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Original poster

I DONOT F*****G BELIVE THIS

63 replies

NuttyMuffins · 20/04/2007 17:30

As many of you know, I pay for my gas and electric on pre payment meters. I have a card fopr each machine, and I put £5 or £10 credit on them a week.

I was sick of not being able to get credit due to machines not working and so I rang Npower and asked if I culd have it changed, they agreed and someone was due out tody.

So about 1pm a bloke knocks the door and says he can't do my meter as there is a technical fault. Wasn't best pleased, but he said someone might be out later or tommorow so I said fine and he left.

Fast forward to 4 o clock, and another van apperas and out gets a rather more officla looking bloke and work mate. He knocks the door, I answer, and he asks me how long I have lived here, neraly 3 years replies me, why ?? Because the meter has been tampered with and guess who is prime suspect number 1 ?? ME.

I obviously tells the bloke I had no clue it had been tampered with, and that I put credit on it regularly etc and he has said that yeah thats great but on Monday I have to ring my energy supplier and try and convince them I knew nothing about it. They will have record of all of my payments but because i sometimes only put small amounts on apparently I could have just been doing that to make it look like i didn't know.

I asked him why I would call someone out to change my meter if I knew it had been tampered with. Basically all it is is a red wire that comes out of one hole in the bottom of the meter and goes into another hole (yep that easy). Yes i knew the wire was there, but how the hell was I to know it shouldn't be there. If i had done it, then i'd have removed it wouldn't I, not left it in for electric bloke to see.

He said the fact that it has been 3 years isn't good and he also questioned wether the meter had been read, which is obviously has as I get statements. He said the meter reader should of noticed it but they didn't. So in 3 years not one meter reader has spotted this. If they don't know what a tampered machine looks like how the hell would I ?

I have to ring Npower on monday and they will then decide wether I have comitted the offence. If they decide I have then I have to pay for the visit from the bloke today, damage to the old machine and any electric they think I have had but not paid for.
Oh and they now won't change my meter to a normal one until this is all sorted out. I had to have another pre payment meter installed or have my electric cut off.

So yet again, here I am with a battle on my hand to prove I am not guilty of something.

I am so fucking sick of all this shit.

OP posts:
SherlockLGJ · 20/04/2007 17:47

phlick

How terribly vulgar.

SparklyGothKat · 20/04/2007 17:47

I agree £10 week is enough, surely if electricity was going down this wire, then you would ony have to put, what, about £2 a week on.

phlickmabean · 20/04/2007 17:48
Original poster
NuttyMuffins · 20/04/2007 17:48

Well exactly, it's an expensive way to do it, hence me asking to have the meters changed.

When i moved in the meter was already installed. I wanted it changed to a normal meter but they said no as i owed them money.
Debt was cleared ages ago, but i kept the meter so that i didn't get any huge bills and get in debt again. The only reason i was changing back was because it costs more to have pre payment meters and the machines in the shop by me were never working.

OP posts:
misdee · 20/04/2007 17:48

how FFS this is terrible. were the meters changed when you moved in or before?

SparklyGothKat · 20/04/2007 17:49

did they not reset the meters when you moved in??

SherlockLGJ · 20/04/2007 17:49

What were the previous tenants like Nutty ?

Original poster
NuttyMuffins · 20/04/2007 17:52

The previous tennants were low life scum.

They were evicted from the house for various reasons but one being that their teenage daughter burnt the winky of the 3 yr old next door with a lighter, as 'a bit of fun'.

They owe the world and his wife money, and the reason i know this is because i still get debt letters for them and still recieve visits from baliffs for them, oh and the police. They still give this address out.

OP posts:
Original poster
NuttyMuffins · 20/04/2007 17:52

I also know where they live now, well i know the road, not the house number.

OP posts:
SherlockLGJ · 20/04/2007 17:57

Well that will stand you in good stead.

Original poster
NuttyMuffins · 20/04/2007 18:00

Yep, if the HA were to provide chracter reports on me and them, it would be clear to see who the better person was.
Hell one of the reasons i got the house was because I was such a good, responsible tennant previously.

OP posts:
Original poster
NuttyMuffins · 20/04/2007 18:27

My dad is absolutly furious, told me to write to the energy watchdog.

