OT The meter reader cometh

[dave]

Just had a unpleasnat experience - my fault?

Was working at far end of garden when eldest lad comes running down in a bit of a fluster saying something about "meter reader...I don't know which meter". Not having a clue what the problem was and as I say he seemed a bit of a state I ran up to the house to find this teashirted and jeans bloke under the stairs with his torch and PDA type thing reading the meter (we have two, one for elec heating the other for everything else). Presuming there was some kind of problem the following ensured: Me "who are you"?

After a delay of several seconds he continued to fiddle with the PDA thing and said "Who am I"?

Me: "Yes you"!

More delay...

Me: "Ok can I see some ID?"

Him: "Well he (my lad) let me in".

Me: "Ok but I wasn't here then"

Him: Flashes ID card. Pic was of him and I assumed in was genuine. "It says here you have two meters. Why have you got two"

Me: (controlling myself as his demanding manner was not going down well) "One for the heaters and the other for everything else".

Him: "Where's the other one" (no please etc)

I pointed to the new meter, which me managed to read and then made to leave. I thought ok say no more and leave it at that. But after just leaving the front door he says,

Him: "Tell him to ask for ID next time"!!!!!!!!!!

Me: "I don't need advice from you pal"

Him: Muttered something I didn't catch

Me: "And anyway we can ask to see it twice can't we".

Him: "course you can course you can"

The End

Ok, a) What happend here is for no good reason my lad got in a bit of a state as I didn't know anything about elec meters and b) My bit of an overreaction as I thought who is the guy. But really, his response to a pefectly reasonable question to someone in my own home - and his manner and words afterwards I was unbelievable.

AFAIK these meter readers don't work for the elec co as such but some "Independent" outfit. Otherwise I be changing supply right now. I just wish there was some way I could complain about this bloke. I pity the treatment the more vulnerable people his visits get.

[Dave Fawthrop]

|AFAIK these meter readers don't work for the elec co as such but some |"Independent" outfit. Otherwise I be changing supply right now. I just wish |there was some way I could complain about this bloke. I pity the treatment the |more vulnerable people his visits get.

The *general* problem is that everything is now subcontracted from company A to Company B to Company C, so nobody knows if the job they purport to be doing is Kosher or not. Worse it is an absolute doddle to print out a realistic looking ID card on the little printer I have at my elbow and laminate it with the tiny laminator on the shelf within arms length.

Perhaps we should refuse to allow them access.

BTW I saw a nondescript van with a name I had never heard doing something with the fire hydrant in our Grove, and wondered if it could be a terrorist attack. Perhaps I should have kicked up a fuss.

Unfortunately although over 70 no one could call me vulnerable.

[Guy King]

The message from Dave Fawthrop contains these words:

I got in and out of deBeers in Hatton Garden many times when I worked for Rediffusion with a home-made ID card based on a Rediffusion business card tarted up with Letraset (this was before decent printers). The shit only hit the fan when I was finally issued with a proper card and tried to use it.

Worked for the Officers' Mess at Woolwich Arsenal, too. Security there was risible - while the IRA were blowing things up they made a big show of inspecting the underside of my estate Astra with a mirror on a stick but didn't look in any of the large carboard boxes that filled the rear.

[james]

Probably your fault for being so confrontational and your son's for just opening the door and letting any old stranger in. I assume he is very young and you have not told him to keep the door shut and call you first. Not many people know what genuine ID cards look like anyway, so anything with a photo can look genuine. You can print one out yourself for most professions. What you have to watch out for is sales people gaining access to take readings and change your supplier by signing forms on your behalf. Anything to meet their targets and earn a living. If you were bothered he was a bogus caller why didn't you call the police? If they could be bothered calling out rather than putting you through to an answering machine, he might get stopped and checked.

It sounds like you're more angry with yourself. Why have a go at a meter reader unless you were fiddling it and didn't want him to see it and report you?

I just don't see what your complaint is or what your argument is about.

>

[Stuart]

snipped .....

You serious ......??????????????

[Stuart]

I tend to agree with your opinion as well..

Stuart

[Dave Fawthrop]

|On Fri, 15 Sep 2006 19:14:02 +0100, Dave Fawthrop | wrote: | |snipped ..... |>

|>BTW I saw a nondescript van with a name I had never heard doing something |>with the fire hydrant in our Grove, and wondered if it could be a terrorist |>attack. Perhaps I should have kicked up a fuss. |>

| | |You serious ......??????????????

