Utility metering mistake - Trading Standards infringement ?

KingL

I have just discovered that during some recent engineering works, my utility company has swapped my meter with my neighbour's meter. This means I have inherited his old reading and will be billed for (his) usage that I haven't incurred.

I am going to write to the utility provider with all the facts and figures and ask them to put it right. I doubt that I will want to take legal action against them, but I would quite like to dangle the trading standards act around a bit, just so they give it the right amount of focus.

Does anyone know offhand what law they would be breaking by supplying inaccurate metering? I imagine it would come either under the Weights and Measures Act or the Trading Standards Act. Does anyone know for sure ?

tia

Zandoni

Doubt they have broken any law, they didn't do it deliberately.

I'd suggest you offer to pay the estimated use since the meters were swapped minus perhaps 5%.

wealdroam

KingL, maybe they noted the meter readings at the time of the swap and you will only be billed for what you have actually used.

I would expect any competent authority to do that.

KingL

Thanks for the replies. Competance isn't generally something that troubles them (we had similar problems with meter correlations when the services were first installed). I have just called them and they don't even have a record that the recent engineering works took place! Ho hum, on with the letter then.