every month from the time I moved in and submitted them anyway.
Then the first time I talked to customer services they asked me to photograph the meter with a copy of the days paper showing date in the background. I did this and the issue wasn't fixed.
So I decided to try again before putting in a formal complaint - they asked me to submit a reading with daily paper showing date again and this time they fixed it after about a week.
All the previously rejected self submitted and ESB Metering readings mysteriously got rectified correctly, and by the time it got resolved I had been overcharged 330 euros before VAT for less than 8 months electricity. So as you can imagine I am very glad to have this sorted!
Either way - take meter readings yourself on a monthly basis, go to customer services at least once, and make a complaint to supplier if they don't fix the issue.
I was going to take complaint to regulator if they didn't work but fortunately the second try with customer services worked out. Important thing is to get regular photos and video evidence of the meter readings with dates.
Absolutely - it could be yesterdays paper, and if you take a video, the electronic meters cycle through phases where the date and time actually shows! But they won't accept that - its entirely backward, fully agreed.This nonsense with the daily paper in the photo proves how backward EI etc are technology-wise. This paper-in-picture might have been state-of-the-art around the time of the Lindbergh kidnapping, 1930, almost a century ago!!
Today, take a digital photograph and the image itself contains the date and time the image was taken, the ID of the device used to take the picture, lens setting and shutter-speed of the taking device, the location and whether the image has been altered/manipulated since the creation date, etc. This is the basic EXIF information that trumps the potentially "photoshopped" newspaper headline the utilities insist on in their ignorance.
Yeah, the house I bought had been rented, and as last tenants were evicted may well have been some issues. All sorted now anyway. Got a wood burning stove installed downstairs and that further slashed my usage, so usage is significantly down on and no more wildly inaccurate estimated bills.I had the same issue with Bord Gais / Gas Networks ... they rejected the readings as they were so out of whack with previous readings \ estimations. Possibly with covid meter wasn't read and usage increased. I think Bord Gais were left significantly out of pocket as the previous owner had passed away.
Like yourself, had to do the photo with today's paper thing.
Many phone cameras don't capture much of that data, but it is is all user-editable so can't be relied upon. Right-click on an image in Widows Explorer, select properties, double-click the date and set any value you want, even far into the future.Today, take a digital photograph and the image itself contains the date and time the image was taken, the ID of the device used to take the picture, lens setting and shutter-speed of the taking device, the location and whether the image has been altered/manipulated since the creation date, etc. This is the basic EXIF information that trumps the potentially "photoshopped" newspaper headline the utilities insist on in their ignorance.
The edited date comes from the file attributes and not the image metadata. Someone viewing a file downloaded from an external email will see the edited date as the timestamp the local copy was created on their system. EI won't have access to your file system, so won't see the file attributes as you see them.That action will also set the "date edited" and "edited bit" so the recipient can see it's been altered.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?