Getting key meters taken ou

KimYeovil

Richie-from-the-Boro wrote: »

As a new owner none of this is your responsibility

As a new owner one should ensure fittings are to your liking. If they are not then this will be reflected in your offer price and included in the moving budget.

undaunted

spiro wrote: »

Most suppliers now charge about £50-60 to change a meter. Why should other customers have to foot the cost of getting the meter changed? Dont know why BG dont but posts say thats the case.

Equally why should a new occupier have to pay to change a meter that "isn't standard", which they don't want, didn't have any involvement in getting fitted etc.

Suppliers are of course also supposedly required to offer a range of payment options not just the one (unless you pay extra for another)

In many cases it was also originally the suppliers choice / to the suppliers benefit to have one fitted in the first place. Oddly enough they are happy to do that bit for free

KimYeovil

undaunted wrote: »

Equally why should a new occupier have to pay to change a meter that "isn't standard", which they don't want, didn't have any involvement in getting fitted etc.

Why would they rent or buy a property that they were unhappy with? Choose somewhere else if the wallpaper is not to your liking and you are not prepared to pay the cost for a change.

undaunted wrote: »

Suppliers are of course also supposedly required to offer a range of payment options not just the one (unless you pay extra for another)

The suppliers will have been offering alternative solutions for at least six months. All of these will have been ignored by the previous customer.

undaunted wrote: »

In many cases it was also originally the suppliers choice / to the suppliers benefit to have one fitted in the first place. Oddly enough they are happy to do that bit for free

This part I agree with. Of course the original miscreants should be whacked with the full costs (I would even concede the particular complaint of this thread could be addressed by them being charged double costs). But, as I mentioned in the first reply, the bleeding hearts have no interest in fairness or justice - they would scream and holler about nasty suppliers 'victimising' 'vulnerable' customers who are already in debt (through 'no' fault of their own, of course).

KimYeovil

mattcanary wrote: »

It is normally council or housing association homes that have prepayment meters in them.

What a nasty, snobbish, prejudicial assumption.

(And illogical. If you are paying a social rent then you can easily afford a payment and a deposit - certainly more readily than anyone staying in the private sector.) And private sector landlords are far more likely to insist and preinstall prepayment meters than social landlords.

Richie-from-the-Boro

KimYeovil wrote: »

As a new owner one should ensure fittings are to your liking. If they are not then this will be reflected in your offer price and included in the moving budget.

Were you having a bad day, I mean did you intentionally post the above rubbish with your name on it.

Lets remind ourselves that the O/P "" kymmy88 "" stated in #1 that the house was ownership based, where is [ see your own earlier post ] your proclaimed fairness or justice if the new owner is saddled with the problems / decisions of the previous mortgagee ?

Its an energy supplier issue, not the chrome bathroom taps, where .. .. go on where is the leccy / gas / water / supplier [ not the supply ] listed as fixtures & fittings ?

Energy is ' transportable ' and has been for many years.

- landlords love meters
- suppliers love [ pre-paid leccy + 16 % GBP + VAT ] meters even more

mattcanary

Just so everyone knows - I work as a meter reader and at least in the Eastern region, the vast majority of prepayment meters are located in council or housing association areas (mind you, some may now be privately owned homes) Nothing snobbish in saying that - it is how it is. Besides, I live in a council home myself - and it had prepayment meters when I moved in.

That is not the same thing as saying all council or housing association homes have a prepayment meter, or that no privately rented or owned homes have prepayment meters.

There are far more prepayment meters in a working-class town such as Great Yarmouth than in an upmarket town such as Holt - that is the way it is. I would add that it is extremely rare to find a prepayment meter in an even moderately upmarket privately owned area. I am not using the word "extremely" lightly here.

Prepayment meters are not always fitted because a customer has got into debt, far from it. Many meters are fitted because the customer prefers to pay this way. The meter is fitted free of charge - at the expense of all the other customers - something which Premier should be up in arms about , judging by his whinging about BG removing the meters for free.

Undaunted is right. Part of the utility provider's remit is to offer alternative methoids of payment. If supplier is unwilling to take out a prepayment meter, then they are not complying with this.

Richie-from-the-Boro

mattcanary wrote: »

Just so everyone knows - I work as a meter reader and at least in the Eastern region, the vast majority of prepayment meters are located in council or housing association areas (mind you, some may now be privately owned homes) Nothing snobbish in saying that - it is how it is. Besides, I live in a council home myself - and it had prepayment meters when I moved in.

That is not the same thing as saying all council or housing association homes have a prepayment meter, or that no privately rented or owned homes have prepayment meters.

There are far more prepayment meters in a working-class town such as Great Yarmouth than in an upmarket town such as Holt - that is the way it is. I would add that it is extremely rare to find a prepayment meter in an even moderately upmarket privately owned area. I am not using the word "extremely" lightly here.

Prepayment meters are not always fitted because a customer has got into debt, far from it. Many meters are fitted because the customer prefers to pay this way. The meter is fitted free of charge - at the expense of all the other customers - something which Premier should be up in arms about , judging by his whinging about BG removing the meters for free.

Undaunted is right. Part of the utility provider's remit is to offer alternative methods of payment. If supplier is unwilling to take out a prepayment meter, then they are not complying with this.

- a fair and refreshingly honest appraisal of the reality of PPM distribution, thank you, ' mattcanary '

- all social housing turnaround targets of say 10%pa have a large chunk of abandoned tenancies leaving a legacy of unpaid energy costs
- a PPM meter saves [ ultimately ] other tenants having to pay the costs of abandoned leccy bills
- that's why lanlords, councils, and HA's are more than content to leave the meter in-situ
- the meter [ in most cases ] however as stated earlier, is a contract between an individual householder and supplier / not / supplier and housing group

spiro

undaunted wrote: »

Equally why should a new occupier have to pay to change a meter that "isn't standard",

About 15-20% of meters are currently ppm, most used as PAYG rather than for debt collection. So I wouldn't refer to them a "isn't standard".

Mooke

I find it annoying when a thread is posted and the subject gets twisted and changed and overlooked by subsequent posters,the original poster wanted to know the best way to get his/her PPM's removed,they didnt want an explanation of why the PPM's are put in in the first place or why the charges are greater for PPM's or which demographic of society generally have PPM's or any explanation at all.
I am in a similar situaton.I have two PPM's (gas and electric).I am with Scottish power for both.Have been with them for several years.The meters were already in the house when i bought it.I have never been in debt and have a good credit rating,Yet Scottish power want to charge me £50 per meter to remove them plus £100 deposit which they will return after a year.Have threatened to change suppliers to no avail.
Can anyone give me some ADVICE as how to get meters removed without having to pay.
Thanks.

PNPSUKNET

I dont believe suppliers have to offer credit, just as banks are not.