electric charges

[Hawkmoth]

I know it's been a while since they have been installed in Leeds, but my credit has lasted until now. I've just done my first top up on the account and was surprised and pretty p****d off to find that there is a 30p charge for the transaction. Now, I use a debit card and have never had a transaction charge for its use. It looks like another money making scam that CRT have done. Oh yes it may be easy when the system is fully working, but you can't, its seems, pay for what you want. Minimum £10 top up and a 30p charge for that. OK I'm a tightwad.

Bob

[Paul C]

Is there any way to top up while avoiding the 30p transaction charge?

[Hawkmoth]

Not that I know of, I could be wrong though.

Bob

[Phil Ambrose]

Two choices pay or go without.

Phil

[Hawkmoth]

Two choices pay or go without.

Phil

Very astute of you! I never thought of that. I was simply having a moan, and wondering if anyone else felt the same as I do that it is a hidden charge for a "new" service that will soon become universal ie if you want power you have to buy it though this system and while it may be illegal to charge more for getting electic than they pay, it's one more way of getting money. Some companies charge for the use a a credit card but I've never been charged for using a debit card before.

[Alan de Enfield]

Two choices pay or go without.

Phil

 

Surely you mean " a choice"

A choice has two options, therefore to have two choices there must be three options

 

So if there are two choices, one is "Pay", one is "don't pay" what is the third ?

 

Many,many, years ago had an English teacher who had a 'phobia' about the saying " got two choices"

[Jerra]

I know it's been a while since they have been installed in Leeds, but my credit has lasted until now. I've just done my first top up on the account and was surprised and pretty p****d off to find that there is a 30p charge for the transaction. Now, I use a debit card and have never had a transaction charge for its use. It looks like another money making scam that CRT have done. Oh yes it may be easy when the system is fully working, but you can't, its seems, pay for what you want. Minimum £10 top up and a 30p charge for that. OK I'm a tightwad.

Bob

I am not up on this system but if it is by debit card the 30p will be what CRT are charged (it may be more we used to be charge 45p or possibly less because of their size) Credit cards are generally a percentage but they may have gone for a flat fee. So all they are probably doing is passing on the charge rather than accept a cut of that size in the fee.

[Phil Ambrose]

 

Surely you mean " a choice"

A choice has two options, therefore to have two choices there must be three options

 

So if there are two choices, one is "Pay", one is "don't pay" what is the third ?

 

Many,many, years ago had an English teacher who had a 'phobia' about the saying " got two choices"

It shows

Phil

[Jerra]

 

Surely you mean " a choice"

A choice has two options, therefore to have two choices there must be three options

 

So if there are two choices, one is "Pay", one is "don't pay" what is the third ?

 

Many,many, years ago had an English teacher who had a 'phobia' about the saying " got two choices"

Its called Hobson's Choice. It dates back to a livery owner in the mid 1500s possible 1600s who gave customers the choice of the stall by the door or no stall i.e. go somewhere else.

[DaveP]

The bumph I got for these meters claimed that you could topup offline as well. If you're feeling bloody-minded after the weekend then dig your letters out and then try paying in cash at Fearns wharf....

 

I did work out that even with the 30p the electricity cost was still lower than we had been previously charged. I'm still waiting for a reply to my question as to how one obtains a refund for unused credit when one leaves ones mooring - I don't want to leave beer money in CRT s coffers while I'm away over summer....

[by'eck]

No need to worry about unused credit, it won't be wasted

 

Forget the charges - please can we have more power pedestals at other locations.

[Alan de Enfield]

Its called Hobson's Choice. It dates back to a livery owner in the mid 1500s possible 1600s who gave customers the choice of the stall by the door or no stall i.e. go somewhere else.

 

Indeed it does - however it is "Hobson's choice" not "Hobson's choices" ( ie you have a choice, not two choices)

[Hawkmoth]

The bumph I got for these meters claimed that you could topup offline as well. If you're feeling bloody-minded after the weekend then dig your letters out and then try paying in cash at Fearns wharf....

 

I did work out that even with the 30p the electricity cost was still lower than we had been previously charged. I'm still waiting for a reply to my question as to how one obtains a refund for unused credit when one leaves ones mooring - I don't want to leave beer money in CRT s coffers while I'm away over summer....

