SSE up to their old tricks again???

Bryn99

Hi.

I was just at my Dad's house when someone knocked the door.
My Dad answered it, and I heard the guy say "Hi, I'm just here to switch your meter".
My Dad is a little hard of hearing, and thought he'd said read the meter.

Hearing this, I went out to the door, and he was already reading the meter and typing the values into his pad.
I looked at his polo shirt, and it had SSE on it.
I asked him why he was reading the meter, because my Dad was with EON for both Gas and Electricity.

He came out with some bull about him being on a list in error then, and that he would make a note and pass it on, which I don't believe.
If I'd answered the door, I wouldn't have let him near the meter, but it was too late when I got out there.

Can they switch him over just by taking the readings?

The thing is, there's form from SSE here.
About a month or two ago, a similar things happened, only this time they didn't get anywhere near the meter because I answered.

And about 2 years ago, he got a bill from and SSE, even though he's with EON.
A guy from EON came out, and sorted that out for him, telling him that the salesman had told him my Dad had agreed to switch on the door, something my Dad definitely wouldn't do.

I thought SSE had stopped all this door-to-door nonsense when they got fined over £10 million in 2011.
Have they all started back up, or was it not really from SSE, and maybe a call to the Police is in order?

Just after any info or advice really.

Bryn.

System

I wouldn’t worry. I had a meter reader call last month to read my meters on behalf of a supplier that I left 6 months previously. The meter readings appeared on my new accounts a few days later. They may be asked for by a particular supplier but the readings are linked to the meter number/s.

Bryn99

Thanks.
I'll keep an eye on it (and try once again to get my Dad to not be so obliging when people knock the door), and I'll fire off a couple of Emails to Eon and SSE, so I at least have dated communication on this matter.

Thanks for the reassurance.

System

Bryn99 wrote: »

Thanks.
I'll keep an eye on it (and try once again to get my Dad to not be so obliging when people knock the door), and I'll fire off a couple of Emails to Eon and SSE, so I at least have dated communication on this matter.

Thanks for the reassurance.

Why not just save a bit of time and check his online E.oN account.

Carrot007

Is the meter in place a SSE meter (it's shouldsay owner on it somewhere but it's sometimes confusing as it may be owned by a company that paid for meters up front and rents to sse).

If so and it is due for changing then the lists are often generated months in advance so it could just be that.

Best not to let them though as they would not send the details to the right mop and it might be chaos!

Carrot007

Bryn99 wrote: »

and try once again to get my Dad to not be so obliging when people knock the door

THIS!

Indeed trusting people at the door know much morie than some company told them to go there and do something is the main problem.

Only let them do things if you know it is right!

House_Martin

from my experience as a meter reader for nearly 20 years its not uncommon for us to knock on the wrong door in error, mainly because we have address errors..I always come clean and tell the occupier it appears I have come to the wrong address in error but colleagues mostly just read the meter and walk out.When we see the meter we know if we are at the correct house by meter type and serial number.. Its easy enough to do nowadays when many houses can t be bothered to put a number on the door..sometimes there can be half a dozen in a row with no number, and many with house names have obscured or even no name up at all..