How can I avoid paying for electricity twice?

[Ahwj3]

I've just moved to Pretoria from the Netherlands and have moved into a house I bought last year. At the time of purchase, the estate agent suggested getting a pre-paid meter installed in the property which was installed by Ideal Prepay.

Having moved to South Africa at the start of July, I realised that I'm now paying for electricity twice. Once via the rates charged in the complex and again by having to top up the pre-paid meter in the house.

The company that charges for rates is being very difficult and is giving us no option other than to either convert the meter into one of their own (via a key token change) or to install one of their own meters from scratch. Given that I'm already paying for electricity, it seems as though the rates company is being very difficult in not letting us switch back to the flat rate we are currently being charged.

Does anyone have any advice on how we can revert back to the flat rate charge?

 

[LazyLion]

The company that is charging you the rates should be the managing agents appointed by the body corporate? Right?
So they should actually be fighting on your behalf.
If you are not getting any joy from them, then go and attend one of the body corporate meetings and tell them your story.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Is this a common practise thing to have third parties install prepaid in Jo'burg?

Surely it should all be done by the municipality and nobody else?

 

[JGibbs]

If you are staying in an estate/complex, there is your portion of the common property electricity (electric fencing, common property lighting, guard house, pool equipment etc...)

 

[Gaz{M}]

Is this a common practise thing to have third parties install prepaid in Jo'burg?

Surely it should all be done by the municipality and nobody else?

In my estate, the entire estate buys electricity in Bulk from the municipality. It is up to the estate to collect the prepaid funds and pay the monthly bill. That is why we have to use a private metering company.

 

[Ahwj3]

The company that is charging you the rates should be the managing agents appointed by the body corporate? Right?
So they should actually be fighting on your behalf.
If you are not getting any joy from them, then go and attend one of the body corporate meetings and tell them your story.

We were advised to install the pre-paid meter by an estate agent (big mistake!)... An electrician has just visited and is going to remove the meter...

 

[Ahwj3]

Hi all, the complex has individual meters already installed, so we just had the extra pre-paid meter removed and now we're sorted! Thanks for your help...

 

[reactor_sa]

In my estate, the entire estate buys electricity in Bulk from the municipality. It is up to the estate to collect the prepaid funds and pay the monthly bill. That is why we have to use a private metering company.

This is ****, I remember those days I had to put up with that, complete rip off. If city of Jo'burg is expensive, then those 3rd party knobs are expensive+20%

 

[richjdavies]

Sounds like you've done the right thing - i.e. remove the superfluous meter you decided to have installed.

However, if I was you I would continuing chasing Ideal Prepaid. If you were paying for electricity to them, they should be paying the ultimate bill-payer the price of the electricity -- it just turns out that is you. So at the very least you should be getting your money back off them again?

Does that make sense?

e.g. normally these 3rd party meters installed by Ideal go like this:

City --normal meter-->Landlord --prepaid--> Tenant
1000kwh 400kwh
So the Landlord asks Ideal to install a meter between his supply and the tenant so that the tenant pays for what they used. The landlord pays the whole bill (1000kwh x say R1.50/kwh = R1500); and then tenant pays for his prepaid tokens (400kwh x 1.50 = 600 + 20% ideal fee = R720).

In this case, Ideal should be paying the Landlord the R600 they took off the tenant for electricity... (they keep their fee of R120)

In your case, you are both the Landlord and the Tenant -- so when you bought that meter, they should have asked you where you want that money to be paid. If not, maybe they paid it to the body corporate on your behalf... either way, about 40% of your double-paying has been paid to someone?!