Contamination of water supply would be an easy thing to do and could kill lots of people. Camelford springs to mind

*that* was a contractor.

[Stuart]

I suppose this is all part of what happens when you get "terrorism,terrorsim,terrorism" threats shoved down your throat by this Government at every opportunity ...

I read of an incident yesterday about a taxi driver who was enlisted by PC World in Glasgow to take a parcel to the local main bus station for transportation by bus complete with documentation but the driver refused to take it and it is said his reason was because the taxi driver was Asian .

Stuart

[Dave Fawthrop]

|On Sat, 16 Sep 2006 10:50:10 +0100, Dave Fawthrop | wrote: | |>On Sat, 16 Sep 2006 10:21:00 +0100, Stuart |> wrote: |>

|>|On Fri, 15 Sep 2006 19:14:02 +0100, Dave Fawthrop |>| wrote: |>| |>|snipped ..... |>|>

|>|>BTW I saw a nondescript van with a name I had never heard doing something |>|>with the fire hydrant in our Grove, and wondered if it could be a terrorist |>|>attack. Perhaps I should have kicked up a fuss. |>|>

|>| |>| |>|You serious ......?????????????? |>

|>Contamination of water supply would be an easy thing to do and could kill |>lots of people. Camelford springs to mind |>

|>and *that* was a contractor. | |I suppose this is all part of what happens when you get |"terrorism,terrorsim,terrorism" threats shoved down your throat by this |Government at every opportunity ...

Terrorists killed 52 people on the London Transport systems, and injured

*many* others some seriously. Not to mention Bali and many other atrocities worldwide.

[Stuart]

snipped ....

I am well aware of that .It doesn't mean you need to "see" terrorism round every corner .

[Guy King]

The message from Dave Fawthrop contains these words:

Not helped by the "helpline" saying "It's perfectly OK, keep drinking it".

[Colin Wilson]

The yanks managed 3000+ with their controlled demolition of the WTC

[Dave Fawthrop]

|> Terrorists killed 52 people on the London Transport systems, and injured |> *many* others some seriously. Not to mention Bali and many other atrocities |> worldwide. | |The yanks managed 3000+ with their controlled demolition of the WTC

Now "yanks" is a new misspelling of "Al Qaeda"

[Colin Wilson]

Ahh, you mean "the list" - the list with everyone the US had funded for armed uprising, and since renamed "al qaeda" ?

[Sylvain VAN DER WALDE]

Oh! Oh! I can see you becoming very unpopular in this group. I hope that you rarely need d-i-y help.

Sylvain.

[Sylvain VAN DER WALDE]

I've been getting too many "estimated" electricity meter readings; and I've actually threatened (half seriously) not to let some of the meter readers in. This meter reading business seems to be a bit of a scam.

Sylvain.

[David Hansen]

On Sat, 16 Sep 2006 11:50:05 +0100 someone who may be Dave Fawthrop wrote this:-

As a quick reality check on the activities of the Westminster government and much of the mass media, both of which are very keen on hyping the activities of some criminals in various ways, in 2005 motorists killed around 3000 people on the UK road system and injured *many* others, some seriously.

[Dave Fawthrop]

|On Sat, 16 Sep 2006 11:50:05 +0100 someone who may be Dave Fawthrop | wrote this:- | |>Terrorists killed 52 people on the London Transport systems, and injured |>*many* others some seriously. | |As a quick reality check on the activities of the Westminster |government and much of the mass media, both of which are very keen |on hyping the activities of some criminals in various ways, in 2005 |motorists killed around 3000 people on the UK road system and |injured *many* others, some seriously.

And all governments have done a lot about reducing that as well. Enforcing speed limits, putting in traffic calming measures and improving the treatment of victims, to name but a few. When I first noticed that statistic we were killing 22 people per day, and it is now below 10. Something *all* governments rightly do well.

[marvelus]

you are one of the nothing to hide nothing to fear sheep. you deserve to be pushed around by meter readers.

[Bob Eager]

To make money.

Which can have a negative impact on road safety

Closing A&E departments.

Yes.