Pushy EDF meter reader

jordanchaos

My partner was putting our baby down to sleep yesterday afternoon, and a meter reader turned up - he wanted acces to the electricity meter, my partner apologised and explained it was behind the sofa which was behind a heap of washing and assorted other baby stuff- the baby was crying by now - he kept pushing her with "it'll only take a minute, i'll move the things, if you could just let me read the...." - he gave her a card and said could she fill it in, she said "yup no problem" - this morning I noticed an EDF van outside of the house at 8:30 when I left apparently he started ringing the door bell and requesting to come in again, same guy... what the heck?!?!?!

misterbarlow

well if they work anything like ours, they only get a basic wage, then are given a pile of addresses and a fixed time to return them, ie 800 in 5days etc, and MUST have an 80% access rate to get their monthly bonus to topup their wage..

I have heard of some readers had got 79.99% and still lose a £200-£300 monthly bonus and if they had just got in 2 or 3 more they would have got the bonus...

Thats prob why they are so pushy...

Hasbeen

Pushy meter reader v Obstructive customer

Well take your pick?

Personally, these guys have a difficult underpaid job with targets to meet.

To get rid of the reader quickly, it would have taken mere seconds/minutes to move the junk from the front of the meter especially as he was kind enough to offer to do it "not his job I suspect"

Yes and babies do cry!

jordanchaos

Hasbeen wrote: »

To get rid of the reader quickly, it would have taken mere seconds/minutes to move the junk from the front of the meter especially as he was kind enough to offer to do it "not his job I suspect"
!

No it wouldnt it would not have taken minutes - beside the point in the end we had a number to call, so the card has been delivered. less then 24 hours later he's at the door again. yes my baby cries! All night sometimes hence when we get her to sleep we sleep to. I pay my bill i give readings when asked - what more does he want.

At the end of the day, its our right to decline entry to our flat if we dont want someone in there (for example if its before nine in the morning and my partner is in her dressing gown)

societys_child

he kept pushing her with "it'll only take a minute

It would have, wouldn't it . .

same guy... what the heck?!?!?!

Of course it's the same guy, he needs to read the meter.

Edit: So you phoned the readings through? The reader wouldn't know that tho' would he. I really don't understand what the problem is or how he was "pushy" he's just trying to do his job.

PlutoinCapricorn

I much prefer to have my meter read, and I am sure that EDF don't want to rely entirely on our readings - in theory we could be giving the wrong figures so as to pay less. I think that they leave the card as a last resort, and are more insistent when the meter has not been read by them for a while. Even so, it is not very pleasant to be 'invaded' like that.

I realised that they came 4 times per year, at the end of each quarter, so was always ready for them.

forgotmyname

Maybe he just wants to read the meter?

How big is the sofa? Is the room so full you cannot move the sofa forward 2 foot?

Maybe your reluctance to let him read the meter made him suspicious?

[Deleted User]

Hi Jordenchaos, I think he prob just wanted you to put the reading on door/window for him so he gets to keep his pushy boss happy and fulfill EDFs very high access rate of 75%. He would not have known at all if you had phoned the reading in. Its definitely your "right "to refuse access to the meter, occasionally though it becomes EDF s" right " to have a look at the meter, usually after 2 years, if a meter reader has nt accessed the meter in that time. There is a statuatory law, the Gas and Electric Act which all suppliers are supposed to keep to as part of the licence to supply. I have been reading meters today all day with meters behind sofas, tellys etc, and get them done in a few seconds with an extending mirror, much easier and faster than you could have managed.

Hasbeen

jordanchaos wrote: »

No it wouldnt it would not have taken minutes - beside the point in the end we had a number to call, so the card has been delivered. less then 24 hours later he's at the door again. yes my baby cries! All night sometimes hence when we get her to sleep we sleep to. I pay my bill i give readings when asked - what more does he want.

At the end of the day, its our right to decline entry to our flat if we dont want someone in there (for example if its before nine in the morning and my partner is in her dressing gown)

Wow have you tried cleaning/tidying up at all? and it may be "your right" but at some time it becomes THEIR RIGHT to inspect Their meter by law!

Terrylw1

Just to get things back into perspective...

- the card achieves the same result for the supplier who contracts them.

- if it was a 2 year mandatory reading, he/she wouldn't leave a card as it wouldn't achieve what they are being paid for. If they do, that's an issue for the supplier to kick their management for.

- if you're busy, you're busy...if its not a mandatory call, its a meaningless visit that has the same value as a customer reading in the market. The only added bonus is that a firm reading shifts the mandatory inspection date 2 years forward...not that you need this constantly shifting anyway, its a byproduct of regular readings.

backfoot

jordanchaos wrote: »

- what more does he want.

At the end of the day, its our right to decline entry to our flat if we dont want someone in there (for example if its before nine in the morning and my partner is in her dressing gown)

There's the answer. Probably coming back again this morning.