Are we a nation of meter readers?

trikkie

Have a look at the correspondence below (read from the bottom up (green first, then pink)); I don't mind reading my own meter but my questions were not answered and I do feel that the utilities companies are trying to force us consumers into doing the work of their own employees in order to drive down their own costs, enhancing their own profits - and as I am somewhat meticulate in my own grammar I find their response less than satisactory - your views are welcome!

I am sorry that you are not happy with the email notification we sent asking for the meter readings. I see that we have been regularly reading your meter.

We have started sending these emails to customers to let them know their bill is due so they can provide meter readings if you would like to - this will help us bill accurately so you only pay for what you use.

While we try to read customers meters as often as we can but this is not always possible, so we're trying to limit the number of estimated bills we send to customers and one why of doing this is by emailing customers asking for their readings before the estimate is produced. This isn't something you have to do, it's just an alternative for you.


Your gas account is due to be billed now, please submit your meter readings by logging on to your online account. Once you are logged in , click on the Submit your meter readings tab, on the left hand side of your Overview Page. Please click here and submit your meter read so that we can update your account. Or you can also email us your gas meter reading by replying back to my email and I will update your account.

Please contact us should you need any help in the future and thank you for contacting British Gas.


Regards

Jincy Emmatty

britishgas.co.uk - Looking after your world

We've delivered on our promise and responded to your enquiry within 24 hours.

Your enquiry: I paid a great deal of money to have my meter removed to an outside wall so that British Gas could read it at any time without having to enter the property. You are now sending me a request for a meter reading so that I do not receive an estimated bill. I was not aware that we had entered into an agreement for this to happen, and was hoping you might advise what remuneration or discount I will receive for relieving you of the staff cost of sending someone out to take that reading, in consideration of the outlay I have already had in removing my meter to a more convenient location.

boliston

I'm not sure what the problem is with reading a meter every 90 days - takes me about 3 minutes of my time or 12 minutes per year.
Hopefully before long they will have "smart meters" so this will not even be an issue.

molerat

They will read your meter as infrequently as the legislation allows. You are under no obligation to read the meter yourself but will receive estimated bills which will result in you paying more or less than is due often resulting in financial hardship and stress as is seen every day on this board. I have been happily checking my own meter readings for as long as I can remember, going back to the early 70's, and am quite happy to receive the discounts that apply to on-line accounts.

If your meter has been read by the suppliers contractors do you actually believe that the reading is accurate or do you check it yourself ?

savemoney

I read my own I originally wasnt asked to do so but I do it for my own piece of mind and also to have a spreadsheet which I can compare month to month and year to year

I changed tariff to energy smart (BG) which relies on you reading meters every month in return you get a discount on the 13th month

Despite doing my own readings and sending them via online I still get meter read every now and then

elsien

"This isn't something you have to do, it's just an alternative for you."
Your choice - you could just settle for the estimated bill then complain when you end up underpaying. And presumably moving the meter was also your choice for your own convenience, rather than out of the goodness of your heart towards British Gas.

macman

Let's say (wild guess here) 20 million+ meters in the UK? Reading them every 90 days is 80 million readings a year. Or a little over 1.5 million readings for the industry to carry out every week of the year. Is it any surprise that they want us to read our own?

boliston

macman wrote: »

Let's say (wild guess here) 20 million+ meters in the UK? Reading them every 90 days is 80 million readings a year. Or a little over 1.5 million readings for the industry to carry out every week of the year. Is it any surprise that they want us to read our own?

There must also be a MASSIVE saving in environmental terms as most meter readers I have seen drive around in vans, so self-reading must be saving huge quantities of van journeys.

NeverInDebt

Dont understand why its such a issue

It takes 2 minutes to read bill at most. Then submit it over the phone or via net

Less time them to start this thread

lemontart

It actaully amazes me how many do not read their meters, not even when they move in for the original reading (especially in these days of more and more rental properties and people moving around mor) and the number of people who do not have a key for their external meters or know where it is.

With out reading it how do you know the bill is accurate - no disrespect to meter readers as they do a valuable job not only reading the meters but on occaision calling me to report a leak at a meter which brings me the another point of knowing where it is and how to turn it off in an emergency And do not get me started on thosed that put yale type locks on meters which means neither the meter reader or gas emergency service can gain access to the meter .......sorry one of my soap boxs ensuring I have accurate bill and I am safe and that I do something to make myself safe.

Andy_WSM

No issues here. I read my own meters weekly for my own tracking purposes & submit a reading to Eon monthly. It's really no big deal and ensures I get an accurate bill. Eon send their own readers every 9 months or so (sometimes more often) regardless, so it's not like they are shirking their responsibilities.

Joyful

The email says you have an online account. This may mean that you have an online tariff which gives a discount. Part of this is to read your meter.

If you do not have an online tariff then personally I think mistakes can be made. By reminding you a bill is due this gives you control to check.