Wrong/ Extra meter at my house!

Ovalbee

bagand96 said:

Sounds a nightmare.  

Not sure I can add in any useful way, other than complain complain complain.  This might be one of those situations where it would be worth writing to the CEO office, it may at least get it cascaded to someone who can do something.

Keep it simple, report the facts, invite them to your house to search it for the rogue meter to prove it's not yours.  It shouldn't be your job to search for it.  If it must have an address attached to it tell them to register it to their head office address! (I doubt they'll do that but it demonstrates what a ridiculous situation this is)

😂 good idea - I’ll suggest they put the British Gas HQ address on the database. 

Mrs_Arcanum

Ask for an engineer visit to prove the meter is not on your property.

Recently discovered BG had mixed up the meters for 2 flats - despite there being flat numbers on the meters. Meant an empty flat was being charged for gas they could not be using. 

Ovalbee

Mrs_Arcanum said:

Ask for an engineer visit to prove the meter is not on your property.

Recently discovered BG had mixed up the meters for 2 flats - despite there being flat numbers on the meters. Meant an empty flat was being charged for gas they could not be using. 

The BG engineers have been here and they accepted years ago that it’s not my meter. They know it’s the wrong address for the bills etc, but they say they can’t change the name on the meter database until they have the proper address!! But in 4 years of searching they have failed to work out where the proper address is. Thank you for the suggestion though - I feel like we’ve tried everything and spent 40+ hours on the phone over the years. Everything is documented - they just refuse to amend the meter database. 

tim_p

Who actually fits meters on, say, new builds?  Surely there would be a record of who, where or when a particular meter (the rogue one) was issued to a local depot (presumably it works something like this) for install. Shouldn’t that then link back to a job sheet / installation.   Even if an installer simply grabbed one from his van there should be a record of what was in his van, or by a process of elimination which ones it wasn’t. 

Makes you wonder how many there might be like this!   Seems quite exploitable. 

molerat

The problem comes when the meter is fitted to Plot 123, House Builder Development, Anytown which then becomes 7 Acacia Avenue, Anytown, WX12 3YZ as there is no correlation between the two properties and that property simply does not exist until it is given an address.

brewerdave

molerat said:

The problem comes when the meter is fitted to Plot 123, House Builder Development, Anytown which then becomes 7 Acacia Avenue, Anytown, WX12 3YZ as there is no correlation between the two properties and that property simply does not exist until it is given an address.

Our new build in the late 80s had a plot number which was used by BT , British Gas and South Wales electricity board for about 2 years before they would send the letters/ bills to our actual address.
 A further complication was that the builder's agent gave everyone in our road an incorrect post code ! (actually for a different building site)

jbuchanangb

I realise that this is a problem which you don't want to hand to the people buying your house, who it seems will inherit it, but I would have introduced an £25 admin charge to British Gas for every time I had to process any item of correspondence in connection with this matter, and if they were not paying I would be seeing them in the Small Claims Court.

Ovalbee

All interesting ideas and information. This has been really useful and I wonder if companies monitor these forums. I’ll use all the information you have given me if I need it, but it looks like British Gas have decided they can find a solution 😊. Finally after 4 years - they can apparently change the accounts and request a meter database change. Let’s see if it works - if not I’ll be back. For now this can be closed on the forum. 

Thanks everyone