OP posts:
charliecat · 20/04/2007 19:05

I guess if you find out the number of the people that were in before you and tell the eleccy company and they have rigged one up at your new address that would be in your favour. Possible?

Original poster
NuttyMuffins · 20/04/2007 19:18

Hmmm next door know, but not sure if they will tell me. I know they know as another neighbour told me that they had gone to see their son there, but if i ask them i think they will deny it.

OP posts:
charliecat · 20/04/2007 19:28

I wouldnt ask TBH, I wouldnt mention it so it cant come back to you. Can you not just keep your eye out and spot what nunber they head into?

Original poster
NuttyMuffins · 21/04/2007 12:00

Don't live anywhere near it though CC.

Did that thing this morning where you forget about something and then it hits you in the face when you wake up and remenber.

Can't believe I am in the position of trying to prove my inocence again, just makes me feel so shitty.

OP posts:
Bectheneck · 21/04/2007 12:11

How ridiculous that you have to prove you didn't do it! How would you prove it anyway? Surely it's up to them to prove that you did it.

What a PITA for you. I hope you get it sorted out soon x

S88AHG · 21/04/2007 12:56

I would defo contact the energy watchdog bout this and failing that Watchdog the programme, also try the CAB they might have some advice for you too, it always amazes me that you as the innocent one have to prove your innocence and you are always number one suspect how bloody unfair Best of luck with it all and scour the internet for stuff where this has happened before, might give you some pointers on how to tackle this and clear your name as it were. Am sure they will realise you are unlikely to be messing with bloody electric meters!!! These big companies really piss me off sometimes, and expect you will be on hold for about an hour on monday trying to get through!!!!!! AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a pain!!! Anyway you know you didnt do it so just remember that and dont let them speak to you like crap either!!!! Good luck

Original poster
NuttyMuffins · 21/04/2007 13:08

Now i am really fuming. When the bloke fitted the new meter yesterday, I asked him 3 times if the card I had would work and he said YES, does it work NO. Have just put £5 on it and when you put it in the machine it is showing as £0 on the card.

Plus yesterday my balance was over £2 and since last night at 4pm I have apparently used all of that, which means that basically I will be using over £15 a week every week if the machine stays set like that. I cannot afford that.

OP posts:
SpaceCadet · 21/04/2007 13:09

get in touch with energy watch asap, i have used them in the past and they are VERY helpful and will make phone calls etc for you.

at the end of the day, your supplier would have to prove that were guilty, rather than you proving your innocence, looks like they have just discovered that the meter has been tampered with, probably years ago and rather than chase the previous occupants, you are an easy target

Original poster
NuttyMuffins · 21/04/2007 13:09

Am ringing Npower now.

OP posts:
Original poster
NuttyMuffins · 21/04/2007 13:56

Just rung Npower and they had no clue what was going on as it's a seperate department that are not open until monday.

She said that the card I have just put the £5 will not work and the man shouldn't have said that it would.
I now have to go back to the shop I got the electric from and ask them for a new card. This is the shop woh's machine hardley ever works, so if they have any cards i will be very surprised.
I have to not put any credit on the card, bring it back here, put it in the machine to register the card, and then over the next 3 days, I have to put a minimum of £1 on the card and then they will credit my £5 back to me.

I told her all about the old machine apparently having been tampered with, and she said that she could quite clearly see that I put credit on the machine at least once a week if not twice, and she couldn't see any reason why the other people will not look at it and realise that it was not me, but obviously thats just her opinion.

OP posts:
Original poster
NuttyMuffins · 21/04/2007 13:59

Am so mad I could cry. Every single time I start to sort my life out, some idiot kicks me in the teeth.

OP posts:
charliecat · 21/04/2007 14:06

What a fecking nightmare

Original poster
NuttyMuffins · 21/04/2007 14:39

And now the new card doesn't work either

Rang npower again and they said I have to go back to the shop and try yet another card, I said NO, send an engineer out, and they said until i have tried 3 cards they can't, unless I have only £1 of emergency credit left. So i said fine i'll ring you when it's down to a £1 which she eventually agreed to.

And to top it off, have just had a row with xp and told him never to set foot in the house again or ring here.

OP posts: