AIBU if I'm being unreasonable about meter reading for utilities bill

[onceamai]

I'm not sure if I'm being unreasonable or not and would like some advice before I contact the utility company which I think is British Gas for Gas and Electricity.

On Monday, a bank holiday, a young man knocked on the door at 8.30pm and wanted to read the meter. He had the correct equipment and a badge but I thought it was very strange to call so late on a bank holiday. I said I wanted to check first and asked if he had a contact number. He gave me an 0800 number and got visibly agitated when I closed the front door to telephone - there was an out of hours recorded message. I said he couldn't come in.

He turned up again last night - again after 8.30. I said it was far too late (Friday night) and as I couldn't contact his office to check out of hours, he could not come in. He then wanted to argue that the meter had to be read, that it was his right and because I had said he couldn't do it on a bank holiday he had come back on a day that wasn't a bank holiday. It was the arguing that worried me although he seemed a presentable young man. He did not like it at all when I said in the circumstances could he please ask his company to contact me to make an appointment or to accept an estimate.

I am sure that usually the meter readings have taken place on Saturday mornings in recent years and this seems very strange. I feel more cautious because the calls have come when DH is away and DH says this doesn't seem to be falling in with the bill cycle - the bill is not due for about 4-6 weeks. DH is abroad a lot and I am beginning to feel paranoid that we are being cased.

I'm not sure if I'm being over anxious about this and don't want to contact the utility company and get this young man in trouble if he is a genuine employee but he seems a little too persistent and hasn't been able to leave me with a card so that I can contact the company for mutually convenient appointment.

The neighbours haven't had this young man calling but I don't know if readings take place a road at a time or if they link in with moving in dates. We have been here since 1994 and it seems rather unusual.

My DP does work for electric companies (not meter reading though) and specifically didn't work on the last bank holiday as there wouldn't have been anyone in the office to be able to verify who he was if someone wanted to check. He also wouldn't be at all bothered if someone asked to verify who he was before letting him in. If this is genuine it sounds like someone needs to at least have a word with the man about his customer service skills or perhaps send him on additional training.

I've never, in 9 years, allowed someone in my house to read my meter. You can take your own readings. Noone has any right to comeinto your house, without the police and a entry warrent. There isno reason to allow him if you feel uncomfortable.

i've recently had this argument with our gas/elec supplier (eon) as the meter readers had started to be very aggressive with me, turning up at 7am or after dark insisting they had a 'right' to come in. my meters are in the cellar, and i don't particularly fancy letting strangers into the house.

about a year ago Eon agreed i only had to have the meters read once a year, and that they would make an appointment to do so. this worked for a while, but suddenly they've started turning up again and a few times i've ended up shutting the front door in their faces while they shouted at me. Complained to Eon, but now they say it's not possible for me to make an appointment and that they will keep turning up at my door. very annoying.

I think even if you provide your own meter readings, by law you have to allow a utility company employee into your house to read the meter once every two years.

I have to admit when I was pregnant, I called the water company to ask about this and I think they said I could arrange an appointment if the reader called at an inconvenient time.

They're lying to you. They have no right of entry to your house unless they've a court order. If there was a right of entry my company would save a lot of time, money and admin in court to get access for gas checks, which are legally required as a landlord (the utility company has no legal right to a Reading)

YANBU.

As far as I'm concerned I just do not let anyone into my house if I feel in the slightest bit uncomfortable or something doesn't sit right. That includes 99% of meter readers.

I'm happy to not make life difficult, they can come in if they make a prior appointment, and show me ID, and let me get my OWN tel number for the utility company to check it out. I also generally submit meter readings every 2 or 3 months anyway.

But I won't let anyone in just because they happen to be wearing a uniform or look a bit annoyed at having their word questionned.

My house, my rules. Frankly, I've refused to enter into discussions to justify this attitude in the past. Why should I justify who I will and will not let into my own house?

I've probably got a bit of a reputation amongst the local readers now, and whilst I don't feel happy that I'm making their jobs harder (most of them are genuine, I'm sure), my safety and the safety of my family come first.

I don't think I'm being unreasonable - I've offered alternatives to the "just turn up at the door situation" - if they want to take the alternatives that I'm happy with, fine, otherwise a court order it will have to be.

My husband did this as a student. Its a crap job. They are sent about a million adressess that they have to do on their machine, and are penalised if they dont reach a certain number of readings. They are not tied to set hours, but if they dont get their "quota" done then they have to trail back round the paranoid nutters in their own time, un paid, to get the readings. The utility companys encourage evening and early morning hours as this is the best way to catch people home.

You do need to allow readings, whether its your house or not. The meter is not your property it is the electric companys property. It needs to be seen, to prevent fraud and also so that unsafe meters can be reported. If you dont want to let them in to check their own equipment, come off the grid, have the meter removed and buy a camping stove and some candles. But please, quit the hysterical my home is my castle and and every man at the the door is a mad rapist crap.

It just makes life difficult for ordinary guys trying to do a job. The number of times my perfectly respactable husband had to stand and be abused by hysterical (usually female) house holders and accused of all sorts of criminal intent was unbelievable.

My dh workds away a lot as well.
I have registered with BG online for both bills.
I now read my own meter & e-mail them.
They do say they need to read the meter occasionally. I suppose that's to make sure you're not lying about what you've used!
My meter readers have usually arrived during the day sometime.

Just wanted to give a bit of info on the procedure here for mrsravelstein.

The meter readers should never be aggressive or rude, this is just unacceptable and I completely agree that this should not happen.

They should be showing you their ID and explaining where they are from, what they need to do.

The energy companies do by law need to read the meter, not only to ensure you are billed accurately but more importantly (especially gas) for safety.

I agree with some of the other posters, putting meter readings online regularly is excellent and we are always happy to bill to customer meter readings.

Some customers may not be able to read the meters and we are happy to book appointments.

Helena

montysma1 if this 'paranoid nutter' had not been on the ball two weeks ago I would have been right royally scammed by a 'decent' bloke purporting to be from the tax credit office.

So?

Meter readers dont engage you in conversation, make you sign anything, take personal details. They read your meter, they leave, they are in your house for about 20 seconds, because they have about 500 other meters to read that day.

They are in a uniform, the have ID. The world cant grind to a halt and nobody get their jobs done because there are criminals about. If you leave the house you could get burgled on the other hand if you dont sleep in your car it could get nicked.

People just need to show a modicum of common sense and judgment, but that isnt the same as assuming every other person is a crook out to get you.

YANBU

If you don't feel comfortable then don't let them in. I've had them be aggressive with me before. I totally understand that they're trying to fill a quota, but there is no need for aggression.

No one has read my meter for years. I have to phone in my reading every quarter, otherwise they estimate (badly). (I'm with NPower)

OP - there is no way I would let this man into my house. Telephone British Gas meter reading service, you have to give input your account number using the telephone keypad and ditto with the meter reading, but it's very easy.