Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

128 replies

Goawaybob · 20/03/2012 20:44

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 Grin). 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

OP posts:
Kimblefade · 01/10/2013 14:43

Yes I know it's an old thread but just come across it on a search.
Lets clear some thing up
The OP didn't want to let the meter man in an that's fine but be aware that refusal will make you highlighted to the supplier as your excuse was vague! It sounds to a meter man just a little suss!!
The meter and the supply pipes are the legal property of the supplier. You have no say what happens to it or if it should be read or checked. You do have a legal requirement to let the supplier check the meter at a convenient time. A messy cupboard is not an excuse!!!!!!!!! (I will get to that)
If the supplier thinks that there is a problem with the meter then they can force entry at any time night or day. They have more powers of entry than the police when gas safety is involved. If they think there's a problem then they will smash your door down and turn off the supply and walk away (known as TOFO's! "turn off and *k off) and it will also cost you to get it reinstated and checked by a Gas Safe registered engineer with MET1 qualification. You can't claim for damage, you can't asked for grace and you can't collect £200!!
Now back to your excuse!!! I think that you should be a little more helpful to the meter man cos he is cutting you some slack!!! A meter has to accessible AT ALL TIMES in case of an emergency. If it is not then it is against Gas Regulations and he had every right to report you to Transco who would, yes you guessed it!!! TOFO
Still want to get arsey with him????

Tuonz · 01/10/2013 16:26

Wtf Kimble. Are you on glue?

Smash the door down my arse. They pick the lock and leave a card.

They don't have more powers than the police. Unless they think the place is gonna go kaboom even British gas get a court order before entering, even then there's procedure'

Still, am sure the OP will appreciate your advice a mere 18 months after the event. If she hasn't cleared the cupboard by now I'm sure she'll be right on it.

LimitedEditionLady · 01/10/2013 16:30

Ive a couple of times said read the electric but not the gas as the gas one is behind heavy furniture and i cant.move it myself especially while watching children who have also set up their toys everywhere.They usually just say leave a reading in the window for tomorrow and give a card

FlapJackOLantern · 01/10/2013 16:32

Oooh Kimble - chill out, no need to get het up over a zombie thread !

LimitedEditionLady · 01/10/2013 16:34

Smash the door down?i think theyd probably send you a letter asking for entry first and do the normal thing of asking you to phone a book a time slot.British gas cant just come and smash the door down.Thats called breaking an entry,thats also called illegal.They actually advise you they will enter the property and charge you for it ysing the correct procedure.Bill or alan or Steve the meter reading wont just come kick the door in.

LimitedEditionLady · 01/10/2013 16:41

Kimble have you really just restarted this cos youre passionate about reading meters?

HorryIsUpduffed · 01/10/2013 16:56

I was once home alone at about age 14 when a man came to the door asking to come in to read the meter. He was quite forceful and for obvious reasons I didn't want to let him in.

After a couple of minutes of being harassed, I said "hold on, which meter?" Gas, he said. "It's there, by your knee, on the outside of the house," I replied, and shut the door.

It has left me cautious about people coming to the door even in "uniform" polo shirts with lanyards on.

If I cba to clear a path to our meters now (gas/elec are in spare junk room and water is at the back of a kitchen cupboard, though mercifully that can be read automagically from the road by the right kind of van) I say "hold on, I'll go and get them for you" and leave the man on the doorstep. We always submit our own readings online anyway so I don't think we see the meter man very often.

pixiepotter · 01/10/2013 17:14

How come you all have indoor meters? I have never lived anywhere where the meter wasn't outside.

pixiepotter · 01/10/2013 17:15

YABU to object to him classifying the call as refused entry, because that is what you did on this occasion

binger · 01/10/2013 17:19

I did this last time too because dh was at work and I couldn't be arsed pulling everything out. Meter reader was not happy, he stormed off not saying anything. They usually turn up when we're eating but at least dh is in.

Bubbles1066 · 01/10/2013 18:23

We have a smart metre directly connected to British Gas but they still insist on coming around every quarter anyway to check it, just like they did before. I do let them in but it does make me wonder what the point of a smart metre is if they still want to read it often.

Rooners · 01/10/2013 18:26

OP - I have no interest in the merits of door opening or otherwise but I have a feeling you pay a stupendous amount more for a meter than you do for direct debit.

If no one's mentioned it already then do look into getting it changed.

