National Grid Metering: Missed Appointment

chanz4

macman wrote: »

Sorry? No, it just says 'Gas Meter Exchange Programme'.

Hi yes same meaning, just different term in the industry.

[Deleted User]

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Do meter fitters get paid if they claim they attend someones home and there is no access?

that is a good question, are they claiming no ones in to collect a no access payment.the number of people who get let down suggests there is something like that happening. an incentive for not turning up

Terrylw1

Macman, I'm not on the board much due to work at the moment but I can tell you all about this.

The party booking the job for any meter operator appointment (it doesn't cover readings, a loophole) has to notify you that it won't take place 24hrs before or they fail the Guaranteed Standards Of Service (GSOS) and used to compensate with £20 plus a further £20 if they don't with it you within 10 working days. GS09 & GS10.

The level for both payments was increased go £22 approx 2 years ago.

It covers gas and elec.

You are not the customer of a meter operator unless you own the meter and have a contract in place, but that's rare outside the HH market.

Your supplier does have a contract of service with you and they have a contract with the meter operator. So, the suppliers always issues the payments.

The supplier doesn't take the hit for this as the GSOS reporting has the ability to report who was at fault. In terms of who is at fault, that's between your supplier and their meter operator.

With missed appointments, is common for a visit booked by a supplier to be rejected, but the GSOS rules apply so if the supplier isn't quick enough, they still have to cough up. Its also common for delays at either end causing nothing to be investigated, hence no one turns up as one or both parties is asking for more info or unhappy with the booking. So, you may find its failed for a certain issue that could have been avoided or at least they could have made you aware to stop you staying in.

Its all data flows to book and reject these visits so their will be an audit trail.

To be covered by GSOS, it must be an appointment booked verbally or by letter quoting the visit date/time.

If it was a recert, its likely your supplier hasn't spotted it. In elec, there is no real policy to cover telling suppliers this so some meter operators send a certain data flow that is not for that purpose but over the years, suppliers have spotted this use and if they are any good, they strip them out and discount them...but that's for No Access, not something they choose not to attend which means a different type of data item. For gas, its kind of worse, because the industry policy allows the meter operator to alter the date 3 times before reporting it as a problem...each reschedule just means nothing to the supplier since they just need to know when its done since they and you haven't asked for it anyway. So, in this scenario, its very easy to not even know from the supplier end...something to blame those governing the industry for.

Terrylw1

sacsquacco wrote: »

that is a good question, are they claiming no ones in to collect a no access payment.the number of people who get let down suggests there is something like that happening. an incentive for not turning up

From a suppliers contract point of view...

In terms of Data Retriever agents, yes, they won't get paid for a No Access. Suppliers have to set a list of Site Visit Check Codes (SVCC) within the contract. How did field agents get around this to get paid? They just started reporting them as potentially demolished!

In terms of Meter Operator...I have to laugh really. Why? Because I can tell you that for some suppliers they have less control over this aspect of their business costs than the average window cleaner! There is no industry policy when it comes to visit costs, its a contractual issue. Its entirely possible that a poor contract team could be costing their company millions in waste, something I have experience of. Some suppliers have stricter targets and scrutinise invoices & contracts much more.

This is why I often say, its not just about wholesale prices...its poor business management, a remnant of the old days...

Norman_Castle

From an older Terrylw 1 post

http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Networks/ElecDist/QualofServ/GuarStandds/Documents1/GS%20additional%20links.doc

http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Networks/Ele...ril%202006.pdf

macman

Follow up: today I received a letter of apology and a new appointment date (this time a 6-8pm slot). Their system had (wrongly) recorded a request for an appointment change against my job no. and so they did not turn up on the original date.
A cheque for £25 compo is promised within ten days.

macman

Further follow up: I received my £25 cheque as advised.
The job was rebooked for this evening, but once again they failed to show. I did receive a phone call an hour after the end of the booking time offering me an appointment later this week, which I accepted. Then no more than 15 minutes later, I received another phone call advising me that they could not attend tonight and would I like another booking...
So I'm rather hoping that the guy's who do the meter work are more competent than the admin side.
Must dash now, as I'm off to claim my further £25...:D

There_Goes_Trouble

Does this info only apply to meter work?

I had an appointment booked last week for an installation surveyor to assess my property for the free cavity wall and loft insulation which BG are currently offering, I believe this is a government initiative but can't remember what the leaflet said now.

In summary:
*I booked my appointment 10 weeks prior to the appointment date.
*Appointment slot was 8am - 12midday. I booked the morning off work.
*On the appointment date I telephoned to check the appt was still going ahead and if there was an approximate time.
*I was told the surveyor would call me at a convenient moment. He didn't.
*By 12.15pm he hadn't arrived and I had had no contact from him or BG.
*At 12.15 I called BG who simply said they would re-book the appointment.
*I politely advised I was not happy with this as I had taken time off work. I was advised by the person on the phone that the surveyor could simply be caught in traffic and that he would call his mobile and ask him to call me asap.
*No one called me.
*At 1pm I left to go back to work for the afternoon
*When I returned home at 5pm there was a message on my answerphone (despite me stating several times that I would not be home in the afternoon and to please use my mobile number which I ensured they had) from someone wanting to rebook my appointment, she said someone would call back the next day. This was last Wednesday.
*No one has contacted me since.
*I emailed a complaint because I wanted a written record of it, rather than a phone call.
*Their automated email reply stated they will contact me within 7 days which was today.
*I have had no contact from BG.

I am so angry and annoyed, where do I go from here? Is it the same procedure for the free products? I still lost a half days holiday.

Terrylw1

There_Goes_Trouble wrote: »

Does this info only apply to meter work?

I had an appointment booked last week for an installation surveyor to assess my property for the free cavity wall and loft insulation which BG are currently offering, I believe this is a government initiative but can't remember what the leaflet said now.

In summary:
*I booked my appointment 10 weeks prior to the appointment date.
*Appointment slot was 8am - 12midday. I booked the morning off work.
*On the appointment date I telephoned to check the appt was still going ahead and if there was an approximate time.
*I was told the surveyor would call me at a convenient moment. He didn't.
*By 12.15pm he hadn't arrived and I had had no contact from him or BG.
*At 12.15 I called BG who simply said they would re-book the appointment.
*I politely advised I was not happy with this as I had taken time off work. I was advised by the person on the phone that the surveyor could simply be caught in traffic and that he would call his mobile and ask him to call me asap.
*No one called me.
*At 1pm I left to go back to work for the afternoon
*When I returned home at 5pm there was a message on my answerphone (despite me stating several times that I would not be home in the afternoon and to please use my mobile number which I ensured they had) from someone wanting to rebook my appointment, she said someone would call back the next day. This was last Wednesday.
*No one has contacted me since.
*I emailed a complaint because I wanted a written record of it, rather than a phone call.
*Their automated email reply stated they will contact me within 7 days which was today.
*I have had no contact from BG.

I am so angry and annoyed, where do I go from here? Is it the same procedure for the free products? I still lost a half days holiday.

Guaranteed Standards Of Service (GSOS) is a regulation set for gas & elec, they originate from seperate regulations but were rationalised a few years back (Ofgem also scrapped a load of optional standards, some of which would have helped people today, well done!) So they don't apply I'm afraid.

However, they only don't apply because you are using a service that is neither gas or elec. It doesn't mean you should be compensated and whilst you can't claim against these, you can argue with them that if it was a visit to do some meter works, they would be coughing up.

There_Goes_Trouble

Thank you.

Looks like I'm on my own fighting this one then.