Meter Reading Job. A Con?

[Wispy68]

I've just filled out an application form for employment with a gas/electric meter reading company (Meter-U). I have just read their employment information and the company are expecting successful applicants to hand over �520, which would then be re-imbursed weekly over the first three months of employment. I would have to 'beg, borrow or steal' this amount of money! Does anyone else on AB have any experience or advice about this company? Many thanks in advance.

[wannabavikin]

Eon hold the B.Gas contract untill at least sept 2010,eon now read there own customers meters,metering services just read the B.G work,while still employed with EON,the readers doing the B.G work will be transfered to whoever wins the contract,metering services now only take on agency staff,
working for EON itself is very good,lots of benefits and they do care,though ive heard they are trying to get the agency staff to go to meteru
Ive never heard a good report about the meteru guys,sorry !! though ive heard they do get priority to whatever work there is,the amount of work allocated depends on your area,ive been sent 70 odd miles etc to read meters.

[fatmilly71]

I am going to an interview with this company today but after reading some of the posts on here I'm having second thoughts!! I really am desperate for money and a secure wage at the mo as I have serious debts. I can't afford to work my guts out only to be told I haven't reached a target and hardly pick up any money. cards on table, is this company a con or a proper job?

[pooky09]

hi just too put record straight i've worked for this company now for over 2 yrs the reason you pay the money is because it's a franchise system don't get me wrong the work can be quite challenging but you are your own boss and only haft to complete 70% of the work min the more reads you get the money you get you don't have to find the work or chase money because it's always paid last year i earnt �32000 but generally get between 80-85%

[marky30]

hi there people im just curious about the company meter u as to reading all the messages on here , im about to go for an interview for meter u but unsure if i should , can anyone put me at rest with them as i dont want to enter into a conn , i see that d turn and pooky09 has had good success with them if either one of you could get back to me on more info about the firm etc i would appreciated alot , or to any other peeps experiance with them cheers mark

[LongDrag]

Can those who've recently been for interview and accepted employment with meter-u, please update us to how you got on.

Thanks
Longy

[easypeacey]

Hi I had an interview with meter u today and they offered me the job there and then. I said I wanted 24 hours to think about it. I have read the mixed answers on here and really don't know whether to accept or not?Any advice would be appreciated. Please could any employees get back to me before tommorow ideally. I would be working in quite a rural area would this make it harder to earn good money?

[dturn]

Just writing a response to the people who've recently been inerviewed or who are thinking of attending an interview.

As I've already said in earlier posts, I very much enjoy the job and have been doing it for several years now. I haven't responded to any of the newer posts as I would only be reiterating the same thing! I've never had any issues with regards to pay, or work being issued from Meter-u.

I can't speak for the two posters that say they've had problems with Meter-u, but I would be confident that they are exceptions rather than the norm.

The job itself is paid purely on performance. That's not to say it's overly difficult or easy, but pay can potentially fluctuate. It's impossible for me to say how different areas effect pay.....but from my limited experience in rural areas, they aren't necessarily harder. I work in town most of the time which means many people are out at work. Properties may be spaced further apart in rural areas, but you may find more people are in, there are sometimes more outside boxes in remote places too.

As an employee I also get a monthly newsletter which often gives information on how other areas are performing. From what I can see, results are fairly similar country wide.

Hope this helps a little.

[conzdad]

I would lke to know which areas dturn works as I am about to work under meter u under Tupe for 3 months and the areas I will be working are full of empty properties,demolished properties and certain areas where people WONT answer the door,leave cards for you to read,come to the window look at you and then ignore you,so what chance do I have of reaching my target! I have also been told If I dont reach these targets within the 3 months then I wont be offered A franchise by this company therefore out of a job after 3 months...not that I wanted a franchise with these people anyway and after what Ive heard and read about this company I wouldnt like to be employed by them.

[webpro]

Ive thrown my application away! They are not worth it. I am on the brink of being sacked from my present job and despirate fr a job but not that despirate!

[dturn]

As I've already said the job isn't for everyone. I'd quite happily admit that when I first applied for the job I thought it would be easy work. I was in for a suprise!

It's not always easy hitting targets, within one postcode there can be many variations in the types of property, which means some areas will be harder than others. That's the nature of the job.

Apologies for stating the obvious, but meters can only be read when customers are at home (unless meters are outside) which means working morning and evening and for me personally, Saturday mornings.

So yes the job can be hard at times, but I've never had a job with as much freedom before. I can work from home, my own hours (within reason), I'm out in the fresh air (sometimes freezing cold and wet), I meet lots of people, get to see roads and areas I would have never known existed. These are some of the reasons I like the job. Once a franchise has been set up the pay is also competitive when targets are hit.

Together with Siemens, Meter-u have just won the British Gas contract for a further three years in my area (Croydon) which is excellent news. We've also just won a contract with Scottish Power which means our work will be 'denser' which should mean targets are easier to hit.

To Conzdad: When properties are empty/demolished you should make a not of it on your HHU. Once the provider has noted this you will not be continually sent back year after year. I'm sure others are hitting the target in your area.

Sorry you're not enjoying the job. Try speaking to your co-ordinator to see if there's anything they can do to help.

[wcl85]

dose anyone work for meter u in manchester area

[wcl85]

sorry new to this wat i merant to say was i have been threw all the interviews and paper work with meter-u even given a start date and recived my contract threw the post only to be told on the phone 2 days b4 start that the contract is not ready and might not be this side of xmas all i can say is its a good job i didnt give up a job to take this on as i would be right up s**t street now any one else meant to start soon

[webpro]

do not bother with them!

