My gas company seems to think it is reasonable for me to spend two or three days with no gas supply

[YouCantHideFromTheFlipside]

I am fuming.
We have a prepayment meter inherited from the previous occupiers of our house, it is in a cupboard at street level and has a massive hole under it, which leads to god knows where.

I just put £40 on the card and then as I was about to put it into the meter dropped it. I am such an idiot.

I shone a torch down the hole but can't see much but bricks and insulation material.

So then I called the gas company to tell them, and there is nothing they can do but send me a new card in the post. I have a 1.5 year old and a 2.5 year old, gas central heating, gas oven. We are expected to just have cold water and no means to cook for two or three days!

Am I right in thinking it is their responsibility to site the meter in a reasonable place?

I am really surprised at this. I misplaced my electricity key the other month, and when I rang the company they sent someone out with a new key that day! I would phone them back and make a fuss, I'm sure they can't leave you in the lurch like that.

They said I should post out my reciept and they will refund me, but all they can do is mail a new card.
It's NPower, btw.

Defo phone them back & make a fuss...but in the meantime does your hot water tank have an emmersion heater?

...oh just thought...can you not get the prepayment meter changed to an ordinary one? We did that when we bought our first house - just requested it to be changed.

you used to be able to get emergency gas cards from places that do the top ups, this was aboout 4 years ago i think but i am sure you will still be able to get them there now. you just have to take the card home and put it in the meter before you top it up

terramum we have done so but they are asking for a hefty deposit to do so. God knows why, as we are nothing to do with the previous owners!

We have a condension boiler. The gas is down to 14p now, barely enough to wash our hands with.

I'm really, really shocked at this, and have made a mental note never to use NPower. I also remember a friend losing an electricity key and the company in question crediting their meter so they had enough electricity to last until the new key arrived. I know that both my examples are electricity and not gas, but I would have thought that shouldn't really have anything to do with it, iyswim? If I were you I would be phoning back and making a big fuss, this is really really bad customer service on their part.

I'm just getting my nerve to call back. I was told it was my fault, and even if it wasn't they have no engineers in the area!?

I'm mentally penning a letter to the Guardian money supplement if they don't sort this out.

I had a prepayment meter (in rented accomodation) and had issues with the cards being faulty. They sent someone out to put emergency credit on the meter.

God, I'm almost tempted to phone them myself I'm so angry on your behalf, but they'll just think I'm mad, so I won't

I really hope you get this sorted out quickly, fingers crossed for you.

Oh God not Npower ....I will never use them again after they mucked us about so much....lost our details & didn't bill us for 3 years grrrrr

they will leave you with no gas but not with no electricity.

change suppliers on the privso they will change meter, i inherited one had no gas for days, even there subcontractor engineers felt it was redicolous with 10 month baby and gas cooker and heating. in february.
prepaymeter customers are treated as second rate.

im with southern elec now they put in new meter, was previously british gas, dont go to them!

i am with n power and having issues too they didnt send me any bills for over a year or a payment card so that i could pay money off each week to avoid getting a massive bill, even though i phoned them weekly for about three months to request one before giving up.

my bill then came at nearly £400 and overdue, this is because even when the bill came they still wouldnt send put a payment card i couldnt afford to pay this in whole and they were unwilling to let me pay by installments unless i gave a first payment of at least £100 which i couldnt do either. i am single mother of two on benefits. they have just been today to fit a pre payment meter and are now saying that my gas bill for three years is £3500! and they have read the meter wrongly in the past! imo this is impossible as the only gas i have in my house is a gas fire, my heating doesnt work and my water is a merger heater which runs off electric!

I'm even more furious, I've called the number 8 times now and get through, then hear an engaged tone. No doubt I will be charged on my phone bill for all this.

If anyone still cares.

I have been told they can organise a private engineer but it will cost me £27.50 and they will be here within 7 hours , thats the best they can do.
I declined obviously.

So it's takeaway for us which I loathe to pay for.

No baths, which they are routinely used to, and jumpers and thick socks on all night.

Oh Flipside that's awful I'm so sorry for you and your dc. Maybe it's worth looking into changing supplier and getting a normal meter put in - I was told by British Gas it would cost me to have a normal meter put it but EDF are doing it for free - may also be worth asking what the company's policy on emergencies like this before swapping. I hope you get your new card through soon and the next couple of days aren't too horrible for you.