Smart meter calls. Anyone else?

[PassingStranger]

Happening to anyone else?
Keep getting calls from electric company asking if we want a smart meter.
How to get rid?
Are they on commission or something?
It's like harrassment!
No is a complete word.
Am I alone?🙄😫

Luckily we haven’t been harassed yet.

I keep telling them I don't know if I can have one fitted it's not my house they keep showing up emailing and messaging me I'm literally a tenant

I believe they have targets from ofgem or someone. It's not a bad thing - I've changed my mind about smart meters. They work very well and have afforded me much lower energy bills.

It is a government scheme that suppliers have to install as many as possible. Nothing to do with your supplier but they have to persuade, promote and encourage take up.

How do they do that? Do you turn things off?

'Thank you for calling. I prefer to be a late adopter of all new technology.'

They don't try to talk me round.

Get one, you can access a wider range of tariffs and no longer need to bother submitting readings. No good reason not to. Plus they'll stop harassing you.

I just block all unknown callers

I've been going through this with my water supply company, except they ring you up but then hang up before you can answer which then forces you to ring back to find out who it was, every time.

Apparently they're fairly well known for this smart metering "tactic" but it doesn't seem like very good customer service to me to be so rude. I have a new-ish digital water meter which works fine and I have no intention of changing it, for all the issues I've heard of people having with them and energy ones at times.

I keep getting them. I am aware smartmeters can lower energy bills. However, the remote control of the meter means it can be switched to pre-payment if you have problems with bills. I object to this right of the energy companies, so won't have one - whenever I raise this point they never deny the ability but always say 'we discuss it all first'. I daresay they do, but they can still force (more expensive) pre-payment on vulnerable people. One solution to that, of course, is to make pre-payment cost the same as post-payment, and stop having so many tariffs. Nationalising the lot, is my solution, anyway.

Yes, but no, means no, don't they mark it down, that they have already called you, on the computer by your name.
So that the next person calling knows not to bother.
Sounds disorganised.

Just keep saying no, they cannot make you have one - not everyone wants one.

They will next say your current meter is coming to the end of its life and needs changing, or they are in the area, or they have already booked you an appointment, or having a smart meter is mandatory - all of which are not true and just tactics to get one fitted.

How to get rid? Just email them saying you keep being contacted in relation to smart meters, are feeling harassed, and do not wish to be contacted about smart meters.

I've never received a call, but I did the above with my previous provider after receiving a couple of emails, and haven't received any such communication since then, even when Bulb went bust and my account got moved to Octopus.

I read an article in the Guardian last week which stated that nearly 4 million smart meters are malfunctioning in the UK but energy companies are prioritising installations rather than fixing the faulty smart meters.

Unless you're waiting for a call or there's a reason you can't do this, I would also just not pick up unknown numbers. Mostly it's a scam or someone trying to sell you something.

I keep getting emails/texts/letters.
I'm not having one- I'd prefer to submit monthly readings.
Keep hearing horror stories of them being inaccurate.

Is that what you're scared of? Don't be.

Smart meters that aren't working in smart mode (around 12% of them according to that article) still work as normal meters, so those people are no worse off than you, they just need to continue submitting readings manually, but at least they're not getting hassled to get a smart meter!

Over time they are getting them all back online anyway.

Interestingly I've blocked the number as have had a few weeks of them calling and leaving voicemails etc saying they need to speak to me about having a smart meter fitted.

Well I already have one so not sure what that's about

No. Some cheaper tariffs are only available with a smart meter.

But the conspiracy theorists who believe there's a hidden agenda to remotely disconnect you don't want you to know that!

Seriously, smart meters are great.

I keep getting texts from EON about this and it's driving me mad, They've now moved onto the 'it's at the end of its life and needs changing'

I think I shall email and say if they don't stop harassing me then I shall simply switch suppliers.

I was getting several calls a week, eventually I told them it was starting to feel like harassment. I didn’t ask them to stop the calls in that conversation but her tone changed immediately.

the woman sounded surprised although not rude about it but i haven’t had one since.

They can force the installment of a prepayment meter whether you've got a smart meter or not. It's an extremely long process though and a very last resort, it's also not allowed to be done to vulnerable customers (anyone on the PSR list) energy companies are not allowed under any circumstances to leave vulnerable people without electricity.

Saying those who do not want a smart meter are conspiracy theorists is not on really, there are some who for their own reason do not want or cannot have a smart meter. Nothing wrong with that.

I don't want a smart meter because I suspect that any energy company that is vigorously pushing me to have a FREE one fitted is doing so because it will ultimately benefit them, rather than out of the goodness of their hearts.

I don't believe that they are desperately trying to save me money and I'm too dim to realise that.

I’ve had reluctantly to agree to the “end of life” assessment as my meter is over 30 years old. I asked to have it replaced by a “dumb” meter but it seems they’re difficult to get hold of now. And it probably will be useful to be able to use the smart meter only tariffs.

They’re not going to change the gas meter though - I’ve had that only 8 years.

Smart water meter seems to be behaving itself. Bills are a quarter of what they used to be, and usage registered as only half the average for my household size