Electricity Meter Check.

sdavies13

Sorry all, no great insights just feel the need for bit of a moan...

Couple of months ago got a card through the door telling me to ring some mobile number as someone wants to read my electric meter. Sorry but I don't ring unknown numbers to give someone access to my house.

Anyway did what I thought would cover this, went online and submitted a meter reading.

Come forward a bit and get a letter through saying under the law my meter has to be inspected and to either phone some number or arrange online. Well number was only open working hours during the week so went online which asked me to give a date to have the meter inspected, entered a date during the week (8 days later) which I could book leave for (no one else available).

On date in question had had no followups so "assumed" someone would appear to inspect the meter so stayed in all day. Later in the afternoon get an emailed reply saying I hadn't given enough notice so would have to arrange another date.

Problem now is I had no more leave I could book until the next financial year so had to leave it.

Yesterday get a letter along the lines of "We have tried to contact you to inspect your meter and if you do not provide access we will go to magistrates court to gain a warrant, force entry and any costs or damage you will have to pay"!

Well dear eOn thank you very much but some of us have to work for a living and are not available during the working week to fit in with your own limited schedules. Sure your letter says the inspection will only take 5 minutes but I still have to book a whole day off just for your 5 minute check! (wasting a day's leave in the process).

I will now have to check in work for a suitable date I can book off which won't clash with anyone else (including call out rotas) and can fit in with eOn's limited schedules and is after the 6th of April when I get some more leave I can use before I can phone to book an appointment to have my meter inspected.

Suppose if I was running a cannabis hot house or the like I might have been at home to receive the inspection but sadly I have to work in an office like I am sure many people do.

victor2

Presumably eon is your supplier, so just phone them, calmly explain what happened, the correspondence you have had, and ask if they can sort something out. They're usually pretty good with customer service issues, so might be able to explain what has happened and offer a solution.

ilikewatch

It sounds like it would be a lot less hassle if you asked Eon to remove their equipment from your property and arranged for your own off-grid power solution. It will be more expensive, but would mean that you wouldn't have to arrange to be at home for a day every 2-3 years.

matelodave

By standing by your principles it is causing you hassle - it wouldn't have been hard to phone the number in the first place and book an appointment. So it's a bit hard to have sympathy because you managed to engineer this yourself by being a bit awkward about it.
I would have sympathy if you agreed an appointment and they had failed to turn up - then you'd have some justification to get annoyed.
Most of us have been in the same position, most of us have had to go to work and most of us have limited and precious holiday entitlements and so want to preserve them as much as possible but sometimes it's just unavoidable.

macman

The supplier is legally required to inspect the meter every two years-is that really so onerous?

[Deleted User]

Hi,

the thing is the meter reader/inspector probably works much the same hours as the you, if EON were to bring in a night shift, say from midnight to 8 in the morning, for visits, would you be happy to have the inspector call at 3 in the morning, save you taking a day off work?

MoneyMate

Sorry but I don't ring unknown numbers to give someone access to my house. Don't blame you I would never phone them back too.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

maybe easier just to let them use warrant and bust door, they will usually have police with them to make sure they only do what warrant allows them and will make sure property is left lock fast.

Although you will have to pay costs.

Johno100

[Deleted User] wrote:

Hi,

the thing is the meter reader/inspector probably works much the same hours as the you, if EON were to bring in a night shift, say from midnight to 8 in the morning, for visits, would you be happy to have the inspector call at 3 in the morning, save you taking a day off work?

Now you are being silly. However, it would surely make sense for meter readers to operate early evenings, say 5pm to 8pm for the best return on their time.

chanz4

[Deleted User] wrote:

Hi,

maybe easier just to let them use warrant and bust door, they will usually have police with them to make sure they only do what warrant allows them and will make sure property is left lock fast.

Although you will have to pay costs.

Police hardly ever attend, unless requested by the agent executing the warrant for breach of the peace reasons only.

sdavies13

Ok, sorry, perhaps I wasn't clear enough...

I phoned the number given in the letter and the line was closed.

I then went to the indicated website to book an appointment and the date I gave was accepted. Though have to state I did not get an emailed confirmation (much like you do with many websites, and yes I did have to give my email address whilst booking the appointment). However I did not get an emailed or phoned rejection either.

I (obviously wrongly) assumed this appointment was correct so booked 1 days leave for the day in question, waiting in all day but no one turned up. I did not get the email rejecting my requested date until that afternoon so a day wasted.

I was then unable to book another day's leave as I don't get anymore until the new financial year so I left it working on the assumption I would have time to do this.

Fact I now have another letter chasing this and essentially threatening court action and forced entry I see as a silly escalation of the matter.

Sure I will phone them during my lunch break tomorrow and try to get a delay in any possible legal repurcussions. I cannot agree another date though as all leave booking is now suspended until the new financial year comes into effect!

My leave has to fit in with my callout rotas, customer contractual obligations, as well as my colleagues leave requirements (one of which has recently found his wife has cancer, needless to say his leave now rightly takes priority).

What got me was the seeming assumption that people can drop everything to make themselves available for this inspection, sadly that isn't the case.

Plus this is now the second letter I have received threatening a trip to the magistrates court and forced entry (first being from the council as a tree of mine is growing past the street light, not currently blocking anything but once it comes into leaf the light will be partially blocked).

All seems a bit heavy handed, though perhaps it is a reflection of how angry and judgemental society is becoming...