To want someone to explain to me why 50'000 electric meter reader blokes knock on my door 50'000 times a year, from 50'000 different companies to read my 1 electric meter........ WHY!

[Beelliesebub]

Well perhaps I might have exaggerated just a tad!

And the worst of it is I do my whole electric and gas thing online............... Tossers!

I bet that's why they charge us all so much soddin' money for our bills so they can pay these twats to come and read my pissin' meter 50'000 times a year, make my dogs bark, my neighbours dogs bark, put me at severe risk to life and limb as I fight my dogs into another room because they want to kill the meter reader and worst but not least stop me lurking on mumsnet to go and answer the door to the twat in the first place.............. Double Tossers!

Do you ask them which company they are from they are from?

Surely if they are not from your provider, or a representative of your provider they shouldn't have access to your meter?

I have repeated myself there, did you spot it, did you spot it?

Me too. And always just as DS has dropped off for his nap (after reading him 100 stories (okay I exaggerate too!) and singing Twinkle little star until I"m blue in face). Our intercom is really loud and they always press it and press it, so no chance of DS sleeping through it. And they get so arsey about wanting to come in, and when I ask them 'Why do you need to read it, you read it last week' they say 'well I have to read it. Shall I come back in 10 minutes?'. Also our meters are in the back of a big cupboard 7ft above the floor, so I need to get step ladder, pull everything out of cupboard etc. with a now-awake-but-grumpy DS grizzling Which they NEVER help with. Grrrrr...

Oh we get them every month

And the gas meter is in the wardrobe in the bedroom

PITA

I've just been on the phone to my power supplier and apparently they only send one reader out a year, so I explained about all these other readers and unbeknown to us (the public) it's a form of cold calling. What happens is the other providers send their own readers round an area to basically work out what everyone's usage is before they send a rep to blitz the area......... Now I'm really pissed off!

What my supplier said was that I'm only obliged to let my reader in once a year, she told me when my next one's due and what company it would be from and then advised me to get a sticker from my local council advising that I don't allow cold calling and then take any callers details and report it.

We get them all the time too, interesting about the cold calling. Think I will be more circumspect about who I let in in future....

Never heard of that, but I reckon you could have them arrested (Which would be fun) by calling the police and saying "oh dear I think this meter reader in my house is an imposter come to rob me"

I suppose though that the more sensible option (pity) is to ask for ID and then you will know.

Oh my god, that's shocking! I queried the last one and asked which company he was from and he said 'oh, we do them all' and I assumed it was some pooling thing.

Oooh that's made me REALLY angry (disproportionately so). I think it's because they've come into my home.. bastards.

So they're waking up my DS so that they can send a sales rep to come round and wake him up again? Ooooh

If the buzzer goes now they'd better watch themselves, that's all I can say!

Always ask what company they represent! Do not allow these rob-dogs into your home, YOUR home!

They will then return a few weeks later and say " Everyone down your street is changing to WankPower, can we have your details please" And folk do it!

My Nan changed 3 times one week!

This is really shocking!! I work in Utilities and all the liberalisation (eg being able to choose your supplier) of the energy market hasn't really helped the end-user at all if you read this sort of thing...

The ONLY people who should be coming to read your meter are the company you pay to supply you with your electricity or gas. No-one else. Turf the other b*ggers out onto the street!

"Everyone else in your street is changing" is NO reason for you to have to change. You're not in any way obliged to have the same supplier as the neighbours, as it's all "virtual" anyway. You may be using the same physical gas main in the street but that's controlled by another company entirely. (Confusing eh)

Check who you pay your bills to, and only let them in. They will also want to know that no-one's coming poaching their customers, so will definitely let you know when to expect The Meter Man if you ask!

I had this situation - at one stage I was getting twice weekly visits for both electricity and gas and it was driving me insane. It eventually turned out that they had the wrong address for various people in the flats opposite and they were all descending on me instead.

well my husband said that he was told it had something to do with keeping an eye on the companies and what they charge etc but now I am questioning that as it seems more likely they are just snooping. I have to say I've had a caller at least once a week for a few weeks in a row and it was driving me mad. Also it does worry me that you have to let these men into your home without any question. I know they say you can ask for id but how many of us do and if they have some badge how do we know it's real???? It should stop altogether really and only happen when you've arranged it.

Because you have something very interesting in your meter cupboard??

lol....