INDEX	December 12, 2022
Smart as in suffering pain
The nightmare of the smart gas meter continues. While I was away I got a hand delivered letter addressed presumably to a previous tenant. I opened this letter (by mistake) along with the pile of other letters lying on my doormat. It said basically that my smart gas meter was going to be cut off. I would still be able to receive gas but on punitive emergency terms. This letter came from sse, an energy supplier, and contained a precise figure for the amount owed (so presumably sse was able to read my smart meter, even though EDF, my energy supplier could not). What it didn't say was the start date, so I had no idea how much of the bill was down to me. Sse shuts for the weekend so I had to wait till this morning to talk to them. They seemed surprised I was concerned, asking the pertinent question 'has your gas been switched off?'. Well no it hasn't. Don't you know that. I asked if I could swap to sse so I could pay whatever it was I owed, but apparently they aren't taking new customers, even though they thought I (or at least my house) was a customer. They said it was down to EDF even though I pointed out EDF had never been able to read their meter. So I tried to contact EDF, who asked a lot of tomfool questions (having got my account number, they should know my address etc) and eventually said they would send me an email.Which they did. I replied but am currently hanging in limbo. Do I owe more than a thousand pounds for three months gas usage as SSE seems to believe (EDF estimated my annual bill at £750 for gas and electricity). Am I permanently to be trapped in this nether world of contacting helplines that offer no help and advice lines that give no advice?
INDEX Jonathan Brind		December 12, 2022