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rvintner
Rank 2
October 25, 2023
Solved

Smart meter installation problems - poor signal?

  • October 25, 2023
  • 75 replies
  • 4764 views

Hi there,

 

New to the community but have read numerous posts on this subject and have learnt a lot in the process!

Brief history is that I bought an EV, moved to OVO so as to benefit from favourable EV tariff, have been trying to get a Smart Meter installed since May, constantly get fobbed off with e-mails/conversations like the one below and am no further forward.  I live six miles from Colchester, not in the NW of Scotland.

Aside from the fact that I think the e-mail below is appalling - who is going to understand a mail like this without the technical knowledge required - what I would like to know from the amazing people on this forum is this:

Is it so unusual that a T3 aerial would be required for installation (if this indeed is what they mean by “an issue relating to T3 aerial”)?  Is this for installer to provide?  Could I purchase one so that there would then be one less problem?  Is it a genuine excuse to cancel the installation appointment?

The mail says that it would require the DCC to come out to the property.  Really?  I have looked this up as much as I can and  from what I can see the DCC is appointed by the government to roll out the network and has nothing to do with individual installations.  To me, this looks as though OVO is trying to put up a smoke screen and confuse people.  Happy to be told if I have got this wrong.

I understand the need for a good signal so that the meter can communicate but, as I say, I am surrounded by the likes of Colchester and Braintree, I’m not in the back of beyond.

All of this stems from the fact that “an issue/predicted technical abort”has been flagged on my account.  How that got there, I don’t know and nor does anyone at OVO (that is prepared to admit it anyway).  they said that an engineer visited but I have lived here for 15 years and an engineer has never visited.  So anyone I speak to just falls back on this comment and says “nothing can be done”.  So on it goes, around and around.

My assumption is this - I live in a “rural community”, despite being six miles from Colchester. I fear that my post code is colour coded to equal “difficult”or “costly” and so it just goes into the Too Difficult Box and no-one is going to help sort it out.

So, good forum friends, how do I take this forward and cut through the technobabble coming from OVO?  How do I get someone to take some action to get this “technical abort” removed from my account (if indeed there is even such a thing) and then come and install this smart meter that they keep telling me in the emails that they send to say that my current meter is old and must be replaced.  How do I cut through the “customer support team’ to someone who can actually do something.

 

Thank you in anticipation.

Thanks for getting in touch with us. My name is Alex, an account management agent here at OVO energy.

I have tried to contact you on the both phone numbers attached on the system, first phone number ending in -155 and second phone number ending in -853, but unfortunately I was unable to reach you, so I hope this email finds you well.

Firstly, I would like to apologize for the dissatisfaction caused by the service that has been provided. I will make sure to raise a feedback on the account for our team to reflect back on.

Upon investigating the account I can see that there was a cancellation due to a predicted technical abort, technical about means when the engineer is unable to install the smart meter in the address due to an issue relating to T3 aerial.

Upon checking the account I can see that the cancellation has been done as we would require T3 Aerial as well as the DCC (Data Communications Company) to come out to the property.

I can see that the request to remove the technical abort has been raised previously however until this has been lifted we are unable to book an appointment, and the moment there is no time frame for this.

I understand that you would like to receive a refund based on the lower tariff, however we would be unable to do that due to our eligibility criteria, which states that in order to benefit from our EV Charge anytime tariff the customer needs to have a smart electric meter and consent to Half Hourly Reads.

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Thanks,

Alex
Best answer by Blastoise186

Updated on 31/03/25 by Ben_OVO

Yes, they cost something like an extra £25 per install, just for the parts - this doesn’t include labour either.

They’re effectively giant external aerials that are even bigger and more powerful than the T2 Aerials that we’ve seen many times on the Forum. The idea is that they’re High-Gain and can suck up signals in weak signal areas and blast out a more powerful signal in such areas such that it has a chance at working and gaining a stable connection.

Put another way, your cheap and rubbish ISP router that you get for “free” and is worth maybe £10 (except that you pay for it) often has a pretty measly 18dBm TX Power (Transmit Power) and maybe a 1dBi Antenna Gain, so it might work in a flat… But an average two bed house makes it struggle. On the other hand, my £300 Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine has a TX Power of 26dBm and an Antenna Gain of something like 4.5dBi - which is MASSIVELY more powerful and has a ridiculously strong range compared to the “free” routers ISPs give out. For a home environment such as my one-bed flat, it’s stupidly overpowered. But in a giant mansion, it has a way better chance at having decent coverage.

That’s the difference between the built in aerials on a regular Comms Hub and a T2/T3 Aerial.

However, there’s also a thing of having too much TX Power which also causes problems. Having too much power pumped into your transmissions can cause interference. Not a problem for my Ubiquiti UniFi kit as it’s capable of detecting that and automatically resolving it. But a T3 Aerial can’t do that as there’s no automatic way of resolving said interference. This, I believe, is one of the reasons they’re not given out freely.

 

75 replies

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R
Rank 2
rvintnerAuthor
Rank 2
November 30, 2023

Have requested a deadlock letter from my ARS. This was the reply:

I am sorry that you wish to contact the Ombudsman. However, we do not issue a Ombudsman letter until 8 weeks, and your complaint is only 35 days old. I will surely get one sent out to you when your complaint reaches the 8 week mark.

My goodwill gesture of £30 credit still applies if you change your mind and agree to closing the complaint.

