Man's surprise at threat of cancellation fee for smart meter fitting he had not booked
A man has expressed surprise and frustration after being told he could be charged for cancelling a smart meter fitting that he hadn't even booked.
Philip Chow, 61, from Oswestry, found out about the British Gas plan to fit a smart meter at his home when he checked his e-mail.
He had received a message from the firm saying a 'Smart Energy Expert' would be visiting his home to "upgrade" his meter – giving him a time slot of four hours, and saying it could take two hours to fit.
The message also warned of a potential financial penalty if he did not cancel within 24 hours of the appointment.
It said: "If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment please give us at least 24 hours notice or you may be charged a £30 cancellation fee if you’re not at home when our engineer arrives."
Mr Chow said was left scratching his head at the messages, having never booked the appointment and having no desire to have a smart meter fitted.
He cancelled the appointment immediately – and was not fined the £30.
But his cancellation confirmation again reiterated that he could be fined if he had not cancelled in time – writing the warning in bold letters.
It said: "Your appointment to upgrade your gas meter on Wednesday 19th April has been cancelled.
"You may be charged a cancellation fee
"To compensate our engineers for the inconvenience, we charge a £30 cancellation fee if you cancel less than 24 hours before the appointment or if you miss your appointment.
"To avoid this fee in the future, make sure you’re cancelling or rescheduling your appointment at least 24 hours in advance."
When contacted by the Shropshire Star British Gas said it was speaking to Mr Chow to confirm he had not been fined.
A spokesman for the firm said: “We offered a smart meter installation for Mr Chow which he later cancelled. We’re in the process of reaching out to him to provide reassurances that the visit has been stopped with no charge.”
Mr Chow then also expressed surprise after a follow up email said he had cancelled the fitting because of concerns about health effects – something he says he had not raised with the firm.
The e-mail said: "You’ve told us that you’re worried about possible health effects smart meters might have.
"Public Health England, the Government agency for public health, has stated there is no evidence to show that smart meters pose a health risk and that exposure to radio waves from smart meters is likely to be much lower than everyday devices such as mobile phones or wifi devices."
Mr Chow said he had not wanted a smart meter because he said his current meter is perfectly reliable – adding that he was capable of providing a reading when required.
He said: "I am not saying smart meters are bad, but I just do not want to use one."
He said he had been disappointed by the situation, adding that he was concerned other people could either be fined, or face the stress of thinking they would be fined, if they had a similar experience.
He said: "It is disgusting. They have never rung, I have had nothing in the post, if you're not sitting watching your e-mails it could end up in your spam, I think it is outrageous."
He contrasted the situation with his electricity provider Scottish Power, saying: "They offered me one, I said no and that was it."
