Northern Isles MP Alistair Carmichael to highlight radio teleswitch shutdown issues for Shetland households at ministerial roundtable
MP calls for evidence after latest meter switch shambles leaves customers in the dark over their bills
Northern Isles MP Alistair Carmichael to highlight radio teleswitch shutdown issues for Shetland households at ministerial roundtable
A ministerial roundtable has been called to address the latest in a series of shambolic mishaps affecting people’s energy bills.
Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael welcomed the decision to resume talks on the radio teleswitch service (RTS) shutdown after customers in the isles highlighted major concerns with the switchover so far.
Mr Carmichael had already branded the RTS switchover an “utter shambles” due to the slow pace of replacing the outdated meters with modern alternatives.
It has now emerged that many households which have had their meters replaced have not received a bill in months, are unable to submit readings and have no idea how much they owe.
The Shetland Times put a call out for people to get in touch with their experiences and was inundated with comments from folk who had struggled.
Nicole Keir said her granny had smart meter installed in April - and was still without a connection. “She can’t top up her account, meter readings can’t be submitted and they aren’t telling us whether she’s going to be charged for the electricity usage until this is sorted out,” she said.
“We’ve been having an email back and forth trying to figure out when someone will be coming to look at it.
“It’s absolutely shocking.”
Rachel Williamson said she had also been without a bill since her meter was changed in May. She accused EDF of “terrible customer service” and said no one had been able to tell her what had gone wrong.
Catriona Thomson said she was almost pleased to learn she was not the only one affected. “I've submitted meter readings regularly since I had someone along to check the reading and still my app is pending for bills,” she said.
“I was nearly £4,000 in credit at one point. I called them and seemingly got it sorted and everything was fine for a week or two and now my app says I'm nearly £3000 in debit.”
Lisa Humphray said she had lodged a formal complaint with EDF.
“They are bombarding me with text, email and letter ‘reminders’ to change my meter despite having it done in April.” she said.
“I can’t give a meter reading and have no idea how much I owe them.”
Others have complained about prices going up since the switch - and many have still been unable to get their old meters changed.
According to Energy UK, which is leading the switchover, there were still around 1,100 households in Shetland still waiting for their meters to be changed as of 3rd October.
Across Scotland there are 58,000 RTS meters left.
Energy UK said it had made “good progress” in Shetland over recent months and thanked all those involved.
“But it’s far from job done yet and we must keep the awareness and the momentum going,” it added.
“So we urge the remaining customers to get in touch with their supplier as soon as possible.
“The RTS signal will be switched off before too long and the sooner you get your meter replaced, the sooner you can be sure of avoiding any issues with your heating and hot water.”
EDF, which has taken the brunt of the criticism, said it was aware some Shetland customers had raised concerns since their meters were switched.
“We would encourage anyone who is experiencing problems to get in touch with us, so we can investigate as a priority,” it added.
“We remain committed to helping customers exchange their RTS meters as soon as possible, which includes allocating dedicated resource to ensure capacity for all customers who still need to book an appointment.
“To effectively manage this, customers still requiring an appointment must contact us urgently.
“It’s easy to do, and appointments are free of charge. If an appointment isn’t immediately available, customers will be placed on a priority list to be booked in as soon as possible.”
Mr Carmichael has asked constituents to contact him with concerns so he can raise them at the next roundtable.
The monthly meetings with the energy minister had been postponed due to a ministerial reshuffle in September but will resume on Monday, 17th November.
Mr Carmichael said: “Having pressed the government to restart discussions with MPs on the radio teleswitch service shutdown as soon as possible, I am glad that a new meeting has been set.
“Progress remains slow so we need to use this to set a marker and get results as we head into the winter.
“There are still hundreds of households in the Northern Isles with RTS meters in need of replacement and even with the delay announced during the summer there is only so much time left for this system to run.
“More concerningly there are reports of people who have had their RTS meters replaced finding issues with their smart meters.
“People need absolute confidence that they can get their meter replaced - and that the replacement will be at least at good as what they had before, both in reliability and in the quality of their tariff.
“These are the concerns that I shall be raising at the new RTS ministerial roundtable - and I would urge anyone in the isles facing challenges with their RTS meter or its replacement to contact my office before Monday 17th November.”
Constituents can email alistair.carmichael.mp@parliament.uk.