British gas intend fitting an unwanted smart meter...

born_again

Don't forget that if the new smart meter has issues. The whole "If it ain't broke don't fix it" would mean that you would not qualify for a payout 😜🤣

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6652975/mse-news-smart-meter-problems-you-could-be-automatically-compensated-under-new-rules

ohreallƳ

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81942823#Comment_81942823

Relevant, I was replying to part of the comment by @Reed_Richards

EssexHebridean

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81941040#Comment_81941040

The reason for this is that about 95% of those who post here expressing reluctance or a downright refusal to have a meter replacement because the replacement will be smart are gullible people who have been taken in by conspiracy theories…

Instead of gullible I generally prefer to use the term vulnerable - vulnerable to being fed nonsense by those with intent to do them ill.

Reed_Richards

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81942823#Comment_81942823

Has that ever really happened? Forced entry purely for the reaon that the meter has exceeded its certification period? I had a quick look online and could not find any documented reports nor people complaining it has happened to them.

Netexporter

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81943240#Comment_81943240

Yes it does happen. Persistent refused entry to meter readers, or other utility company staff, is a red flag for meter tampering/energy theft, which has public safety implications. Magistrates generally issue a warrant pretty much automatically, in such cases. British gas abused this arrangement,, a few years back, to cut off non-paying customers, rather than going through all other processes first.

Reed_Richards

Yes I know that forced entry happens but has it ever happened where someone persistently refused entry to an engineer wanting to fit a smart meter (not for the purposes of installing a prepayment meter)? Some people here report difficulty in getting an appointment to have a smart meter fitted; I cannot believe that BG has enough fitters available for repeatedly calls after being turned away.

Netexporter

I'm fairly certain they'd take the opportunity to fit a smart meter, having gone to the trouble of making a forced entry, even if no tampering was actually found.

Reed_Richards

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81943323#Comment_81943323

To make a forced entry the supplier needs to go to magistrate and get them to issue a warrant. Has a magistrate ever issued such a warrant purely on the grounds of the supplier wanting to fit a new meter when the old one has gone past its certification period? I doubt it very much. If it did happen I'm sure we would get people coming to this forum to complain about it and I don't recall that that has ever happened.

daveyjp

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81943498#Comment_81943498

My new neighbour called round the other day as they didn't have a key for the meter box to take a reading. The meter was a cu ft meter installed when the property was new. That was now almost 50 years ago.

If a meter had to be changed wouldn't it have been done so by now and meaures taken to ensure it was?

SAC2334

I worked for British Gas for 20 years reading their meters ( and nearly all the other suppliers ) and never once in that time did they ever cut any one off even if they were caught tampering more than once . I only knew one supplier ( who cut two people off and one was a drug addict who constantly stole energy for years and the other was a mistake which I quickly rectified with a phone call to CS.

Cutting gas off is allowed but rare and cutting electricity is not supposed to be allowed at all with children or vulnerables in the property