To not have let the meter reader in to read the gas meter.

[Goawaybob]

It was about 2.30 and DP is off work poorly (not so poorly that we coudlnt have a lovely walk on the beach earlier ). He is self employed and we hardly ever get any time alone. So we were enjoying a nice cuppa before the school run.

Bang bang at the door (i thought it miht come down) and the meter man was there. I just coudlnt face pulling all the crap out of the cupboard for him to read the meter, plus its a pre-pay digital meter, which one time when we had a problem with it, british gas were able to tell us exactly what was on it, remotely, so they must have remote access to the details.

I told the man, very politely that it wasn't convenient. He just stood there sort of incredulous and didnt say anything, i said, besides its a pre-pay meter, i don't need you to read it, thanks. He said, Yes you do actually, so i said no it is not convenient sorry but you are welcome to come back at a more convenient time. He just looked really pissed off and said, Well im afraid its now or never, i'll just put you down as a refused entry shall i? I said, yeah, if you want, and shut the door.

But now im miffed, i did not refuse entry, i told him it was inconvenient because it was (cupboard chocca block and would have been a pita to get to meter and it was nearly time to pick up DD) - grrrrrrr

It does take time if you have to move things. Especially if you are like me and then can't go out leaving things left lying around and have to put everything back

i am perfectly happy for them to make an appointment to come, in fact, i am normally pretty happy to pull the crap from the cupboard, but today, it wasn't convenient. Its that simple. The man wasn't rude, just sullen, probably pissed off because people not in, or not letting him in

I refused one once 'cos it was just before xmas and all the kids presents were hidden in the cupboard where the meter is. The guy was very understanding and gave me a card to fill in myself.

It takes them seconds to read my meters , I don't get all the angst about it tbh

I would have probably bought some tea towels, and i am a jehovah's witness actually pooka!

! Oops.

But both of those things would have taken longer than simply opening your meter cupboard and letting the guy read the meter, particularly if was just a case of jiggling the stuff next to the meter (since you have to do that to feed it).

Why did you answer the door?

I often refuse entry. I have never been threatened with legal procedings. Sometimes they say they'll come back next week (or whenever), sometimes they leave a card for me to fill in.

I think it's damned unreasonable for anyone to assume you will let them into your house whenever they wish. Just because you're at home, doesn't mean to say you're at home to the meter reader!

I believe a meter has to be read by the utility company at least once every two years by law, in order to ensure that estimates are not too far out, and also to inspect the meter for damage/interference. So although you can refuse a reading, when the two years have passed since the last company reading, they must be given access. Although this is generally at an agreed appointment time. Being a pre-pay meter wouldn't affect the legal requirement, I don't think.

prepayment meters pass information to the card you insert, next time you go to top it up it passes that info to the Gas company. Any info the gas company want to pass to the meter can be done in the reverse, ie the card receives the info in the shop, you put the card into the meter and it updates

I used to work for npower many many years ago and the meter would even pass us an SOS if it felt someone was ahem, interfering with it honestly!

The reason either a gas or electric company still reads the meter even prepayment ones where the reading is passed on when the card is inserted is because they have to do a visible inspection of the meter.

It is a safety thing usually due to people stuffing cupboards full of stuff with the meter in and not knowing if they have managed to slightly disconnect the wires also known as tails.

My mate didn't even know she had a gas leak until she moved stuff out of her cupboard for it to be read the gas man was horrified.

I believe it is required every 2-3 years.

WhereYouLeftIt beat me to it, damn my slow typing

Well thanks for that Orm i do try not to get personal on threads so i wont rise to that one

Not really a jehovah pooka, but i do actually give them the time of day as the man and lady who come round are really nice and giving up their time for the good of others.

This is the first time ive not let the man in, as i say, i had other more pressing issues (that didnt happen anyway - karma? )

Just to clarify the meter belongs to the gas company, it is theirs and they are entitled to inspect their equipment.

You're welcome. I simply fail to see why you would make anyone's life more difficult because you can't be bothered.

Orm, I fail to see why you would make anyone's life more unpleasant because you can't be bothered to be civil.

YANBU

I don't let anyone that I do not know into the house if I am alone or it is just me and the DCs.

Why should I? It's my home, so I decide who can enter it.

As for them calibrating it / checking it is safe - I very much doubt that in the 3 seconds that they glance at it to write down the number. Meter readers are not Gas Safe registered so not allowed to do anything to it. The only reason that they want to physically see it is to check that you haven't bypassed it for free gas.

OP so why is it if a JW or someone selling tea towel came around you would allow them into your home, but a man doing his job you refused.

I am confused

I am sorry if it was uncivil. I gave an opinion. I thought the behaviour of the OP was a bit twattish in the circumstances.

olympic - she wasn't on her own.

I don't see how i am making his life more difficult (although to be fair, if i had known they got paid per reading i probably would have let him in) and i bet that actually, he is home just now watching clint eastwood with his wife and not even the slightest bit bothered. I was polite, he was polite - there wasn't actually a problem. Just assumed that he would have added me on the list of folk who weren't read and that would be on the list for the next time they are in the area.

I think then OrmIrian - that you should have told me that you you felt that i behaved like a twat, rather than calling me a twat! After all, isnt that we are told to do with our children, "I do not like that behaviour" "you are being naughty" rather than "i do not like you" and "you are naughty" besided, i know you like me, you just dont realise it becaues i've namechanged [poking tongue out]

If you are unreasonable op so am I. I often say it is not convenient- cluttered cupboard/ middle of changing nappy/ school run / messy house- whatever.
Yanbu!

But whenever somone comes to your door, for any reason, and they ask to come in, you have a perfect right to say no to their request. For whatever reason.
It might not be what others would have done, but the Op was not being unreasonable, and the meter reader was being sulky in his response.