Reading own meters

mallard

Lol - can definitely remember what a meter-reader looked like and the power cuts as well!! Seem to also remember the prices being a little lower as well.....

KimYeovil

I'm not sure that prices were lower. I think more people just accepted they were poor and did not think they had the right to heat their homes as if they were naturists or as if they were hoping that Hannah Spearritt might be popping by. And we did not have heated bathrooms or bedrooms then.

As to the op's readers, surely most people would rather have less money wasted on readers and have more attention paid to the readings given by the customers? Quarterly readings should be banned as a waste of money. Who is anachronistic enough to be in when readers are about, anyway?

Magentasue

I don't even phone readings in - just do them online.

Bayblue

I read my own meters and I get a (admittedly small) discount. I like doing it because I can really see if I'm making cutbacks in my usage, and also it make me more aware. It's with Scottish Power.

1carminestocky

DGJsaver wrote: »

...and two powercuts a week....

And here's me thinking I was exaggerating. :rolleyes:

1carminestocky

KimYeovil wrote: »

I'm not sure that prices were lower. I think more people just accepted they were poor and did not think they had the right to heat their homes as if they were naturists or as if they were hoping that Hannah Spearritt might be popping by. And we did not have heated bathrooms or bedrooms then.

As to the op's readers, surely most people would rather have less money wasted on readers and have more attention paid to the readings given by the customers? Quarterly readings should be banned as a waste of money. Who is anachronistic enough to be in when readers are about, anyway?

I wonder how many meter readers could be sustained with £2 billion?*



* Figure based on simple back of fag packet calulation. BGs (non-working) system cost £300+++ million and there are 6 main suppliers...

scrimpandsave

I'm quite a fan of reading my own meter, this comes from living in a rented house and having a letting agent who didn't bother to tell the utility companies I was moving in, leading to cut off letters and the like. I think in today's world you have to look after yourself if you want things to be right, not have the wool pulled over you etc. I do sympathise with the notion that we pay a great deal for our utilities and so some of us may think we should get more service with more money going out, but that's not how fuel works I guess, and meter reading takes a few seconds for us, yet the men/ladies who come out have to visit hundreds of houses!

Own meter reading is fantastic for me in cases like this morning when ringing scottish power, only switched this month and wanted my acc no. They then, whilst I was on the line, tried to change my direct debit to £52 a month, when I live in a 1 bed quater house with one storage heater. My readings for the month made a wealth of difference when bantering with the complaints dept, the readings having been the equivalent of £25.

Suppose the end result is, they want your money and will confuse you a little, you're better off reading your own meter, it may be a pain to you, and you want the days where service was service, but we must make do and battle our ways to what is best as consumers for consumers. Best for us is to keep watch on these things so we don't get funny estimates apparently deduced when the billing dept had some whiskey on the go. Then we in turn can gas on here and help other consumers.

Worth noting before I sign off, with companies like scot power, and I think alot of providers, should you do some leg work yourself and manage the account online yourself, you receive a yearly discount that can, with scot go to £17 and with N power my old provider I think there was a similar scheme, so you are in fact getting paid for your hard work! :T but not at minimum wage type quantities