OllyK

You may want to reconsider...

We moved house in December last year to a rather run down place that we planned, and indeed are renovating whilst still living there.

One of the jobs high on the list was to get the gas meter moved as it is currently on the wall in the sitting room with no cabinet round it and a whole mass of copper piping spidering about.

I called Powergen as they are my gas and electric supplier. Now I didn't expect much from them as I suspected Transco would need to do the work, but they did confirm it was a Transco job and gave me a number. I called Transco and they sent out an application form for me to fill in. I filled in all the paperwork and the cost to move the meter was quite reasonable (about £250) as it was just moving to the outside of the wall it was currently on. I arranged for it to be fitted in a semi-concealed ground box so that it wasn't an eye sore on the front of the house. I then paid an additional £71 for the gas to be re-connected afterwards.

Payment was taken from my credit card but was for less than I expected, there was no explanation and I just assumed that I had over calculated on the amount of piping that was required etc (let that be a lesson to you!).

I had read on the application form that if I was having a semi-concealed meter fitted that I would need a new meter as the internal ones are not compatible. I called Transco as they had sent the application to find out what the score was (remember this bit for later) and they said I needed to contact my provider (Powergen). I contacted Powergen who said they could organise it, but not until I had confirmation from Transco of when the work was going ahead.

Time passed and nothing came from Transco to confirm the provisional date so I called them. I was told that a company called Fulcrum did the work for them and was given their number. I called them and they confirmed that the work would be carried out on the 15th Feb.

Quick call to Powergen to let them know so they can turn up and fit the meter the same day. Sorry sir, we need at least 2 weeks lead time on this. You have to be joking? I called you 4 weeks ago and you didn't want to know. After much discussion about not wanting to be without heating for 2 weeks in winter and suddently they can get somebody out, but not until the day after (16th Feb) as they won't do a meter swap on the same day in case they get there before the guys moving the pipe (I guess nobody has explained diaries and telephones to them). OK, so I'll be without heating overnight, not ideal, but we have a couple of fan heaters, so I go for it.

Tuesday the 15th arrives and a van pulls up (The van was marked "Enterprise", it seems that Fulcrum sub-subcontract the job from Transco out to them), out jumps a young lad and promptly sparks up a *** while bringing a fire extinguisher over Anyway, 20 minutes later, gas is disconnected, hole is dug, new box is in place and the gas is terminated in the box on a stop tap, cracking!

Wednesday the 16th arrives and up turns, no, not a Powergen truck but a Transco truck (WTF is going on here?). Chap syas he is here on behalf of Powergen to fit the new meter.
"Great" I say, "it's bloody freezing inside, can't wait to get the boiler fired up".
"Oh right, when's your plumber coming then?".
"Plumber?" I say, "What plumber?".
"The one that's going to re-connect your gas supply".
"Eh, but I have paid Transco to do that".
"We don't do re-connections unless we have to move the meter, we aren't CORGI registered and can't work on Gas inside the house, only outside".

Mad phoning around and it seems that because I am having a semi-concealed box and need a new meter, the guys that fit the box obviously can't then re-connect as the meter isn't there, so they refunded that part of the bill but didn't tell me. So now I have to try and find a CORGI registered plumber at 3pm on a freezing Wednesday afternoon. Now anbody who has tried to get a plumber on short notice knows what's going to follow on here. How tempted was I to nip to B&Q and get 2 foot of copper pipe and connect the bloody thing up myself??!

Thankfully I have some builders in atm and one of them knows a plumber, gives him a call and he will come out today.

It just amazes me the number of companies involved in moving a meter, that they don't talk to each other and that they all seem to be doing each other's jobs. I think I'll leave the electricity meter where it is and put something in front of it!

ajm

It's crazy isn't it! We had similar fun and games at my parents holiday place. The gas supply is a big calor tank and no one seemed to want to take responsiblity for the meter. In the end I found a friendly plumber by recommendation who just went and did the work, no questions asked.

The secret is not to jump through their hoops, just walk round them!

CrisPDuk

Symptmatic of what's wrong with this country IMO Too many accountants with their own strictly controlled empires Kill 'em all & get the engineers back in charge I say

Jap2Scrap

Crikey..

scoobydee2

Yep been there done that, not something I'd want to do again either. Cost us almost £1000 for the whole process. Involved so many companies that none of them knew what the other one was doing.

