Single mum of 2yr old left with no gas due to engineer screw up please help!!!

kim.odish

Hi Everyone...


Last monday 20th I had a new Gas meter installed as part of the national meter exchange program, the engineer put £10 emergancy credit on and said he would request a new pay card (topped up at local shop) so that I could top up my credit.

He left me with no contact details but was insistant that I had nothing to worry about. Last night my gas credit ran out and I had to hunt down the number of my gas supplier, E.on to ask them where the card was.

Their reply was that the engineer does not order the cards and that I was supposed to ring up to request one. I told them that the engineer had said he had done it, but they said there was no record of it on their system and it would be ordered this morning and with me in a few days time.

I explained that I had a two year old in a freezing cold flat with no cooking facilities, no heat and no hot water to which they replied that they would see if there was an engineer in the area and would be on a 4 hour call out (that was at 8am) having just called back they confirmed that no engineer was in the area and there was nothing they could do except ask me to call back at 3pm.

What the hell?! Please tell me what I can do, surely they can't leave me without essential living facilities?!!!

Thanks in advance (and for reading all the way through!!!)

Desperate Mum,

Kimberley

penrhyn

Presumably you still have your electricity supply.

E.ON_Company_Representative

Hi Kimberly,

Sorry to hear of the problems you're having.

In these cases the engineer should call a hotline and order a new device for you. It does sound as though this didn’t happen.

As you have a 2 year old you are deemed as a vulnerable customer, this is why arrangements will have been made to get an engineer to you as soon as possible and carry out a ‘wind on’. The very best attempts must be made to get you on supply, so if you feel this isn’t the case ask to speak with a manager in the prepayment section.

I believe in some areas if the National Grid can not make it to you, arrangements can be made with another organisation to get you back on supply.

Brian

Caroline73_2

Practically - it's July so you don't really need your heating today, you can boil a kettle for hot water.

Have you got a microwave? You can make something in that for a few days.

KimYeovil

I don't remember my two year old brother or sister dropping dead whenever we were without gas for a day or two. Indeed, nor when we were without both gas and electricity for a week at a time. Is there something wrong with children nowadays? What makes them so vulnerable?

Becles

When my middle child was about six months old and my eldest was two, my boiler broke down and had to be replaced. Due to a comination of being short of cash and having to wait for someone to fit the new one, we were without a boiler for two months.

It was autumn, so we managed with extra blankets on cooler days and had to boil the kettle for washing and doing dishes and stuff. We survived and managed.

Cardew

High Wycome - Freezing in July?

Vestra

Some post offices sell blank cards, you will need to buy one and take it back and register it in the meter then you can top up.

space_rider

I could manage quite happily without my gas hob, gas heating in July and hot water from gas. What would be very inconvenient, is to do without electricity. I just checked the room thermostat and up north my hallway is 21!

Barneysmom

I hope you got your gas back on, it's quite cold today.

BeenieCat

Becles wrote: »

It was autumn, so we managed with extra blankets on cooler days and had to boil the kettle for washing and doing dishes and stuff. We survived and managed.

space_rider wrote: »

I could manage quite happily without my gas hob, gas heating in July and hot water from gas.

Yeah, but she shouldn't have to! Fair enough if it was major works, but this mess up would have been avoided if the engineer had done his job correctly.

IMO he has a job with a responsibility, and although i know mistakes are made, i don't think this philosophy should excuse this, when his bad memory/incompetence has caused someone to be without their utilities.

However i do agree that being without electric would be a lot worse!