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Energy meter reader trespass??
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Thanks for the posts by those people that do "get it" .....
By one of those strange quirks of timing, my last email to eon has triggered a call from a "district manager" from G4S who is responsible for the meter reading team in my area. I have just come off the phone to him He was a delightful man, sympathetic to the situation and understood and it was a pleasure to receive a call from him. He apologised for what has happened.
He confimed that G4S staff are told not to try any gates or doors unless there is a note to say otherwise. So either he is not being accurate or others here either do not work for G4S, or they have variable instructions, or people here haven't understood their instructions.
So in answer to Jamie Carter he is having a meeting next week with his team and the photographs from the cameras will be a part of his meeting. Future readings will be by appointment as and when needed and depending on who supplies our utilities in the future.
A previous issue to this was the damage caused to an expensive car that was in my garage whilst we were on holiday - caused by a meter reading squeezing pass the car to read the meters on the wall - and only discovered on our return. I dumbly left the garage unlocked. We discovered the culprit only after reviewing the security cameras and by then no one would take responsibility. That exercise cost me over £1500. I was promised that in the future meter readers from the company would not try the doors or gates.
I really remain perplexed about some of the attitudes that prevail here. Basically - as a meter reader - unless you have specific prior approval to try a gate or a door from the householder you don't do it. Your employer does not have authority to tell you to do otherwise. It is not your home. It is not your meter. And for routine meter readings neither a judge or magistrate has given you the required authority to do this - when you would then be accompanied by a uniformed police officer. Companies telling their employees otherwise are both endangering employees and potentially coercing them to break the law.
Of course, if the meter is on the outside of the house either in view or at least not through any barrier then I think you should take the reading - but first make your presence known to the householder. That is courtesy. These things seem to be obvious to me and I am mystified why anyone thinks that any different approach is acceptable.
I think the majority of people no what's right and what's wrong.0 -
Jamie_Carter wrote: »Ok, you have now made the company aware of this bad practice. And with any luck they will introduce better staff training.
So now why don't you prevent the problem from ever happening in the future, by submitting your readings on line? THis also often saves you money.
As I said in my first post, I do send the readings on line every month. That was the main reason why I took this tarrif - to reduce the reader visits whilst away. It is the meter reading that seems to trigger the G4S visit. Because we aren't here they return the following week ... and then the next. So effectively it feels at some times that they are here almost weekly.
Thanks.0 -
When I was living in California 1998-2000 we had our meters read *every* month. They were outside but behind a gate - and we were told by landlord that we were not allowed to bolt that gate because the meter readers had a right of access. (N.b. wasn't much of an issue as it appeared that crime in that area, Cupertino, was non-existent - well apart from one armed robbery at the bank at the end of our road!)0
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deshepherd wrote: »When I was living in California 1998-2000 we had our meters read *every* month. They were outside but behind a gate - and we were told by landlord that we were not allowed to bolt that gate because the meter readers had a right of access. (N.b. wasn't much of an issue as it appeared that crime in that area, Cupertino, was non-existent - well apart from one armed robbery at the bank at the end of our road!)
I don't know about the laws in California. But it could be that the landlord gave them the right of access.0 -
Jamie_Carter wrote: »I don't know about the laws in California. But it could be that the landlord gave them the right of access.
I agree.
The changing sentiments in the UK means that any householder unexpectedly finding someone within the private areas of his property would not be expected to presume it was a meter reader, but instead that he/she intended wrong doing and presented a potential danger - and therefore would be perfectly entitled to take any reasonable action to protect themselves with anything "at hand".
That is why I do not believe that any sensible company would encourage their staff to do such an idiotic thing.0 -
Thanks Uk1, hope you are still saying the meter reader attempted to" burgle " your property. We have heard a lot from you on here hijacking Steffyoaks post. Personally i would dealy love to hear the other side of the coin, i.e. the meter readers story of your ridiculous claim that he threw a strop because he did nt get to read a meter, and then deliberately ran over some ornament of yours in revenge. as we are failing to get to read meters all day and every day i reckon he must be insane if thats his answer to a no access to a meter. i work for G4S also, if you would like to pm me i would be delighted to give you my name to pass on to this G4S manager if you think i am not doing my job properly.
Take it from me mate, that district team manager was just attempting to humour you and calm you down a bit. Out here in the real world things happen differently to how you d like them to. Now you are implying (after a farmer got away with blasting away at intruders with a twelve bore i presume ) its ok for you to "take appropriate action" to deal with what you consider to be an intruder by reaching for something to hand. I hope I dont happen to poke my head round your side gate.0 -
sacsquacco wrote: »Thanks Uk1, hope you are still saying the meter reader attempted to" burgle " your property. We have heard a lot from you on here hijacking Steffyoaks post. Personally i would dealy love to hear the other side of the coin, i.e. the meter readers story of your ridiculous claim that he threw a strop because he did nt get to read a meter, and then deliberately ran over some ornament of yours in revenge. as we are failing to get to read meters all day and every day i reckon he must be insane if thats his answer to a no access to a meter. i work for G4S also, if you would like to pm me i would be delighted to give you my name to pass on to this G4S manager if you think i am not doing my job properly.
Take it from me mate, that district team manager was just attempting to humour you and calm you down a bit. Out here in the real world things happen differently to how you d like them to. Now you are implying (after a farmer got away with blasting away at intruders with a twelve bore i presume ) its ok for you to "take appropriate action" to deal with what you consider to be an intruder by reaching for something to hand. I hope I dont happen to poke my head round your side gate.
You are discredit to your company. Shame on you.
If you really are THAT confident - why not simply put your real ID and G4S location in this thread? Or perhaps as I suspect you are simply trolling?!0 -
I am not at all worried if G4S are pleased with my posts on here, i am not trying to be a model employee and be a good advert for G4S as I have other agenda s .You have gone a bit too far in your rants on a couple of points, nothing what we havent heard on here before. I will definitely bear your implied threat in mind the next time i head down the side or rear of a property, that is, that theres nutters out there likely to take a swing at me with a length of four by two. I also took a great deal of interest in the shotgun farmer story. if you think that the one episode where he got away with it now gives every one carte blanche permission to dish whatever they fancy out to intruders,trespassers etc you are mistaken0
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sacsquacco wrote: »I am not at all worried if G4S are pleased with my posts on here, i am not trying to be a model employee and be a good advert for G4S as I have other agenda s .You have gone a bit too far in your rants on a couple of points, nothing what we havent heard on here before. I will definitely bear your implied threat in mind the next time i head down the side or rear of a property, that is, that theres nutters out there likely to take a swing at me with a length of four by two. I also took a great deal of interest in the shotgun farmer story. if you think that the one episode where he got away with it now gives every one carte blanche permission to dish whatever they fancy out to intruders,trespassers etc you are mistaken
I am unable to make any sense of your post. It is simply a rant. I have not ranted. I have no idea what you are going on about with respect to a shotgun farmer. That is YOU ranting.
You clearly neither respect your customers or your company. This is shameful. We have nothing in common so let's draw the line.0 -
oh hell, im doomed then. I don't even use keys or give notice, I take the meters and leave a polite note thanking themDon't put your trust into an Experian score - it is not a number any bank will ever use & it is generally a waste of money to purchase it. They are also selling you insurance you dont need.0
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