Can a supplier leave you without supply for 2 days?

lstar337 · 20 December 2014 at 2:06PM

I am unclear on the full details but my brother has just posted on Facebook that eon have been round to his flat yesterday at noon, told him there is a problem with his meter, pulled the main fuse out and left. Now they are telling him they can't do anything until they send out another engineer on Monday.

Are they allowed to leave him without supply like that?

They have no heating, hot water, and only have an extension lead from the neighbour to keep the fridge running.

MeterMan · 20 December 2014 at 4:32PM

I dont know why someone who has the authority to remove a fuse, doesnt have the authority to change the meter.

lstar337 · 20 December 2014 at 5:04PM

Exactly what I thought. I'm trying to get some ammo for my brother to throw at eon, who just insist nothing can be done until Monday.

Unlike me, he won't shout at them.

[Deleted User] · 20 December 2014 at 5:12PM

Have you any idea at all what "the problem " is on the meter. In cases of suspect bypassing or tampering with the meter they are definelty allowed to either disconnect temporally for as long as necessary .Meter changes would be done by your local distribution network operator. I ve seen a couple of electric meters lately which have gone up in smoke due to botched bypassing attempts and the occupiers were cut off for a few days whilst new meters could be fitted.

lstar337 · 20 December 2014 at 7:11PM

Problem solved, meter will be changed asap!

Not sure of the meter condition, I haven't seen it. Eon said it was bypassed completely, however my brother and his girlfriend have been topping it up every week, so they were clearly not aware of any bypass.

It was probably in place before they moved in and they may have never let it run out of credit.

(Text removed by MSE Forum Team)

Lots of crappy (virtually slums) flats with lots of occupants. I can easily believe the flat was previously let to somebody happy to bypass. The landlords are equally !!!!less.

Hopefully he will get a new fully functioning meter tomorrow. Eon know they have been topping up, I don't understand why their service has been so crap in this regard.

dearlouise · 20 December 2014 at 7:32PM

If there are no children, then yes.

lstar337 · 23 December 2014 at 10:25AM

Ok, so my brother and his OH are still without power.

This is what I ave been told by him:

They wired in a new meter but cut the earth to stop power coming into the flat because they said there is a DTM installed (Direct To Mains)! The meter had been rigged to give out readings every now and again to make the electric board think it's working correctly but the power was coming straight from the street into the flat bypassing the meter and the ONLY people that can help is the Revenue Protection Agency

They said we're not allowed to have electric as it was illegally wired into the mains from the street

That sounds like utter bull to me!

He has only recently moved in with his OH and she would know nothing about these things, so there is no way she could have installed a bypass.

Sounds like eon are just trying to pass it off on to them because they have no way to find the previous tenant.

Here is the meter:

Looks like whoever installed the bypass used some earth cable to connect the consumer unit directly to the incoming cable.

Isn't this the sort of thing that a landlord should be responsible for checking before any new tenant moves in? If not, why not?

The girl my brother lives with probably didn't even know it was possible to bypass a meter, how would she know to look out for it?

ic · 23 December 2014 at 1:58PM

A landlord is not expected to be a qualified electrician. Whilst there are recommendations they have periodic inspections and tests performed, there is no legal requirement. At the end of the day, the only people qualified or legally allowed to touch the meter and the connections into it are the electricity suppliers. Its one of the reasons they send meter readers, just to keep an eye on them.

The landlord is probably relying (and paying) an agent to do the checking up of the flat - and hoping they might have spotted this as part of getting opening/closing meter reads when your brother moved in. But then again, if your brother didn't spot it, why should anybody else?

[Deleted User] · 23 December 2014 at 7:11PM

A direct to mains fiddle is behind the meter and is ,of course dangerous and could set fire to meter and cabling and of course the electric supply will be cut completly , kids or no kids, until its sorted by the DNO. I ve seen houses completely cut off. all gas and electric supply not only cut off but dug up for good. this was a house with 2 young kids. A direct to mains bypass may be visible by the red light on constantly when electric being consumed and no bridge or bypass link in the usual spots. My next door but one neighbour was recently cut off completely for over a week, and she had kids. Using children as a shield to constant energy theft should nt be tolerated by any suppliers in my opinion. Theres no excuse for energy theft
Istar337 you need to direct your anger , not at Eon, but the owners of the meters and cables , thats the local district network operator in your area. They re the ones who sort these fiddles out. New occupiers would nt know about a prepay fiddle but they would know that their credit is nt going down much at at all, maybe just paying off the weekly standing charges but they certainly would nt have to feed the meter much

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc · 23 December 2014 at 7:13PM

Hi Istar337

All meter tampering issues are dealt with by our Revenue Protection Team. Once there’s evidence a meter has been bypassed and theft’s involved these guys will deal exclusively with the matter until resolved.

I’d advise your brother to talk directly to this team. If he phones the general number (contact details are on our website) and asks to be put through, he’ll be put in touch straightaway. They’ll be able to tell him what the situation is and what we’re proposing to do about it. They're open from 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

Unless you’ve permission to talk on your brother’s behalf, it’s best that he calls. Otherwise, there may be a problem initially which could cause a further delay.

Hope this helps point you in the right direction.

Malc

lstar337 · 23 December 2014 at 8:08PM

Thanks Malc, he has been talking to revenue protection now. It seems (though he wasn't told at the time) that a new meter has been fitted, but the landlord has to get a certified electrician to sign off the consumer unit (though WPD seem to have left the bypass wire in place, just snipped it), before WPD will restore the breaker to re-energise the connection. Now they just seem to be having trouble getting the landlord to do things in a timely manner!

Can a supplier leave you without supply for 2 days?

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