Firstly they didnt turn up when they should have, then on the date we eventually booked I called for an estimated time so I could inform my plumber and they told me that it would be a two day job, firstly disconnecting and moving the gas supply and then the meter would be fitted the nxt day, they never mentioned this before, so to be left without heating and hot water with an 18 month baby I was in tears as the man on the other end of the phone just didnt seem to care or be bothered.

It was actually all completed in one day so really dont know what Fulcrum, Enterprise, Transo etc etc were on about. The meter man turned up before the gas was moved and didnt particularly want to wait around, eventually enterprise turned up and did the work and the meter was fitted and my very kind hearted plumber came to our rescue and got us hooked back up that evening.

Also the whole process from the paperwork ( you need a degree to fill that thing out ) to eventually getting the meter moved took almost 3 months. But for some strange reason we received a compensation cheque from Transco for about £80.

supertouring

Getting ours done in a couple of weeks, sorted it out yesterday. Hopefully have all 3 comming on the same day - what are the chances of that?

I have to say the forms and details they sent was impossible to understand, so just went for the cheapest option and see if they complain. Meter is being put in hole in ground where the gas pipe currently comes into the house, so it should not be a problem.

OllyK

Then make sure you have a new meter arranged as the ground boxes need a different meter to the wall boxes apparently and they don't carry them or the fixings as standard!!

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

And yet, before gas was privatised, and sectorised, it was a "one phone call" job.

Still cost £200 though, and I had to fetch and fit the new box myself

Alcazar

OllyK

I have to admit that I was tempted to head for B&Q to get some copper pipe and fire the old soldering torch up.

Chip

Blame the Monopolies commision for all of this. Used to get done via 1 phone call to British Gas who internally arranged everything to be done on one day.

Now British Gas has been split so many times and there are so many regs that trying to get things sorted has become a joke.

In fact most Transco fitters although they are not now Corgi registered are more highly trained and more experienced than 99% of corgi reg plumbers out there.


Chip

mattstant

I once had to visit the head office at Transco in Mansfield a couple of years ago
I walked in to the smart reception area to be greeted by NO receptionist a locked lobby and a qeue of people wating to use a telephone to talk to people barely 20 feet away in the same building.

NEVER again

supertouring

God, did I speak too soon!!!!!!

All arranged for yesterday weeks in advance.

Transco (Balfor Beatty) for the hole booked for the AM.
Scottish Power to handle meter install in the PM.
Plummer arrange for pipework and commissioning in PM also.

Anyway, day starts of well as Transco guys phone the day before to confirm time and arrive at 7:30 for an 8:00am start. Takes away old meter, digs hole for new meter and fits the box. By 10 they were on their way.

"But what about all the stuff you have dug out from the hole?" (box is sitting in big hole in ground!)
"Oh, we do not back fill! That is someone else. They will clear excavated soil and then backfill with stone. Then another contractor will re-surface the concrete back to as new. Expect it completed in 5 working days"

So, we now had a hole in the ground, a box, a pile of soil and no gas. I then rang Scottish Power to let them know all was ready for the meter but all I got was - they are booked from 12-5 for you, cannot give you more than that.

So, 1 o'clock plummer turns up and fits pipework into house. By about 3 he is done and we now await the arrival of man with meter to complete the job.

4pm - nothing - ring Scottish Power who puts us onto Transco (who is to fit the meter) who says he will be there within about half an hour.

4:45pm - nothing still. Ring again, no idea where the guy is.

5:15pm - man with meter arrives, initially with wrong meter type. Then goes back to his van to get other meter, but then starts packing up.
"Where are you off"?
"I have been called to a Gas leak - they take priority. Back in about 30 mins". WTF!

Long conversation with Scottish power and Transco, who now state that job could take place upto 10pm! "But we have no gas and no heating and no hot water and a plummer who has been waiting all afternoon to complete job."

Complaints raised, but no one will take responsiblity for it. They claim the gas leak takes priority, but as the leak was after the 5pm finish time we were originally told, he should have been gone by then.

Anyway, we have to send our plummer home and get him in again today - more cost for us!

Meter was eventually fitted at 8:30 last night - not quite the 30mins later as we were told. And he told me he only got issued the job at 8pm!

Letters and plummers bills will be on their way to Transco today.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

Muahahahahahaha!

Best of luck!

Alcazar

CrisPDuk

You've got more chance of meeting the Pope, whilst jogging through the streets of Mecca

supertouring

Thanks for the words of encouragement!