Prepayment meters

greencreeper · 08-01-2007, 23:55

The house I'm moving into (shortly) has prepayment meters. I hate them - I've no time to be charging a key. I'm with NPower at the moment, but the supplier at the new address is British Gas. I hate NPower. But my mate is with British Gas and he tried for a week to phone them, averaging an hour on hold every night, before the phone was finally answered. I cheered in the background. So it could be worse than NPower - better the devil you know. I've told NPower that I'm moving and want them to supply gas/electricity at the new house - I'm waiting for them to phone me back on Monday. I know they won't - I'd put money on it. So I'll be phoning them Tuesday. Anyway - back to the meters. I want them removing but there'll be a charge - does anyone know how much, and has anyone had problems changing meters?

danielf · 09-01-2007, 00:01

Will you be renting or is it your property?

greencreeper · 09-01-2007, 00:05

Renting - it's more flexible

Angua · 09-01-2007, 00:07

No problem at all getting them changed (well not for us anyway). Just make sure you have a few quid on the key/card as it may take a week or so.

Personally wouldn't touch British Gas with an electrified barge pole

greencreeper · 09-01-2007, 00:12

No one should wait in a phone queue for longer than 20 minutes. My mate was on hold upto 1hr each night with British Gas - they'd cancelled his prepayment key without explanation, asking him to phone them! Shocking - clearly a resourcing and management problem at the call centre. NPower are better but I had a nightmare time when I first moved here. Denied the meters existed... Refused to create me an account for months... Huge bills at the end of it.

Who you with Angua?

bopdude · 09-01-2007, 00:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by greencreeper

Renting - it's more flexible

I don't know if it'll be your choice, the landlord would have a say I would ahve thought, seeing as how they are on / in his property

danielf · 09-01-2007, 00:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by greencreeper

Renting - it's more flexible

I know

If you're renting, you'll have to have the landlord's permission to have any 'work' carried out in the property. You may have to ask him/her first.

greencreeper · 09-01-2007, 00:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by bopdude

I don't know if it'll be your choice, the landlord would have a say I would ahve thought, seeing as how they are on / in his property

He's not treking to charge a flaming key - so he has no choice. Humf. Oddly enough, it was a bit of a surprise for him that the meters were installed - last time he checked, they were ordinary meters. He's a nice chap though.

danielf · 09-01-2007, 00:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by greencreeper

He's not treking to charge a flaming key - so he has no choice. Humf. Oddly enough, it was a bit of a surprise for him that the meters were installed - last time he checked, they were ordinary meters. He's a nice chap though.

That's cool then. Just tell him you're a nice responsible lad who doesn't want to be treated like a criminal. Get his permission (if required), and get on with the job. (Call Npower and tell them to get their frigging chavo-meters out of your property as they don't fit with your life-style)

**Rob** · 09-01-2007, 00:22

It will more likely come down to a credit rating issue. No doubt a previous tenant had a poor one. The question is whether yours will be a good enough one to overcome anything that "runs with the property".

bopdude · 09-01-2007, 00:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by greencreeper

He's not treking to charge a flaming key - so he has no choice. Humf. Oddly enough, it was a bit of a surprise for him that the meters were installed - last time he checked, they were ordinary meters. He's a nice chap though.

I know what you mean, last 2 houses I've rented had key meters,, whilst they're good in the sense that you don't get a quarterly bill, they are a pain when you have to go out at inconvenient times to charge them, I'll be pleased when the paperworks finished on my new house ( buying again, at last

)

peanut · 09-01-2007, 00:26

I used to have meters for gas and electric, but I find that they can be a pain, so I changed the electric to normal quarterly but I kept the gas as card meter.

The reason is quarterly bills in the winter months can mount up so I rather pay as you go and it's working out a lot better for me. You know just how much it's costing you that way and it's cheaper in the summer. I'd rather put Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£20-30 in at the start of the month (winter) than worrying about a Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£100+ bill. And on top of that they tend to estimate your bills and always never right, with meter it's hassle free on that front. My opinion anyway.

danielf · 09-01-2007, 00:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by peanutkp

I used to have meters for gas and electric, but I find that they can be a pain, so I changed the electric to normal quarterly but I kept the gas as card meter.
<snippy>

I might be wrong here, but I thought energy companies charge higher rates for 'PAYG' customers.

greencreeper · 09-01-2007, 00:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob

It will more likely come down to a credit rating issue. No doubt a previous tenant had a poor one. The question is whether yours will be a good enough one to overcome anything that "runs with the property".

Indeed. She was a, er, working lady. With a parrot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielf

I might be wrong here, but I thought energy companies charge higher rates for 'PAYG' customers.

They do - administration costs are added on. So, in the depths of winter, braced against a howling wind and driving rain, battling to make it to the garage before the freezer defrosts, you're paying for the sheer joy of it all.

danielf · 09-01-2007, 00:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by greencreeper

They do - administration costs are added on. So, in the depths of winter, braced against a howling wind and driving rain, battling to make it to the garage before the freezer defrosts, you're paying for the sheer joy of it all.

Pah, when we was young it was snow and hail. And we had to go barefoot, uphill, through 3 foot of snow for a single lump of coal. Those were the days, I tell you