[wcl85]

just a quick update on meter-u and how i was treted by this firm well interview passed police cheks passed offerd a start given a stert date contract sent to me threw post so needles to sat i thought i might be workin for xmas only to be called on the phone 2 days b4 i was meant to start by there recruitment and retention manager.
to be told the job has been put back a few weeks to hopefully this side of xmas since that call i recived another letter saying they now dont have any jobs to offer me and will put me on ther hold list if i wanted them to .
DO NOT TRUST THIS FIRM AND PLEASE IF U HAVE A JOB AND ARE THINJING OF LEAVING IT FOR THIS FIRM THINK VERY WISELY AS I SEEN THER ADD IN A NATIONAL NEWS PAPER FOR MORE JOBS ALL OVER UK AND WALES I THOUGHT I WOULD GIVE THEM A GO EVEN THO THE WRITE UPS ON HERE TELL U TO STAY CLEAR WELL I NEVER GOT TO START THE JOB AND HAVE BEEN MESSED ABOUT GOD KNOWS HOW BAD THEY TREAT U WHEN WORKING FOR THEM ......STEER CLEAR I HAVE ASKED FOR AN EXPLANTION OFF THER MANAGER WATCH THIS SPACE

[conzdad]

Having my induction on Tuesday asI said in earlier post being transferred over under TUPE.I have just had a coupleof weeks holiday and had a phone call of these guys whilst on my holiday saying they have had no record of my holidays from previous employer now I worried wether these guys will pay me. Just spoken to a couple of my colleagues who have worked for this company for a couple ofweeks and they say the work is s**t and a waste of time,and were told at the induction that all isnt what it seems with this company.My advice to anyone who is thinking of starting with this company STEAR CLEAR!!!!

Dturn all the info about my local areas hasbeen passed to meter u from previous employers but still colleagues are being sent to demolished,vacant and generally bad areas.....so again howcan we hittargets and make a decent living unless we work all hours some unsociable not forgetting we aresupposed to havea family life as well!

[chuckyoofarley]

I am currently EMPLOYED by Meter-U. I had my training last month, and started reading meters in mid-November. I was told we have to pay our own petrol expenses (which is £50 per tank, 3 times a week) because they are sending me well outside my agreed 30 mile radius. Two weeks ago I was paid for my four days training, but received a letter from Meter-U saying that they were unable to pay me for my reads so far because they hadn't had the data back from Siemens, but that the reads would be rolled over to the next pay period (18th December)

I contacted the Meter-U office today to find out how much I will be paid on Friday, and I was expecting, for the amoutn of reads I've done, a reasonable wage. I was instead told that, for the past month I've been reading meters, I will receive just under £300. I was naturally devastated, and enquired further. I was told that the 76p per reading figure was just 'ballpark', and that I am receiving 44p per read. To get the 44p read, I have to drive from address to address as they only give me 1, 2 or 3 houses per road to do. Hence why I am currently driving a total of 90 miles per day just to do my job.

So in total, I have worked the past month for just under £1.10 an hour.

I am currently in touch with HM Revenue and Customs, because what they are paying me and other meter readers is less than minimum wage. Since the middle of last month, I have spent over £400 on petrol just to do my job, and they refuse to give me a petrol allowance. I would advise anyone contemplating Meter-U as an employed to steer clear, because the wage they pay you isn't even akin to slave labour. Somebody at Meter-U is making money out of this, and I intend to make sure this doesn't happen any more. I will post once I know more from HMRC.

[wcl85]

having just red the last post on here i am so glad i didnt go today .as in my last post i told how a day b4 i was meant to start i got told no job, anyway had a phone call yesterday askin me if i could go to lancaster every day to do my training which as i am in manchester would be a round trip of about 144 miles a day for a week when i saked if i would be starting after training she could not give me a date so as they had messed me about so much i told them they should read these posts on here as it might help them with good man magement and told them they can stick ther poxy job. its been a bad year for me but im so glad i didnt end it by joining this back street company . they really should be done for this slave labour.. spread the word to people who u know work for them and get them to get on here and tell how they are finding it lets bring these clowns down

[wcl85]

can i ask u chuckyoofarley where u did your training and wat area are u meant to be working cheers

[conzdad]

Started my induction on Tuesday although the trainer was a decent bloke the standard of training was poor luckily for me as an experienced meter reader I knew what was what but as for the people there that didnt know anything about meter reading they didnt know much after either.Went back next day to recieve hand held unit,they arrived not set up for the work and then spent day sitting around waiting for the guy to set them up,which because of his work load was unable to do.Asked to go back yesterday to pick up HHU was shown how to log onto them and that was it,the guy that set them up suddenly quit his job on the spot and left us hanging in mid-air,still dont know how to use my HHU.On top of all that some of us recieved a letter yesterday that some meter readers were not reaching their targets and are now going to be asked to a disiplinary meeting which could result in losing their job. This company in my opinion are absolutely clueless and a complete shambles,yes there are some meter readers making money and fair play to them but from whatI have read or heard these people are mainly based in the south of the country.From my experience so far with this company I would advise people to steer well clear and trust me I am not the only one who will tell you that.Watchdog would have a field day with these guys,but if you work or are thinking of working for Meter U good luck!

[whitedarkie]

Thanks to all who have commented on `u-meter`. I was about to send off for an application pack but since reading these comments I feel there is more negatives than positives !! Thus i will not be applying for a job. Thanks again to all.
Whitedarkie