Southern Gas Network - Access to my home??

Kavanne

Southern Gas have been performing main replacement in my road since Tues after the May bank holiday.

This morning as I left my house I was stopped and told either today, Thurs or Fri they would need to access my house to replace the pipes into my and my upstair's neighbours meter.

This was the first I had heard of it.

I complained to SGN HQ and had a call from the site manager at lunchtime. He said letters had been posted to all residents by hand 2 weeks ago. I dispute this. I open all mail addressed to me or the occupier and I have never received anything from Souther Gas OR the council (which they say I should have had as well).

Where do I stand with this? I have to take the day off work to wait in for them as they cannot give a specific time that they need to come.

They have given me some bloke's name to write to to complain but I found an address for Head Office on their website. Ultimately, I'd be looking for compensation on lost earnings from having to stay home, but is it a case I'd be likely to win if it ended up with the Energy Ombudsman (who they tell me they report to)?

Thanks!

4743hudsonj

How about not letting them in, wait till your pipes corrode or what have you and youll be without gas for more than a day.... hell it may even be dangerous!

If its required scheduled work, its quite naive to put a days work over safety and the usage of gas in your home, i assume its all free to yourself as well?

ITs a bit of an inconvenience that you didnt receive a letter, thats worthy of a complaint, maybe ask others? perhaps they only sent one letter per house, and your upstairs neighbour got it and forgot to mention it to you? However, trying to complain for loss of earnings is a bit of a no-goer.

It may seem an inconvenience, but think how convenient it is in the cold winters and for cooking your food.

C_Mababejive

Just go about your normal business. They will likely do as much as they can up to your home. If you come home and have no gas,simply ring SG and report a "no gas" and let them take it from there. Be prepared for a delay.

DVardysShadow

Contact them at tell them when they can come. Put the onus on them to comply with you.

Kavanne

What if they do as other posters have said and cut me off?

KeithP

Kavanne wrote: »

What if they do as other posters have said and cut me off?

Two choices really...

As suggested earlier... prepare yourself for a period without gas.

or make yourself available at the appropriate time.

Did you not wonder what was going on in your road?

Kavanne

i knew we were having main replacement but should I assumed that meant my house as well? sorry

Southampton city council helpfully says very little, and their 'actionline' call centre staff didn't shed any more light on it either, and remember, I never got these magical letters!!

jimbms

Send them a registered letter stating the times/dates you will be able to grant access, make sure you put a minimum of 3 times/dates more if possible, also ask how long the work will take and what is involved. At least that way you will have preeod you have attempted to be reasonable in allowing them access whilst ensuring the minimum of inconvenience and financial loss to yourself.

toffe

It may be an inconvenience now but it's for your greater good.

I mean if your so angry now and want to complain to every man and his dog, imagine how angry you'd be if your gas supplier just thought, sod it, why should we bother maintaining and upgrading these ungrateful so and so's facilities.

Then when your gas mains corroded and you came home one day to find a pile of bricks and rubble where your home used to be and found out a neighbour had flicked on a light only to be blown to smithereens because of a rotten, unmaintained, gas main in your building......

oh imagine the inconvenience you'd face then.......if your complaining now i'd hate to see what that letter of complaint would look like.

Honestly, just take the half day or day off work and get it sorted, some things are more important.

C_Mababejive

Kavanne wrote: »

What if they do as other posters have said and cut me off?

See post 3...simples

Listen..theres so need to get in a big lather about it.

This is a major engineering project involving a lot of mess and hard work.

No doubt others on your street will be inconvenienced too.

Give it a week and it will have passed and humdrumsville will have returned to the street.

As i say,,dont take time off,just go about your normal business.

Failing that,leave a key with a neighbour.

neilmcl

Be aware they "may" be able to force entry into your property to complete the necessary work to your meter.