[arista]

Then changed the Electric to a Pre Payment System.

The lady was helping her old mother get shopping returned
and was shocked.

She missed the letter.


On Ch4HDnews.

[joeysteele]

So much for looking out for any customers in difficulty.

Plus postal disruption to be using the post at this time.

There may be more to this I guess but it sounds as it is, not a good thing from that Company.
What a shock for them returning to the house.

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by joeysteele

So much for looking out for any customers in difficulty.

Plus postal disruption to be using the post at this time.

There may be more to this I guess but it sounds as it is, not a good thing from that Company.
What a shock for them returning to the house.

This.

[arista]

Originally Posted by joeysteele

So much for looking out for any customers in difficulty.

Plus postal disruption to be using the post at this time.

There may be more to this I guess but it sounds as it is, not a good thing from that Company.
What a shock for them returning to the house.

Because this case was going on, the tv news
yesterday, that company went back
and changed her meter back to normal.
There is help on payments
on slowing down the mega payment etc.

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by arista

Because this case was going on, the tv news
yesterday, that company went back
and changed her meter back to normal.
There is help on payments
on slowing down the mega payment etc.

Well that's better to hear.
What however would have been the case had it NOT been going on the news?
That is and ought to be a major concern.

[bitontheslide]

With smart meters, the electricity company can switch over your tariff to prepayment remotely, so they don't even need a warrant.

On the subject of these forced entry warrants, these companies need that level of access on the grounds of safety, and it will never be changed

[thesheriff443]

The headline doesn’t include the facts in these cases
The company can’t just turn of peoples supple of gas or electricity so they go to court for a magistrate to give them the legal rights to change the meter to pre pay this is because gas or electricity is being used but not being paid for.

They don’t just send one letter there is a process that’s followed

All it means is you have to pay for what you have used and are going to use

[Soldier Boy]

I've refused and will continue to refuse a smart meter - I simply don't trust the companies enough. However, I do pay on receipt of bill in full every month (bring the balance back to Ł0 - they ain't skimming interest off my "account credit" either the bastards).

What happened in the OP can only be because she's built up a large deficit... Probably over at least 3 to 6 months of underpayment or not paying at all. I do have full sympathy for people's situation with this of course. It is alarmist for the papers to suggest it could just happen totally at random though, there will have been several months of demand letters.

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by Soldier Boy

I've refused and will continue to refuse a smart meter - I simply don't trust the companies enough. However, I do pay on receipt of bill in full every month (bring the balance back to Ł0 - they ain't skimming interest off my "account credit" either the bastards).

What happened in the OP can only be because she's built up a large deficit... Probably over at least 3 to 6 months of underpayment or not paying at all. I do have full sympathy for people's situation with this of course. It is alarmist for the papers to suggest it could just happen totally at random though, there will have been several months of demand letters.

All very good points there.

I also agree the whole story isn't known completely on this story.

I did suspect there would be more to this.
However what is confusing without the full facts is why they ended up restoring the original meter method of supply.
After the drastic court warrant action.

Anyhow, good to hear it's sorted.
Hopefully easing the mind of the customer.

[Soldier Boy]

Originally Posted by joeysteele

I did suspect there would be more to this.
However what is confusing without the full facts is why they ended up restoring the original meter method of supply.
After the drastic court warrant action.

All the public attention and PR probably, and fear of sanctions (if it went to Ombusdman currently, they may well say that SSE should have done more to try to help before taking legal steps).

[arista]

Originally Posted by Soldier Boy

I've refused and will continue to refuse a smart meter - I simply don't trust the companies enough. However, I do pay on receipt of bill in full every month (bring the balance back to Ł0 - they ain't skimming interest off my "account credit" either the bastards).

What happened in the OP can only be because she's built up a large deficit... Probably over at least 3 to 6 months of underpayment or not paying at all. I do have full sympathy for people's situation with this of course. It is alarmist for the papers to suggest it could just happen totally at random though, there will have been several months of demand letters.

Nothing wrong with that.

[Gusto Brunt]

I was being sent letters and emails from my energy company to change my meter to a smart meter.

I told them I wasn't interested. Then finally they said I HAD to get a smart meter. So I agreed a date and time for the installation. There was a window of 8am to 1pm.

I waited and waited and then at 12.30pm a bloke arrived and told me he had the part. 'What part?' asked. He said the part you wanted. I asked what about the new meter? He said he knew nothing about it, and said he was told to bring an extra part.

He looked at my meter and told me I don't need one. Then he said I didn't have an obligation to get a smart meter.

Now I have stopped getting requests to install a new smart meter.

[Vanessa]

They wanted to put a new smart meter in my house as well.
No thanks. I'll keep my meters. They work fine and I don't trust the new ones..o.

[Soldier Boy]

Originally Posted by Santa's Little Helper

They wanted to put a new smart meter in my house as well.
No thanks. I'll keep my meters. They work fine and I don't trust the new ones..o.

Literally the only thing they do, is automatically take and send readings... something anyone can do with their eyeballs and an internet connection at any time they want, and without relying on the companies to be honest and the tech not to make errors.

People also try to sell them by saying they "show how much you're spending day to day" - something anyone can do with an old-fashioned mystical type of wizardry called "basic maths".

[LeatherTrumpet]

The guy came but could not so me a smart meter as the gas meter was too far from the lekky one he said!

[parmnion]

She has grounds to sue.

[hijaxers]

Originally Posted by Santa's Little Helper

They wanted to put a new smart meter in my house as well.
No thanks. I'll keep my meters. They work fine and I don't trust the new ones..o.

Same no way will i be getting a smart meter ~ i hear the are not very smart at all, it another con.

[bitontheslide]

Originally Posted by Kevin the Carrot

The guy came but could not so me a smart meter as the gas meter was too far from the lekky one he said!

the gas meter uses the electricity meter to transmit the data

[Soldier Boy]

Originally Posted by Tinsel Toes

Same no way will i be getting a smart meter ~ i hear the are not very smart at all, it another con.

Not to be a conspiracy theorist but I honestly think the drive to get them into every home, is simply so that they can remotely cut power with the press of a button.

There's been a myth for decades that it's always been possible to be "cut off" from some remote location - but it isn't... old fashioned metres are "dumb" and just measure what's flowing through them, to be cut off someone actually has to come and physically disable the power/gas.

With "smart metres" they can literally tap your account number into a system hundreds of miles away, hit enter and your power goes off.

Until they literally start saying "you can't have a supply without one of these new meters" there's no chance of me agreeing to one.

[Vanessa]

Yes, I don't want a new meter.
There's no need for it.

[arista]

Originally Posted by Santa's Little Helper

Yes, I don't want a new meter.
There's no need for it.

Very True