Grumble Thread

[LMcD]

Weren't these service providers once upon a time required by law to send someone round to physically record readings ever so often? Once a year? Or was that just for the era before smart meters, and are we now "supposed " to all have them? I am repeatedly regaled with emails to get one fitted, even though two years ago the same provider (EDF) did send someone here, at my request, and I subsequently received a letter saying all our premises in this block are not fittable.

I did meet somebody at the bus stop a while ago who told me that British Gas had agreed to have somebody come to feed the meter 'periodically'. BG have actually raised an official complaint with themselves on my behalf and promised to reply within 3 weeks, and I'm happy to wait as I've just been advised that my monthly payments will remain unchanged for now even though I've just come off a fixed deal.
UPDATE: I've just had an email from BG advising me - or admitting - that THEY have lost the connection to MY smart meters.

[Old Grumpy]

Never really understood how smart meters connect anyway - is it by mobile phone or something?

Must admit, we were refuseniks in our previous house. Our current abode came with a smart meter and we have had no problems though they (BG elec) do periodically ask by email for readings.

Boiler/cooking hob are LPG from a tank lin the garden- this is monitored too by the provider somehow.

[kernelbogey]

It is probably a good idea for all of us to use, even to the point of some inconvenience, those things that we might eventually regret losing.

Agreed.

Cash is right at the top of my list, along with checkouts operated by humans, bank branches, cash or card parking machines, real doctors rather than remote AI based services, whatever.....

I think those of us for whom such things are not necessarily crucial have a moral obligation towards those for whom they are to defend them: I'm alarmed by the potential social consequences of the demise of cash, which the banks of course will like. The local butcher here has stopped taking cash because his bank charges him extra for paying in cash!

[LMcD]

Agreed.


I think those of us for whom such things are not necessarily crucial have a moral obligation towards those for whom they are to defend them: I'm alarmed by the potential social consequences of the demise of cash, which the banks of course will like. The local butcher here has stopped taking cash because his bank charges him extra for paying in cash!

Some of our local shops have stopped accepting cards because of the fees charged by the card providers, so occasional top-ups from of an ATM are advisable.

[antongould]

Never really understood how smart meters connect anyway - is it by mobile phone or something?

Must admit, we were refuseniks in our previous house. Our current abode came with a smart meter and we have had no problems though they (BG elec) do periodically ask by email for readings.

Boiler/cooking hob are LPG from a tank lin the garden- this is monitored too by the provider somehow.

IIRC from my working days it is the same communications links the mobile phones use …
As detailed on the Meter Readings thread our smart meter journey has not been enjoyable …. EDF have given up on getting the gas meter to work and decided to leave it dumb as I agreed to provide readings each month …..
suppliers, as has been pointed out, have a statutory obligation to inspect meters every two years

[french frank]

IIRC from my working days it is the same communications links the mobile phones use …

More relevant to me is that my landline, will I or nill I (thank you BT), is digital and operates wirelessly from my router. If the IHD goes a bit wonky (not displaying anything for the gas usually) I switch it off, place it by the router and switch it on again. That usually works .

How common is it to have apps for your suppliers? As I have dual fuel I have one app, can read the meter manually at any point and make a payment if I want to: I don't - I let them take off a variable amount depending on what I've used. I think I get a statement every month. Tomorrow being the 30th Nov I can check my usage for the past month so I know what the charge should be.

[Serial_Apologist]

Some of our local shops have stopped accepting cards because of the fees charged by the card providers, so occasional top-ups from of an ATM are advisable.

A year ago my debit card was refused in payment for an ice cream cone at a small retailer, who stated that cash only was required for anything under £15. It was one of the first times I had exited without cash in pocket, and I was very annoyed and said so.

[Old Grumpy]

There is, I believe, a significant charge per transaction.
I guess for a cheaper item the reduction in profit is not worth the sale. That having been said, a lower limit of £15 does seem rather high - the usual cut-off being £2 to £5 in my experience.

[oddoneout]

There is, I believe, a significant charge per transaction.
I guess for a cheaper item the reduction in profit is not worth the sale. That having been said, a lower limit of £15 does seem rather high - the usual cut-off being £2 to £5 in my experience.

I think that is the problem - the profit/charges balance, which has more impact on small businesses. As fewer people use cash it then becomes a balance of charges versus losing business altogether. A £10 minimum was standard in these parts but the adaptations Covid necessitated changed that to a lower limit in many cases. The charity shops that had been mostly, or in a couple of cases solely, cash, but had to start using contactless, mostly set much lower limits(£1 in my 2 favourite shops) and have kept them.

[James Wonnacott]

My newly installed smart meters refuse to send readings to British Gas. I've informed them (that's British Gas, not the meters) that as far as I'm concerned the ball is in their court and I await developments

Don't hold your breath, mine's been like that for eight years.

[LMcD]

Don't hold your breath, mine's been like that for eight years.

If they leave my current (no pun intended) monthly charges unchanged, or reduce them to reflect my changed domestic circumstances, they can take as long as they want!

[oddoneout]

Don't hold your breath, mine's been like that for eight years.

Well so long as the money keeps coming in they have little to no incentive to rectify the situation. If the government target is simply to fit smart meters and doesn't also have to include whether they work or not then the box has been ticked - and customers will continue to fund the scheme through bills whether functional or not - win/win!

[antongould]

Well so long as the money keeps coming in they have little to no incentive to rectify the situation. If the government target is simply to fit smart meters and doesn't also have to include whether they work or not then the box has been ticked - and customers will continue to fund the scheme through bills whether functional or not - win/win!

indeed

[Dave2002]

It is probably a good idea for all of us to use, even to the point of some inconvenience, those things that we might eventually regret losing .

Cash is right at the top of my list, along with checkouts operated by humans, bank branches, cash or card parking machines, real doctors rather than remote AI based services, whatever.
A long list can doubtless be compiled.

Absolutely. Humans and technology should work together though, it should not have to be a choice.

A lot also depends on where you live or do business. There's a big difference between living in or near a big city, where there may [perhaps even now] be a choice of banks to go to, and shops and other businesses are geared up to taking either cash or cards etc., and smaller towns, or even rural areas, where the nearest usable shops may be some way away, and the banks in the nearest small town have moved to a city further away. You might imagine that digital banking would work quite well, but sometimes it doesn't, perhaps due to network failures, or computer problems at the bank. Some people just don't get on with digital banking anyway. When things don't work, one either has to wait until they recover, or else drive - sometimes a fairly considerable distance - to a bank to get things sorted out.

Yes - it's good to have electronic services, but babies and bathwater spring to mind. One doesn't have to completely discard some fairly well established ways of doing things.

[Old Grumpy]

Absolutely. Humans and technology should work together though.

Yes - it's good to have electronic services, but babies and bathwater spring to mind. One doesn't have to completely discard some fairly well established ways of doing things.

A few years ago we went for an evening meal in a chain pub in Exmouth. We ordered drinks at the bar, but were then told we could not order food as the computer was down. On enquiry as to whether they could use pen and paper instead, the answer was no. We went back to the Premie Inn and had a meal there.

On reflection, perhaps we were forced into a better option as the pub was a "Hungry Horse"