The credit does stay on your account, presumably for ever or until you use it. You can claim it back via the meter-macs website, but I think you have to cancel the account completely.

Bob

PS they charge you a fee to cancel!

edit for PS

Edited October 31, 2015 by lyraboat

[pearley]

No need to worry about unused credit, it won't be wasted

 

Forget the charges - please can we have more power pedestals at other locations.

Agree that we need more electricity bollards across the system but the new Smart Metered Bollards are not available for the likes of us CCers because CRT won't give us accounts.

 

According to the MeterMacs website if you have an account and it is in credit, you can use any of their bollards, so if you normally moor at Leeds but go out for a cruise, you can plug into an unused bollard at another site, enter your details and get electric.

[Loafer]

 

Surely you mean " a choice"

A choice has two options, therefore to have two choices there must be three options

 

So if there are two choices, one is "Pay", one is "don't pay" what is the third ?

 

Many,many, years ago had an English teacher who had a 'phobia' about the saying " got two choices"

 

Excellent! A fellow Pedant! Where's your Lodge?

[Iain_S]

The credit does stay on your account, presumably for ever or until you use it. You can claim it back via the meter-macs website, but I think you have to cancel the account completely.

Bob

PS they charge you a fee to cancel!

edit for PS

 

On the account, or on the bollard?

[pearley]

On the account, or on the bollard?

On the Smart Metered Bollards it stays on the account, and the account holder can go to any similar bollard and login to use it.

 

There are bollards around that use pre-paid cards, some of them take all the value of the card at once so if you leave before using it all the balance is

then available for the next user. There are others where you leave the card inserted and when you have finished, you press the eject button and remove the card with any unused electricity left on the card for use later.

Edited October 31, 2015 by pearley

[Rufford]

Three totally different systems. That's government for you.. m

[Hawkmoth]

Three totally different systems. That's government for you.. m

Not really. It's C&RT.

Bob

BTW I've never had any personal problems with CRT, I've found them nothing but helpful when needed.

[nicknorman]

Very astute of you! I never thought of that. I was simply having a moan, and wondering if anyone else felt the same as I do that it is a hidden charge for a "new" service that will soon become universal ie if you want power you have to buy it though this system and while it may be illegal to charge more for getting electic than they pay, it's one more way of getting money. Some companies charge for the use a a credit card but I've never been charged for using a debit card before.

The debit card companies don't provide their services out of love. They charge the recipient 20 or 30p for each transaction. So if CRT are not allowed to make a profit out of the elec supply, and you don't want them to recover their cost from you, just where should they get it from? From the rest of us out of our licence fee?

[Hawkmoth]

The debit card companies don't provide their services out of love. They charge the recipient 20 or 30p for each transaction. So if CRT are not allowed to make a profit out of the elec supply, and you don't want them to recover their cost from you, just where should they get it from? From the rest of us out of our licence fee?

OK, point taken. I was just surprised as in the past I've been charged for credit card transactions but not for the debit card.

Bob

[Jerra]

OK, point taken. I was just surprised as in the past I've been charged for credit card transactions but not for the debit card.

Bob

If you are buying some thing with a profit the loss of the 30 or so pence will be worth it to the seller but if as stated the CRT aren't able to make a profit from selling electricity the charge has to be recouped somewhere.

 

Probably all your previous debit card purchases had a profit element and the seller was prepared to accept the loss. As credit cards in my experience take a percentage this will get to be a bigger sum as the cost of the item gets larger so a fee is more likely IMO.

[nbfiresprite]

Its called Hobson's Choice. It dates back to a livery owner in the mid 1500s possible 1600s who gave customers the choice of the stall by the door or no stall i.e. go somewhere else.

Thomas Hobson Esq a Cambridge carrier who delivered mail between London and Cambridge. The stables were near St Catherine’s College in the centre of the city and when the horses were not delivering mail they were used by the students and staff of the university. Thomas Hobson noticed that the strongest and fastest horses were very popular and tended to be overworked. He devised a scheme whereby customers were offered the choice of the horse nearest to the door or none at all, renting his horses out in strict rotation. Hence there was no choice at all.