SE23 Forum

My wife just answered the door to an old man who wanted to read the gas meter. He got the reading, wrote it down on a form on a clipboard, thanked her very politely, and left.

The guy from my energy utility came last week, took the gas and electricity readings, inputting them into one of those proper hand-held meter-reading machines. My bill with those readings arrived the other day.

So I don't know who this old guy is, but it's not looking good. Nobody reads meters and uses clipboards these days. Casing the joint?

sometimes someone comes who looks at the meter, not reading it but checking it for safety or something - from the firm which owns the meters rather than the firm you pay

People shouldn't let anyone in without checking ID carefully - deny them entry if you are not sure

Back when you would get people knocking trying to get you to change Utility suppliers, they would need to get your Meter Number in order to get their Commission, hence they would ask to see your meter or a recent Bill so that they could "give you a quote"
I knew about this and would always refuse, and often got a bit of verbal from them.

These days I submit my readings online to my supplier and so rarely see a Meter Reader except when they call to do their infrequent check, and the person always has an ID badge and the hand held computer gadget.

Actually, there have been two occasions in the last year when the meter reader has called and has written down the readings in a book on his clipboard, rather than using one of the little hand held computers. On both occasions the bill arrived within a few days. I was a bit suspicious the first time, but the man showed me his ID, and it was the same man who called to read the meters about six months ago.