Rooners · 01/10/2013 18:27

oops

weirdbird · 01/10/2013 18:31

They come around every 2 mths were I live, they are a PITA and they get paid per metre read, so target my road as there are lots of people at home. I refuse as our metre is positioned in our lounge at toddler height and the only way to make it safe is to put a piece of furniture in front of it. They have said it is not safe for children to fiddle with, but wanted 4k to move it! We are going to build a box around it going forward, but legally you only have to allow them in once every 2 yrs. I give online readings. I cannot move the furniture on my own, but they are incredibly rude and insistent every visit. What is the point of me giving online readings if they visit more often than I am even asked to supply my own?
No you are not being unreasonable

FreshLeticia · 01/10/2013 21:25

Why do you answer the door? it's your home, you are perfectly entitled to open the door to who you like, or not. I have often been in my kitchen which has windowpanes i. the door, but will not answer the door if a) I don't know who it is and b) don't feel like it.
Same with the phone. Why should i have to answer it?

LimitedEditionLady · 01/10/2013 22:39

I think they really check to see if youre doing anything doing to the meter to be honest.I second dont answer the door,i get a lot of parcels and have to do the door dash so they dont leave it with the PITA next door but i regularly dont answer especially to cold callers,esoecially when they look in my window first to see if im in.

DanielSan · 02/10/2013 01:05

I work for British Gas in the prepayment department, and we absolutely do not have remote access to meters. Your card sends information back to BG systems through an external company when you top up, that's how we get payments, reads and information from your meter. We can also send messages via paypoint, but there is no direct access to the meter. There will be when smart prepayment meters are introduced, but the technology for this isn't available yet. We have a legal obligation to inspect the meter, also it's useful to get actual reads from a meter reader in order to make sure everything is allocating as it should, and there's nothing wrong with the process. It can sometimes be the best way to confirm meter details.

DanielSan · 02/10/2013 01:23

Just saw how old this is - oops! However, I've started so I'll finish... However rabid kimble sounds, they are right in some respects. The meter is the property of the meter operator, and you are obliged to give them access, I'm afraid, but you don't have to grant them access if you have reason to suspect they're not genuine. They have to show you their ID, and if you're really worried, phone British Gas, and they can verify their identity for you. They won't exactly 'break the door down', but they can eventually apply for (and usually get, tbh) a warrant granting access and change the locks. They'll only do the ripping the meter out/forced exchange thing is if the meter has been tampered with. They can force fit a prepayment meter if there's an outstanding balance, and it's got to the stage of going to warrant, but even then, they won't 'break the door down', they'll get a locksmith and leave the keys at a police station. They do have powers of access when they suspect a gas leak and they can break down the door if it's an emergency, but to be totally honest, I'm quite glad about that as I wouldn't really want my house to be filling up with gas while British Gas applied for a warrant and found a locksmith before they could make my house safe!!!

veryconfusedatthemoment · 02/10/2013 01:54

I have refused before now. I always pay my bill and yet was getting the meter readers turn up monthly. So I said they could come once per year (as per the gas regulations) but I would read the meter the rest of the time. I explained that it was more cost effective this way and that they could reduce my daily rate by a bit :) Has it made any difference- NO - they still turn up monthly, I still don't let them in.

I watch the meter readers come to my house then the next day they are at the neighbours. Why 1 company can not do all the road in 1 go annually.

So no yanbu :)

kiwik · 02/10/2013 02:34

DanielSan - the technology for smart meters already exists. They've just not implemented it in your country yet. We've had it in NZ for ages. No meter readers - all done remotely.
I was v surprised when at my parents and a meter reader knocked on the door asking to read the meter. Especially as it was outside. Hmm

fiverabbits · 02/10/2013 04:40

The last time a meter reader came to read our gas meter the front door lock had jammed so he had to come round the back of the house, through the living room, into to the hall into the cupboard by the front door and then back out again by the same way. As for the last 12 years we do not use any gas the meter reading is always the same as I give online and the bill is £0.00, British Gas must hate paying the meter reader to read my meter.

DanielSan · 02/10/2013 09:08

Not for pre payment meters it doesnt. Smart credit meters have been around for ages. They will start trialing prepayment smart meters soon, but as of yet, they dont exist.

Rooners · 03/10/2013 09:12

I knew a family whose dad was a spark, and he adjusted the electric meter so it ran backwards. Grin

I'm not sure how they got away with it.

Feminine · 03/10/2013 09:29

I just like to inform you all that we don't get gas!

We have oil Wink Grin

ScarerAndFuck · 03/10/2013 09:42

That means nothing Feminine, they still might break in anyway Grin