to be peeved when gas man just turns up to read the metre

[silvercrown]

with absolutely no warning at all??? It's something that has always concerned me but I always says ok and have let them into the house but it is soooo annoying because there is no warning at all and anyone can surely pretend they've come to read the metre? (sp?) - it's the same with the electricity of course but surely it wouldn't hurt for these companies to send a letter round one week in advance to say "we will be calling in your street next week - if you will not be home please leave card in window" etc and not to just expect any lone female to open the door to a strange man (never ever had a woman call) and let them into her home when she may or may not have children around. Had a chap call today and seriously this guy looked a right sight - a short scruffy, dirty looking man, long unwashed hair standing there (van behind him with the proper company name on etc so he was legit) but he looked like a very frigthening ex-con (from a movie) - the type you wouldn't really be inviting into your home at all. Just feel that since they send people around from various companies (and I've heard that it's not just a company sent from the gas/elc supplier you use for your bills but ALSO rival companies sending people round to calculate how much you are using to see if they can make you savings etc) they should all wear uniforms, look clean and presentable and friendly, have identification in large bold print with photo, drive company van parked in plain sight every time and send warnings in advance - is that really too much to ask??????

Message withdrawn

i do agree that they should be in a uniform and be presentable, but having said that, 'someone' from British Gas came by wanting in for a meter reading (i was on the third floor) and i said i'd yell down to him the reading because i was in the middle of something and he said that he needed to see the meter. when i was heading down to let him in, i realized that i didn't even deal with British Gas, (we had just moved to London) so i went back to my window and told him. he just looked at me and said, 'ok'. you can never be too careful these days. EDF never came by for readings; i always just emailed them in. phone your company and set it up.

If a meter reader or anyone who needs to enter your house doesn't offer his ID straight off then you should shut the door and call the police. All genuine ones will have ID.

YANBU, annoys me too.

After I heard on here that rival companies read your meter I asked the last one that called and he said that he does read for more then one company but that isn't why I got lots of visits, it was that British Gas and EON want 4 readings a year, the others all request less. He showed me on his computer thing the record of all the times his company had called in the last couple of years. It was 4 times a year and I believe it was right, it just seemed like more. Apparently I was unusual in being in every time they called.

I always feel mean after they have been for being so huffy on the doorstep when they have always wiped their feet carefully and moved all the furniture nicely and been quite pleasant.

the guy that came to my place had the uniform, badge, id and clip board. it is easy to get that stuff which is why a notice of when someone would be beneficial for people who could be susceptible to home invasion and violence... like the elderly or single women with children.

Gah! They come about 6 times a year here.

Once when I was 8 months pg the man was v surly and odd and stamped mud through my house. I had to get down and scrub it all which was no mean feat when house-sized.

Was utterly pissed off and rang to complain and said can I read my own meter in future.

They basically said no.

Last week when the bloke came and I said can't I just phone it in he just said no, I have to read it.

I wouldn't mind so much but I feel a bit nervous when it's just me and DD, and also they are often a bit weird and/or rude. It's not nice having strange men in your house.

He's just doing his job - don't answer the door if you don't want to.

Just because someone is doing their job it doesn't excuse them being weird and shifty, and not wiping their feet so heavily pregnant women have to scrub their carpets for an hour afterwards, surely?

We have had a woman read our meter more than once.

If you have concerns about them just "turning up" (I don't personally) could you try e-mailing or ringing the company to ask could you have an appt for them to come once a year?

Tbh I think it is a little unrealistic for them to write to all customers quarterly to try and make arrangements...this also would increase the amount we pay as well (they would need far more administrative staff to organise that of course)

I wouldn't mind them just turning up if they behaved in a normal manner!

I think in the end with me the utility provider said they would accept my readings over the phone BUT they don't have control over the people doing the readings - I think they are different companies who do all the readings and then distribute them - and they won't take no for an answer access-wise.

Meters are usually read by agency people not by people directly employed by the energy company. They just knock on doors at random I reckon - we have our meter read by strange men around 3/4 times each month (when I bother to answer the door to them) and we have a prepay meter for both gas and electric!

Gas man came to me last week, house looked like a bomb had gone off, then to add to the mess he walked dirty footprints all through the house from the cellar floor.

Next time I will ask him to wait whilst I go and read it, and if he does not like it then he can swivel !

YANBU

Washersaurus - you have your meters read three to four times each month??? Why so often?

I have absolutely no idea - I think they just randomly knock on doors; it is always a different company reading the meter.