To wonder what the point is of sending someone to read the meters if they're only going to send estimated bills!?!

[TheCunnyFunt]

Someone came to read the gas and electric meters last week, bill came today, it's an estimated one! Why did they bother sending someone in the first place!?!

Arrgh, we've had this too. Someone turned up a fortnight ago, then they sent a letter asking for the meter readings amd today they've sent an email. Incompetent eejits.

We don't even get them reading our meters. The company phone us for the reading then claim they've actually read them. How this is any different from the readings DH provides online I don't know.

Could be the estimated bill was already in the process of being sent out by the time the meter reader logged his actual reads.

Also sometimes the meter guy is there to check the meter (required by law once every 2 years) and will take a read anyway but do nothing with it or sometimes it's simply just logged on the system.

He could have sent the read in but (at least for the energy company I previous worked for) those readings can only be used as an actual - something like 17 days before the bill date and so many days after. Forgive me I've forgotten exactly, it's been a long time.

Take the readings again, call through on a freefone no and tell them you want to update it and you want a actual bill generated and they'll send you one.
You can also sign up online and you usually get an email when they want the readings before a new bill is due.
Or update them yourself - pita I know but unless you're meter is read because you're elderly or disabled, it is a customers responsibility to provide reads. It's also the best way of keeping your account accurate with no more estimates then surprise bills later. Find the 0800 number and call it and ask for a transfer to the billing team, you won't be surprised to find it's usually the number for customers wanting to join ;)

Eat - If you're providing them online then I'd refuse to give over the telephone. There's not a lot can be done fraudulently with meter reads but that sounds nuts.
Next time they call tell them to send someone if they want them and if it's been longer than 2 years since someone last seen your meter - kindly remind of that as they must check them by law.

Every time I send in my own meter readings, the meter reading man arrives a couple of days later. It's as if they are accusing me of giving false readings. If I don't submit the info for months, then no-one visits. Utterly bizarre.

We have gas and electricity from the same provider but they only ever read one then send an estimated for the other, stupid.

Actually Eat do you know for sure who's calling. Is it your actual energy company or is Meterplus . If it's the latter then it should be reported because the reader could be getting paid for the reading when he hasn't visited.

carbe they claim to be the energy supplier and quite often get very pushy, though a few times have admitted they are a meter reading company (may be meter plus). I just tell them I can't do it as I can't get into the cupboard with the kids about so it will have to wait for DH. Eventually a meter reader shows up. Though the few times DH has taken a reading and given it to them (after submitting online, even he won't do their job for them) no meter reader has shown up and its down as an actual.

Oh, and its not a case of them reading it at some other time as one of the meters is inside our house.