I had a briefer than expected visit this morning from a man who was due to change the electricity meter at Iffy Towers.
It's an old dial one and nPower/MeterPlus contacted me to say it was on the scedule to be changed.
There are two consumer meters in the property.
The other one, which goes to a separate maisonette, was changed a few years ago.
I happened to be here when it was done and it took about ten minutes.
So the guy turns up, looks at the job, and tells me he will need to cut the power to the entire property, if only for a few minutes.
But to do this he needs my permission and the permission of those that occupy the maisonette.
Ah, they are at work.
"Well I'm not doing it then," he says. "They could have a computer going or be recording something on Sky+ and it could come back on me."
I don't have much patience with that type of attitude, so after a brief and slightly tetchy discussion he was out the door and away.
On balance, I think he should have taken on the enormous risk of litigation and done the job.
The electricity supply is sometimes interrupted anyway, and I cannot think the supplier could be held liable for a messed up Sky recording.
On a common sense basis, it's a supply to two domestic residences, so it's not like a hospital where there might be people on heart monitor machines.
Jobsworth or professional?
I reckon jobsworth.
What do you think?
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He's probably following his guidelines and this is what the company work to, Political correctness gone mad.
Got loads of similar rules here in the day to day buisness however when a major incident it's amazing how those go out the window to get the job done.
I guess some may do it for you but really he's right he got your permission but not the other.
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Professional.
If the other property is someone elses home, you dont have the right to go turning their electric off just because it suits you.
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...I guess some may do it for you but really he's right...
Spot on.
This one is quite finely balanced, and I'm certainly not raging at the guy for not doing it.
On t'other hand, he seemed quite keen to get going.
I thought he might have left me his mobile and volunteered to come back later if the other people returned home.
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Poor wages and works on bonus so the more he gets through in a day the more he makes i too would be off to the next job if this is how i was to be paid no point talking shop with you when cash can be made.
It will get done don't worry. :-)
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What would anybody be recording at 9am in the morning?
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...What would anybody be recording at 9am in the morning?...
Indeed, and it was about 8.15am.
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Irritating. Would you have been happy to turn off the power yourself (and could you have offered)?
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...Would you have been happy to turn off the power yourself...
My grasp of electrics is about as firm as my grasp of plumbing, but I think we are talking about pulling the board's main fuse, which I believe the consumer is not allowed to do.
There isn't a metal box with a lever which shuts down the whole supply.
But it didn't occur to me to offer to do it myself.
Given the guy's overall attitude, I don't think he would have been happy with such a short cut.
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>> My grasp of electrics is about as firm as my grasp of plumbing, but I
>> think we are talking about pulling the board's main fuse, which I believe the consumer
>> is not allowed to do.
Fair enough. Although I meant would you have been happy to take any possible flack from your neighbours if it had messed something up.
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BTW had a better experience with a UPS delivery chap on Tuesday - stepson's new drumkit (top model Tama Superstar, free endorsement lucky so-and-so) due to arrive sometime, had to take dog for walk. So left note in door asking to ring my mobile, and he did!
I asked if he could wait 5 minutes, initially he said he couldn't - very busy etc. - but fortunately he was a smoker and said he would have a quick fag. Me and dog legged it back, kit received successfully.
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>>What do you think?
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>>Jobsworth or professional?
>>
It has to be professional as there could be all sorts electrical items, too many to list, that could be affected.
e.g my mum had an alert to council alarm system that was triggered if the mains failed and there was then a back up call etc. etc. that would panic her.
Not critical but some things could be.
They have no idea what is behind the door so to speak.
I now have exactly the same situation re a meter change.
They sent the letter to previous owners so they called but no answer.
I then met them and they said two flats on same fuse.
Now they ave swopped back from a sub contractor and a long lead time so I have grabbed a FOUR hour time slot for a Saturday and am left to see if both parties are in all Saturday morning.
GRRRRH !!
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I think you'll find there are Ofgem requirements that a power supplier gives at least 2 days notice for a planned supply interuption... so the guy was probably right. However in any unplanned or emergency situation it's allowed to be off for 18hrs before you can start thinking about complaints/compensation.
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In reality it is of course nonsensical. In the real world, power outages happen.
About twice a year here..
Having said that, he's right. Why get hassle for an avoidable problem?
Last edited by: madf on Thu 27 Jan 11 at 09:50
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...and am left to see if both parties are in all Saturday morning...GRRRRH !!...
