To think even if your struggling then hacking your metre for free electricity is still not on

[mpje]

NC to be anon, but I just don't think this is right at all. I kind of want to tip off someone about this theft, but I know if she gets caught she will be in a bigger mess.

It's more a WWYD?

Greentureen - that GLORIOUS day when the telly man came to empty all those £1 coins!!!

since when is stealing electric justifiable, even if you are skint

Yes, she's in the wrong but I sympathise if she really is strugggling, so personally I wouldn't report. I've spent the last few months freezing my ass off because I don't have spare in my budget for extra gas and elec. Being cold is fucking exhausting.

Yes, she's in the wrong but I sympathise if she really is strugggling, so personally I wouldn't report. I've spent the last few months freezing my ass off because I don't have spare in my budget for extra gas and elec. Being cold is fucking exhausting.

I would speak to the person and see if they've rang and spoken to their energy provider as they will help where they can especially if their are children in the house. I would also offer help if I could. If they continued to go ahead with stealing electric then I would report but I'd tell the person that was what I was going to do regardless of losing a friendship then so be it.

Stealing by bypassing the meter is just stupid, it's bloody dangerous too, since the people putting the bypass in are normally bad at it.

You know almost every time a house is on the news having been burnt down or exploded from a gas leak, it was a poorly bypassed gas meter.

Oh also I should add, theft of electricity is not called theft as it's not a physical thing. It is abstraction if electricity and theft if it is gas. This is very important to me!

I didn't say they only steal when desperate, I said they aren't rich and doing it for fun. They are either poor or stupid.

Why do people make such assumptions about the reasons that people steal. People who steal are not always poor or stupid.

This is dangerous. How would people feel if their neighbour did this and there was a fire? And their house was damaged as well?

Would it be a case of 'oh the neighbours are poor or stupid...bless them...never mind'

I highly doubt this.

Why do people make such assumptions about the reasons that people steal. People who steal are not always poor or stupid

And then you say how dangerous it is...but you don't think they must be stupid to do something so dangerous, especially if they cn afford to pay it?

You can't have it both ways. Either they are poor enough to be desperate, or they are stupid to do something so dangerous if they aren't poor enough to be desperate.

You just disagreed and then reinforced my point entirely!!

SnatchedPencil: Yes she may end up in big trouble, but she is the only one responsible for her situation.

Aren't you all heart? How do YOU know she's the only one responsible? You have no idea.

The judging and nastiness on this thread is sickening.

Get a life OP.

If nothing else, this thread shows how polarised society has become in terms of values

melj a similar thing happened on my street 2 years ago - someone did something with their meter, and the very elderly man who lived next door was killed in the fire that resulted

Depending on how it's been done, it can be very dangerous, or not at all (dodgy leccy keys) : OP s said she's reported it now, so it's a bit late.

Times are hard and given how cold it is....don't mess with people's shelter,heat and food is my motto

Don't mess with people's heat...not sure which side you're on tbh

So errr how does one fiddle the electric meter ?? Asking for a friend ahem! 😂😂😂

It's just a low life trashy thing to do that I dont get as the meter still racks up how much you owe, which you have to pay to get the meter back to normal if you don't get caught first.

Also there is the safety aspect a very real potential fire hazard I personally would not be able to live with.

My obese horrid electrician ex did his mother's rather than pay his way, rather gamble and risk his own mum going to prison, which left me disgusted - each to their own I suppose

Ok, take the theft out of it completely, lets say they are giving it to the woman for free.
The metre is dangerous and the children need to be protected.
Morals shouldn't be coming into this at all, these children need to be protected and this needs reporting.
OP, you don't have to say they have tampered with the metre, you just need to call and report one of the buzz words and somebody will be out straight away.
Scorching of metre, crackling, flashing lights on metre, buzzing, etc.
Just tell them there's a crackling noise coming from it and let the engineers turn up at the house.

You can't have it both ways. Either they are poor enough to be desperate, or they are stupid to do something so dangerous if they aren't poor enough to be desperate.

So only stupid people do stupid stuff? Only stupid people do something and then relaise how dangerous it is? Only stupid peopke think 'it won't happen to me'. Only stupid people think that they are clever enough to bypass a meter in whatcthey think is a safe way? That they can do it but safely?

Havent proven your point at all. You are talking rubbish. You dont have a point.

People of all intelligences do all sorts of silly things.

A persons income shouldn't make any difference both in stealing or reporting. Breaking the law is illegal

Yea, the law is the same for everyone. Neither rich nor poor can steal a loaf of bread or sleep under bridges.

Yes we had a lovely grade II listed building raised to the ground because some homeless people had tried to make a fire to keep warm (graveyard behind) and it spread to quickly to contain it.

So although I have sympathy for those desperate enough to do things like this or steal electricity it's not just at their own risk they're doing it. The neighbouring houses were left unstable because of it too

Yes it is desperate people most of the time but it is true that some just do it because they can too.

I think it's pretty nasty to want to put the boot in when someone is that desperate.

If you do something very stupid, you ARE STUPID.
Seriously, if you're struggling with such a simple point, you're not the sharpest knife in the drawer yourself.

I think it's pretty nasty to want to put the boot in when someone is that desperate.
Yes, heaven forbid the OP should want to be able to live safely in her own home without being at risk of it going up in flames from her neighbour buggering around with the electricity supply

If you do something very stupid, you ARE STUPID. Seriously, if you're struggling with such a simple point, you're not the sharpest knife in the drawer yourself.

Thats where we disagree. Many intelligent people dont always make the most senisble decisions. Everyone makes them mistakes. That one mistake or silly decision does not indicate intelligence.

Throwing around insults doesn't make you more intelligent either.