Reading the gas meter... and other fun things

Discussion in 'Property Management' started by wylie, 29th Aug, 2017.

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  1. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    I really, really just need to have a rant.

    I have almost pulled my hair out today trying to get a straight answer to why our meter hasn’t been read as planned three times now, over three months as we try to move our gas bills to the same company as our electricity is with. It is slightly cheaper, but really I just want to have less confusion.

    Two times we’ve had a date nominated, and twice we’ve been emailed to say they couldn’t access the meter. I’ve called each time, explained there is no lock, no dog, nothing to stop them reading the meter.

    Latest scheduled meter read was yesterday. I called today to check if it as done successfully. I was told the meter reads (all three???) were cancelled by “somebody”. Nobody told me that both times I was told the reader couldn't get in to read the meter.

    I told them this was absolutely not the case, and I was meant to be called before this third try to ensure they could get in.

    Then she tells me she will (as a special offer to me) cancel the cost of the duplicate and triplicate meter reads… HELLO!!! You just told me those reads were cancelled.

    Which is it? The meter reader attempted to read and couldn’t open the unlocked gate. Or the job was cancelled… three times???

    You should have heard me snort when she said she’d cancel the cost of the two meter reads when they couldn't get in... just after she said nobody had read the meter because the job was cancelled. WTF???

    Anyway, I said I'm over this, forget the whole thing, but I was offered another 1% off and so I'm giving them one last chance. I'm not hopeful. It’s taken three months so far and still no success.

    Meanwhile our current gas supplier is calling every second day to try to keep us. I keep telling them please mark the file we are leaving, it is nothing to do with them, just want a streamlined account with both gas and electicity with same supplier.

    Streamlined isn’t how I’d describe the debacle of the past three months though. What a joke.
     
  2. Anthony416

    Anthony416 Well-Known Member

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    Name and shame so others don't suffer those idiots?
     
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  3. Kassy

    Kassy Well-Known Member

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    We had issues with our gas metre being read down here all last year and just kept getting estimates! The meter is right next to the letter box and clearly visible from the street. We had excuses like inaccessible, metre not visible/found etc. it's right next to the letter box! My DH finally got them to do a read, they told us we would have to pay for the read if the estimates had been right. We ended up with a HUGE bill as there estimates were way off. I hate companies using estimates!

    Run now @wylie! If they are this bad trying to get your business it doesn't bode well for the future.
     
  4. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    I cannot run from them as we have a good feed in tariff that I'd lose. I have no faith they'll read my meter this time either.

    I won't name and shame, because to be honest, I think they are all as bad as each other.
     
  5. Kassy

    Kassy Well-Known Member

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    Sounds like they are! Hopefully the fourth read will be the charm! ;)
     
  6. mikey7

    mikey7 Well-Known Member

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    For an entire year I had 'estimate' bills because the Meter 'couldn't be read'. The front gate is always open, and someone is home 24/7.
    I called up and asked what the go was.. they said they rung the doorbell to gain entry (gates open!), and couldn't gain entry.
    So.. I went through my crystal clear CCTV footage (multiple angles lol), and the prick just walks up the street, not reading ANY of the meters, or even attempting to. I sent them the footage.
    I now do my own reads.
     
  7. teetotal

    teetotal Well-Known Member

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    Its not AGL, is it ?
     
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  8. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    I think I'll not mention companies. I'm not sure how many there are, or who is reading this.
     
    Last edited: 29th Aug, 2017
  9. dabbler

    dabbler Well-Known Member

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    Power companies, like many PMs are looking for ways to milk people, so they try new strategies and plans and rules etc all the time, out of 100 clients, they prob only get a handful that read or have the time to push back.
     
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  10. D.T.

    D.T. Specialist Property Manager Business Member

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    Hey that's a bit rough :(
     
  11. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    Didn't see the "PM" bit until @D.T. commented, but I'd have to agree that power and gas companies use the fact that most people don't have the intestinal fortitude to go through the hassle and deal with the incompetence to actually change from one provider to another.

    This is in the news currently. This morning Hon Josh Frydenberg was interviewed about how power companies should be forced (maybe already in the pipeline to happen?) to tell their customers when they slip off a discount and are paying more than they initially signed up for.

    The minister said "there are penalties" and the interviewer asked how much were the fines. Minister repeated "there are penalties". Interviewer asked again "how much is the maximum fine". Minister avoided answering... again. What a surprise.

    Minister said the biggest penalty is that people will move companies. What a joke!

    People don't move now due to apathy and very often because of the "devil you know" mindset. When you have no faith the company you will jump into is any more honest or any cheaper or better or more efficient than the one you are with, you stay with the "devil you know".
     
  12. teetotal

    teetotal Well-Known Member

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    The reason i asked was because i had similar experience with them in the past and the comments you mentioned about 'access' reminded me of the conversations i had with them.
    I took it to ombudsman and got it sorted. See if that's an option for you.
     
  13. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    OMG!!! I've just opened my "new" (third time lucky) contract agreement. The promised extra 1% is not showing. So I'm on hold... again.

    Seriously?
     
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  14. D.T.

    D.T. Specialist Property Manager Business Member

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    Ombudsman time
     
  15. neK

    neK Well-Known Member

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    Its got nothing to do with the typical energy / gas companies that advertise. The meter reads are done by companies that provide supply. You don't get a choice in the supplier as its determined by your region. Yes these guys are muppets... but that's how our whole system is structured.

    When you switch over to a new company, the changeover date is based on your next gas meter read... I thought the special one off reads were only if you were disconnecting and moving away.
     
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  16. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    You are right. It is the wholesaler/gas supplier who reads the meter, and that is why I'm prepared to give my power company one last chance to try to get the meter read. It is the different stories I'm being told that frustrates me just as much as the constant calls from our current supplier trying to coax us back.
     
  17. neK

    neK Well-Known Member

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    @wylie Does your current gas supplier also do electricity?

    There's the "standard discount" which the level 1 phone monkeys can give
    Then there's the retention discount which changes regularly, but only the retention team can give.

    Ask to speak to retentions and see if the can give you a better discount on electricity and gas and also back date to apply on the bill that hasn't been generated yet.
     
  18. wylie

    wylie Moderator Staff Member

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    Thanks neK. I have spoken to a few different people over the past three months, retention, sales and "other".

    I cannot change to our gas supplier for our electricity as we have a high feed in solar tariff and cannot take that with us to another provider.

    And my electricity provider has slightly cheaper gas, but mainly I'm trying to streamline things.
     
  19. dabbler

    dabbler Well-Known Member

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    Sorry DT, but that is what many of them do.

    I trust most of our members here do not try to stiff others......