If you would like to accept this then please let me know, and I will credit the account immediately. You can reach out either by simply replying to this email or by calling 0330 102 7400 and asking to speak to me. I have included your case reference number in the subject of this email. I am available Monday - Friday, 09:00 - 17:30.

 

OVO still encouraging me to close the complaint. Interesting that I am being told that complaint “is only 35 days old” bearing in mind that I have been contacting OVO since May by phone and letter and by email since August.
 

Looking back over the emails, it was interesting to re-read the following:

This was sent to me on 7th August  

We need to let you know your electricity meter’s certification has expired.
 

The certification is a guarantee that your meter’s working as it should. So, right now, we can’t be certain it’s measuring your readings accurately, which could cause inaccurate bills. This means we need to replace your current meter as soon as possible.
 

Book your free smart meter appointment
 

Traditional meters are being phased out, so your replacement will be a smart meter. You can make an appointment for a new one online or over the phone. The installation usually only takes our engineers around 90 minutes.

 

and then this on 10th August:

 

Thanks for getting in touch with us. My name is Chloe, I am a digital agent here at OVO.

I have tried to give you a call however I was unable to get through. I can see from looking over your account we do have an appointment arranged for your smart meter booking on the 24.8.23 between 8am-12pm. I can see you are eligible for this booking and there are no notifications which indicate this appointment would be unsuccessful.

This is the whole point of this long running saga. We have gone from You Need a New Meter and There Are No Notifications Which Indicate This Appointment Would Be Unsuccessful to all this stuff about T3 aerials. My point remains the same as it did at the very beginning and the point that I made to OVO on countless occasions - a note was put on my account that referred to this predicted technical abort but no one can tell me by whom or when. 
 

And now I am being told that my “complaint” (actually a simple request to have a meter installed) is only 35 days old when in fact it is a minimum of 120 days old. 
 

if there is anyone out there from OVO who is reading this and thinking “we could probably do better than this” do please feel free to get in touch. 
    Jeffus
    Rank 20
    Jeffus
    Rank 20
    November 30, 2023

    @rvintner What a load of rubbish. They can issue a deadlock letter at any time

    I suspect what they have said is unlawful. 

    You could try taking the offer correspondence to the Ombudsman if you wanted to, along with as much info as possible and a copy of this thread. They may take on the case  now ovo have made an offer you don't want to accept.

    @Tim_OVO I seriously think this complaint handler needs investigating after refusing a deadlock letter. Will you escalate this?

     

    ‐‐---‐------------------

     

    *Before raising your dispute with us, please allow your supplier 8 weeks to put things right (unless you receive a deadlock letter from them sooner).

     

    From ofgem the ovo regulator

     

      Tim_OVO
      OVO Staff
      Tim_OVO
      OVO Forum Legend
      December 1, 2023

      Hi @rvintner, thanks for the latest message. 

       

      A supplier has the right to 8 weeks from the time that a complaint is first raised, to try and resolve the complaint internally. They may be happy to issue a deadlock letter before, and after that you have the right to approach the Ombudsmen before 8 weeks and the supplier should issue a letter of deadlock. 

       

      Based on what you said about raising the complaint longer than 8 weeks ago, and the fact that we’re not actively trying to resolve the complaint between now and the deadline date, I think a deadlock letter is the least we could do. I’ve asked our Forum_Support team to reach out to you to get some account details so we can reach out to your complaint handler. 

      Carbon neutral - we need a community to get there! My green tech: Aclara SGM 1411-B smart meter, Chameleon IHD6
      R
      Rank 2
      rvintnerAuthor
      Rank 2
      January 24, 2024

      Hi

      If anyone is still linked to this thread I just wanted to give you an update.  Now about eight months on and no progress has been made.  My last contact from OVO was on 1.12.23, actually no, someone did call me, when I was at work, but only to repeat the same old stuff as noted above and with no constructive input at all.  At the end of last year I asked for a Deadlock letter but this has not been sent to me.  Told that my complaint had not been long running enough despite my first letter being sent to OVO Energy on 12th May 2023.  I will try one more letter to OVO CEO as per their web site and will then send a copy of this thread and all e-mails to the likes of Martin Lewis.  It is disappointing that despite writing to me on 7th August 2023 informing me that “we need to replace your meter as soon as possible” and confirming that “your replacement will be a smart meter”, OVO have done nothing that has in any way looked to find a way to install a smart meter and everything to tell me that one can not possibly be installed.

        Jeffus
        Rank 20
        Jeffus
        Rank 20
        January 24, 2024

        Hi

        If anyone is still linked to this thread I just wanted to give you an update.  Now about eight months on and no progress has been made.  My last contact from OVO was on 1.12.23, actually no, someone did call me, when I was at work, but only to repeat the same old stuff as noted above and with no constructive input at all.  At the end of last year I asked for a Deadlock letter but this has not been sent to me.  Told that my complaint had not been long running enough despite my first letter being sent to OVO Energy on 12th May 2023.  I will try one more letter to OVO CEO as per their web site and will then send a copy of this thread and all e-mails to the likes of Martin Lewis.  It is disappointing that despite writing to me on 7th August 2023 informing me that “we need to replace your meter as soon as possible” and confirming that “your replacement will be a smart meter”, OVO have done nothing that has in any way looked to find a way to install a smart meter and everything to tell me that one can not possibly be installed.

        I suggest you chat to the Ombudsman, they sometimes take cases on without a deadlock letter if you can show them the first time to raised the issue was over 8 weeks ago

        https://www.energyombudsman.org/

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