Rules and Guidelines
Want to participate in the discussions? Please read our Community Rules and Guidelines. Need some help? Visit Support and Answers.

  • State Not Answered
  • Locked Locked
  • Replies 24 replies
  • Subscribers 32 subscribers
  • Views 2338 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
You may also be interested in
This discussion has been locked.
You can no longer post new replies to this discussion. If you have a question you can start a new discussion

Calling DNO/ power company types? Complex meter!?

MHRestorations
As subject really, my colleague has tried to switch energy provider, and the new company is saying they can't handle a 'complex meter' and that he has to contact the incumbent provider (a bunch of idiots) to update the records if this is not the case?


I've been an electrician for all of my working life, and have never heard of a 'complex meter'. What gives?


Edit: he has a non- smart meter, but a modern electronic job with LCD.
  • 0

    Sparkingchip:

    they don't display the area code because they assume everyone knows it and you don't need to use it from local landlines. 




    Reminds me of the time I got a fax at work (around 1991/92 so pre-internet) which obviously needed an urgent reply but had no company address, only a phone number. The problem was the fax was obviously international (the incoming number registered on the fax had 44 for UK) but the phone number/fax number on the form were the standard national dial number without the country prefix. The company name gave no clues about country, nor did the (largely illegible) name signed at the bottom. The only clue I had was the incoming phone number started 1944.......

    As not all countries had a dial out code of 00 at that time I had to check which countries had a dial out code of 19, and of those, I decided the only one arrogant enough not to bother to identify the origin of the fax was the French!

  • 0

    Chris Pearson:

    One ought to give a number as 023 9255 xxxx in which case it is more obvious that within 023 land, one may start with 80 or 92. I don't know whether there are any 023 81xx xxxx numbers, but there are 023 93xx xxxx ones, presumably because they exhausted the supply of 92 ones.




     

    When Portsmouth and Southampton changed to the 023 code with eight-digit numbers, Portsmouth numbers were prefixed 92 and Southampton numbers were prefixed with 80. This in itself made around 200 000 new numbers available, by enabling 0 and 1 as third digit of the 8-digit number. This supply of new numbers has now been exhausted. I have indeed seen Southampton numbers starting with 81 and no doubt there will be many more to follow.


    BT recommends using brackets around the code to indicate it is optional, (thus (023) 9255 xxxx) and not required if the code of the calling number is the same. This format is used in the BT phone book. Unfortunately not so many conform to this. This is a pity because the code is the most meaningful and memorable part of the whole number.
  • 0

    Alan Capon:

    Unfortunately everyone is still scared of the GDPR legislation, because of its teeth. Fines can be up to 4% of the companies annual turnover, or €20M, which ever is the greater. 


    Regards,


    Alan. 




     

    It seems to me that some organisations are super-cautious while others couldn't care less.


    A few years ago when I was busily occupied at work, I asked my wife to renew a slightly overdue subscription over the phone, using the payment card of our joint bank account. Although we were paying the organisation money (well trying to) the request was refused on the grounds that the subscription account was in my name not hers. I posted them a cheque with a letter saying sorry it was slightly late but I my wife had already tried over the phone and gave them time of the call. I was wondering whether this was just a case of an inexperienced clerk not sure what to and erring on the cautious side.


    I got a reply to my letter saying, "waffle waffle waffle waffle waffle waffle waffle  waffle waffle waffle data protection act waffle waffle waffle waffle waffle waffle waffle waffle waffle waffle."


    This was the last time I renewed our subscription to that organisation.


    On the other hand I still get silly calls out of the blue from people who seem to know my name, address and phone number, and want me to take part in some survey where I will divulge even more information about myself than that which they already should not know. Thankfully not so many since GDPR became law, but there are still some.


    I sometimes wonder on whose side GDPR is supposed to be.
  • 0
    Let's drift further ... ?


    Callers who request personal information! If I call my bank, I expect to verify my identity. If they (or anybody else) call me, they really should provide evidence of identity. The callers always mention GDPR, but seem nonplussed when I decline to give personal data to an unverified caller 'cos I am entitled to safeguard my own data. ?

Community Rules & Guidelines