SSE refusing to repair Pay as you Go meter

Michaelw

Theres an example of a blank screen here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwl2ZKsNSKA

Theres bad language but there often is with meter failures.

[Deleted User]

Michaelw wrote: »

Theres an example of a blank screen here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwl2ZKsNSKA

Theres bad language but there often is with meter failures.

Notice he says "hopefully we will get free electric for months on end "..most likely it will be years !..Also notice the central seal on the lower cover which protects the cover from being opened .. Something is hanging down suspiciously long from it...
The blank screens I see are NOT lit up , this one is . Its a tampered meter in my opinion.
So long as the electric is still on, the last thing he really wants to do is to "top up "More money to spare for his Rum !

AndyCF

Genuine question for those 'in the industry' about blank meter displays:

Assuming its a pre-pay token/key type one that is.

There's obviously a top up history record, and I'm sure if you do not top up for weeks (is it 2-4 weeks?) they will enquire to see if things are OK. I've read this somewhere, although it may only apply to those on a 'vunerable' type list perhaps ?

All I'm asking here is surely if they see there has been no credit added for weeks on end, it must flag something up for 'a closer look' , as even with low or no usage its going to want to eat a little for standing charges. I'm assuming here that the last topup was not say £100 which would explain a large gap between each.

Unless the 'dead display' meter will actually accept the credit, but that seems unlikely as then there's the trans record and the reading back on the key = back to the supplier next time etc.

[Deleted User]

AndyCF wrote: »

Genuine question for those 'in the industry' about blank meter displays:

Assuming its a pre-pay token/key type one that is.

There's obviously a top up history record, and I'm sure if you do not top up for weeks (is it 2-4 weeks?) they will enquire to see if things are OK. I've read this somewhere, although it may only apply to those on a 'vunerable' type list perhaps ?

All I'm asking here is surely if they see there has been no credit added for weeks on end, it must flag something up for 'a closer look' , as even with low or no usage its going to want to eat a little for standing charges. I'm assuming here that the last topup was not say £100 which would explain a large gap between each.

Unless the 'dead display' meter will actually accept the credit, but that seems unlikely as then there's the trans record and the reading back on the key = back to the supplier next time etc.

You are correct in that all suppliers can see by the credit top up whether or not a certain property is paying anything for gas and electricity..In a normal country I think they would come out and investigate after say, six months of inactivity
.This is broken Britain high crime , low police , virtually zero spent on Revenue Protection except by British Gas, so prepay meters are left on their own and totally ignored year after year, even if they don t get topped up.
One of the first signs I look for on a prepay meter is a negative standing charge build up in a property which isn t vacant and is using electricity... So when I see £200 owing ( shows a minus sign or the word "owed ") on screen A , it is a build up of standing charges of around £85 a year.so £200 represents 2.5 years of failure to credit the meter.These meters are nearly always bypassed with the lower cover seal absent and show signs of screw damage on the lower cover screw or behind on the screws which hold the cables. These screws should be pristine and un marked
It beggars belief how sloppily run our energy market has become.
I have found busted and tampered electric prepay meters which have been reported to , in this case Scottish Power, three times by different meter readers and still nothing has been done to end the free energy theft by the occupant.. British Gas are by far the best because of the amount they spend annually on revenue protection.. The rest are mostly hopeless and that includes most of the big 6 except SSE who have an active RPU

AndyCF

Thanks.

I would of thought if there was no signs of topup for a month at most it would flag a visit, unless they were doing constant £50 topups which would likely 'cover them' for the time period.

Regarding what you have said about 'unpaid energy' I have seen it but it was done in a -very- unusual way (and had been removed) to be honest you would struggle to see it as it was invisible! I can't post it in public. Needless to say this was seen about 15 years ago or so now, I should point out it was the new owner who I knew who pointed it out to me, so the 'previous' was responsible as the new had to refurb the place before moving in. I may be able to tell you in a PM I suppose.

Regarding Gas they are actually in my experience slightly over enthusiastic about ignoring requests for preset levels. I can probably explain this in a new topic at some point, and I have paperwork to prove it all too.

[Deleted User]

AndyCF wrote: »

Thanks.

I would of thought if there was no signs of topup for a month at most it would flag a visit, unless they were doing constant £50 topups which would likely 'cover them' for the time period.

Regarding what you have said about 'unpaid energy' I have seen it but it was done in a -very- unusual way (and had been removed) to be honest you would struggle to see it as it was invisible! I can't post it in public. Needless to say this was seen about 15 years ago or so now, I should point out it was the new owner who I knew who pointed it out to me, so the 'previous' was responsible as the new had to refurb the place before moving in. I may be able to tell you in a PM I suppose.

Regarding Gas they are actually in my experience slightly over enthusiastic about ignoring requests for preset levels. I can probably explain this in a new topic at some point, and I have paperwork to prove it all too.

There are different vids on which come and go. A Mr Ricky Woods , shows a short vid of a bypassed electric meter shown on Youtube for the last 5 years ,207k views .Excellent photo of some extra thick link wire (for cannabis growing probably. Nothing subtle about that
In the USA where energy theft is a federal offence Mr Ricky Woods would have been tracked and jailed..Not so in Broken Britain..
BG RPU when they have time , and are not busy on the money spinners, the Takeaways ( where they will have a good chance of repayment ) will have a bit of purge in the known top ten streets in an area b, but they are fighting a losing battle. They don t normally recover much revenue from fiddled prepays.Tenants disappear or a new tenant takes over the account.
As for the rest of the suppliers..hopeless, they mostly just write it off and pass it onto the rest of us to pay for it .That is if they are a bit lucky in catching anyone because they rarely send a meter reader out.The DNO s also run their own RPU s.. I have no knowledge on how successful they are. I have only met one RPU man from a DNO

AndyCF

I think 'across the pond' they are quite keen on remote disconnection if you're too late paying your bill. Could be wrong.

I've never looked at any YT or other site's videos / links / instructions for it. No need to, I'd not do it and if (in an alternate reality only!) I did I would not need said sordid details either. Having worked with HV would quite aware of the dangers but as I say I'd -never- do it.


The problem I had with BG was them making a mess (yes I can prove it) of the payment sums and once accidentally changing the total too, point being it took me several unwanted trips to the shop at my own expense to rectify this via the comms with the card.

DesDixon

Hi All,


By way of update - Tenant has since moved out and so I called SSE to 'take back' the account which I have done.


I then informed them about the lack of display fault and said I'd like a replacement meter (not Smart), they said 'okay' after I explained I didn't want one right now. The lady tried got through to the appointments line only to come back and tell me there are no appointments and someone will call me back. This was several days ago - I called again today and was told the same. I clarified if the meter can still be used, they said it can.

Michaelw

They should send someone to exchange that meter in four hours.When my L&G prepayment gas meter went blank the supply remained on but Southern Gas Network did attend within that time.

Many people are only going to become more familier with these failing gas smart meters when their 15-20 year old dial meter is removed.I would call these battery powered gas smart meters suspect after two years' the previous prepayment equivelent is much the same and it wasn't transceiving in function.

DesDixon

Is the 4 hour turn around legislation or guidance I can quote from somewhere? As they didn't seem too bothered. The flat is currently vacant but it makes life difficult if someone new moves in.