Which just goes to prove the old adage: 'There's always someone worse off than yourself.'
I feel better now.
Some good points about panic alarms and such, but I think if someone leaves their small residential property locked and secure for the day, they are unlikely to leave anything which is critically depending on an un-interrupted electricity supply.
If I had such equipment, I would have a battery back-up, because the supply is bound to be interrupted at some point.
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We had a couple of outages here over the bad weather, it culminated in a 1/2 hour outage on a Sunday - turns out that the power company had been, identified a faulty thingy on a post and changed it - they never said anything just pulled the plug to around 20 homes and got on with it. No worries here I wasn't recording the Archers or anything but using a desktop computer could have caused a problem I suppose.
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We have had power blips in the last few weeksand our power is not up a pole!!.
Restart the PC, reset the alarm clock, etc. etc.
I was informed that the guy has to have access to the other flat to do simple checks that all is OK so it is not just a switch it off and not to worry.
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I think the problem here is that the guy was a professional, but his attitude in being one clearly showed that he was enjoying the power the position held.
We come up against H&S all the time nd at least 70% of the time it's delivered in a self satisfied way that just makes you want to object.
The remaining 30% are polite, smile and explain and everyone is happy to comply.
I bet he wore a uniform too:)
Patr
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...but his attitude in being one clearly showed that he was enjoying the power the position held...
He was just a bit too keen not to do the job for my liking.
I expect the result would be the same, but he could have dressed it up a little bit.
There are certain results of hearings in court which suit the barristers from an earnings point of view.
Made me wonder if something similar was afoot here.
Perhaps chalking me off smartish meant he could get to a better paying job.
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Neither - just unprofessional.
Upgrading the meter isn't like an urgent repair, it could be scheduled for anytime.
When our electricity company need to do some work somewhere down the line that needs the power turning off, they send a card a week in advance to all affected householders warning of the date and approximate time.
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I guess the fragmented nature of the industry doesn't help here.
I'm with nPower who ask Meter Plus to change the meter.
Neither company picks up on the fact there's another supply to be considered.
The job might have run smoother if the whole thing was under the control of Northern Electricity, as it used to be.
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The electricity co at my daughters flat is BG who subbed the meter change to On Stream but have since O1 Dec reverted to doing it themselves.
In our case the basic problem is the developer of the flat conversions stupidly put two flats on one fuse rather than one fllat and the stairs lighting on a fuse.
Due to a totally thick customer service person who proved unable to read simple emails I now have from BG a key to the meter box and £20 credit.
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Cheddar might have had his pacemaker on charge ! :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 27 Jan 11 at 10:50
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EON changed our mains supply main fuse about 3 months ago. They had promised to do it "sometime" about two months before.. and just turned up one day without notice.. I assume they had no other jobs scheduled.
Given the difficulties of obtaining access to some properties, it makes sense not to waste time if access to part of a property is unavailable.. Usually lots of other work scheduled..
Last edited by: madf on Thu 27 Jan 11 at 11:05
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Jobsworth.
We've had at least 3 power cuts since Christmas, and I've had no indication from National Grid or whoever that they are in the least concerned about any recordings or computering happening at our or any of the other 200 houses in the village.
If it had really mattered, they wouldn't waste time turning up on spec would they?
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>> the guy has to have access to the other flat to do simple checks that all is OK so it is not just a switch it off and not to worry.
If he's disturbing the connections from the incoming mains supply to a residential property he has to fill in the form to say the supply has been checked for correct polarity afterwards.
When my meter was changed last year the fitter plugged a tester into a socket in my house to confirm that live was connected to live, neutral to neutral and earth to earth. I know it's simple, but it's also due diligence.
Professional.
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>>If he's disturbing the connections from the incoming mains supply to a residential property he has to fill in the form to say the supply has been checked for correct polarity afterwards.
You may well be right Dave - but that wasn't the reason he gave, was it?
I probably have a jaundiced view of utilities at the moment - I'm swapping suppliers and neither seems to know what day it is. They must make money despite themselves.
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...but that wasn't the reason he gave, was it?...
That's right.
He said he needed the permission of the other occupier to disconnect their supply.
Nothing was said about needing entry to the other premises, and I think it would have been, given the conversation we had.
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If they're going to deliberately interupt the supply, other than in an emergency then IIRC they're required to give notice. If no notice then permission would be 'cover'.
If of course he was running late then an opportunity to use the rules and make up time would probably be welcome.
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Jobsworth or professional? - Bigtee
