Gas meter fraud?

[worriedmum92]

Okay, i am very worried right now. I have been living in my home for nearly 4 years, i have never oncr committed a crime to do with anything!

I am never bothered about with gas supplier i have been with it was down to my partner (ex now) to sort those things out.
To cut a long story short the front door on my property is abismal, it lets in ridicukous amounts of cold during the winter and i was paying out so much money for gas just to keep my son ages 3 warm.
My ex partner told me he had a way of making out gas bills smaller. I am not Exactly intelligent when it comes to matters like this so i just take his Word for it.
I recieved a phone call today telling me that there was a possible gas leak in my home but i was unable to answer the phone. When i returned home i found that my landlord and national grid had removed the gas meter completely so i had no supply of heating or hot water. When i made many phone calls to get it sorted out, it was made aparent to me that the meter that was currently fitted was an illegal one ! I had no idea, my partner had told me that he had sorted out a monthly meter and the payment was coming out of his bank. After we split i told him to out it in my name but i got no response from him and because the supply of gas had not stopped i assumed he was still paying it for me out of the goodness of his heart, but it turns out that it was an illegal gas meter and no payments were being made for it.
I am not sure what udis going to happen and i am worried that i am going to be convicted of some sort of fraud or fined ! Either way i am terrified that something os going to happen to me when i had no idea that any of this was happening.
Could someone give me some advice for anything , because i am a single mum and because i have never been involved in any sort of crime i have no idea if something may happen to me ???

PLEASE HELP!!!!!

[Amethyst]

Re: has meter fraud?

You are lucky, as there have been a number of fires and gas explosions caused by people having put in illegal meters to bypass the bills, so I'd be thankful that it has been discovered now. You should be a bit proactive on this and offer to make arrangements to make the back payments.

Do you know the whereabouts of your ex ? It is likely you will need to make a statement about the illegal meter. I don't know about prosecution but if you were entirely unaware of the situation then you should be okay. You may also have to have a discussion with your landlord about it and tell him that you had no idea about the meter and your ex had done it without your knowledge. You'll also need to set up a new supplier and probably pay to have a new meter installed. I'd recommend a prepayment meter as the costs are a lot easier to control.

[seduraed]

Re: has meter fraud?

Get your landlord to put in draught proofing around your and windows. Fit heavy curtains at all the windows and make draught excluders for the doors. usually in the shape of sausage dog. This will quickly save you heating . You then need to get your landlord to insulate the property properly . As to the illegal meter I have no idea but try to go along with things . Once we had a prepayment meter fitted we have used about third less gas .

[worriedmum92]

Re: has meter fraud?

I am thankful that it has come to my attention that it was illegally fitted, as i have been researching it for a few hours and have seen the amount of fires and explosiones that have occured due to this.

I do not know the whereabouts of my ex and have tried to contact him several times and have been unsuccessful. I am more than happy to pay back the amount that would be charged, i am just worried of saying this to my supplier and them thinking that is a way of me trying to get out of any prosecution.

Do you know of anywhere i could recieve some sort of information ragarding this issue to do with charges as i do not want to be prosecuted or recieve a criminal récord for this.

[Tools]

Re: has meter fraud?

Firstly try not to worry too much, yes I know easier said than done. Although they say the meter has been fitted illegally this does not always mean it was unsafe or had leaks. The meter may have been tampered with or bypassed, they have taken it away for inspection and possibly to use as evidence.

As Amethyst has said if you were unaware then explain this to the supplier and be co-operative with them by giving as much detail as you can, including the name and last known whereabouts of your ex.

Your main priority at the moment is to speak with the supplier in order to have a supply reinstated to heat your home/cook as you have a small child. If necessary contact your local MP or councillor.

[worriedmum92]

Re: has meter fraud?

Well the reason that they had to force entry into my property was because a gas leak was suspected and i was not home. However i have had this meter in the house for almost a year and not had a problem with gas leak or even smells so i cant understand why it would start to leak now.

I have all the intention of paying it back if that is what will resolve the situation, I would rather not have to pay because I was unware but I would rather do this than be charged.

If there is anything I can do to make it easier for myself I will do. Just extremely worriedabout it all. As I was completely unaware do you think it is likely I will be charged with anything or slapped with a fine ?

[Tools]

Re: Gas meter fraud?

The only way they can force their way into your property is if they "suspect" a gas leak. If they have been monitoring your gas consumption compared with your bills there would have been a shortfall, leaving two conclusioons

• there was a leak
• your meter had been tampered with

The quickest and most direct way is for them to gain access is to "suspect" a gas leak. Say for example they had written to a customer to arrange an appointment to come and inspect the meter and the customer knew the meter had been tampered with, they would obviously rectify the "dodge" before inspection. I am not saying that is the case with you so please don't misunderstand, I am just saying that is why they usually say they "suspect" a leak to gain swift access.

[righty]

Re: Gas meter fraud?

yes its a well know ruse used by utility companies as it avoids the cost of seeking a warrant

[wales01man]

Re: Gas meter fraud?

Work with the Company and Police if involved to sort this as you are unlikely to know what an illegal meter is that's your defence .
Help them find your EX he can face the forcec of the law above all stop worrying you may have to repay what they say is owed unlikely you will be appearing in court common sense must tell them you would not know how to fot a meter.

In the past o knew of people who had 2 meters changed the proper one for another when the reader was not likely to call and reverse it at reading time.

[worriedmum92]

Re: Gas meter fraud?

Ok so what you're saying is that there may not have been a suspected gas leak, they were possibly inspecting a tampered meter ? The only way that could of happened would be if my ex has said something to them.

What happened to those people who were just changing the meter when the gas people came ?

[wales01man]

Re: Gas meter fraud?

One got away with it the other was sitting in his front room the meter reader came and saw the Meter was in the open garage went to read it and noticed it was an old meter to old for the age of the house.
No procecution as they could not prove the person changed the meter had to pay an estimated gas bill.
Don't know how he got away with it ,
As fo gaining entry on suspicion of a gas leak without a Warrant obtained in court would some people rather they gained entry after a leak caused an explosion Might not need to open the door?

[Kati]

Re: Gas meter fraud?

You do need to get onto the gas supplier tho' ... tell them you had no idea that there was a problem with the meter (that your ex dealt with it all), and that with a small child in the house you are going to need a heating supply. Ask that they put in a pre-pay meter with any debt being taken out at an affordable weekly rate. Get your landlord to look into draft-proofing the property. Ask your local MP or CAB to help.

As it's nearly winter, you might also be able to apply for a 'warm Home discount' from your energy supplier - which would give you money towards your electric bill for the coming months. Check to see if you are eligible here: https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-dis...cheme/overview

K x

[righty]

Re: Gas meter fraud?

But what if, as suspected, there was NO gas leak The gas companies are known for their use of these ruses

[Amethyst]

Re: Gas meter fraud?

They may have 'suspected' a gas leak - because no billing was being registered.... I don't think you'd get particularly far arguing against it.