anyone worked on a meter exchange contract?

[jono44]

Hello to all who read this. If anyone has or knows of anyone who has contracted for a utiliies company doing meter changes- I'd like to hear what they thought.
I have been put forward to contract for Carillion and the going rate is £19 per unit once 49 unit have been done. I also have to go on a six day induction with pretty much only my cost covered (so will be losing work that week).
Any input would be appreciated on anything re: meter contracts or inductions - ie: the induction exams.
Many thanks,
Jon.

I

 

[newbie1]

to be honest i defy anyone to safely exchange a meter and carry out all requirements and still do enough in a day its got to be 30mins a unit at least and unless the houses are next door to each other i woild say prob 45mins a unit
you should be doing a tightness and let by test before and after so thats 8mins before you even lift a spanner

 

[stevetheplumber]

are you saying you dont get paid untill youve done 49 units ?im interested to know the details as i was considering it as well tho not contacted them yet

 

[newbie1]

i blve they pay you 7.50 a unit up to 49 units then u get the premium rate but thats nearly 10 units a day befor you reach the premium
factor in houses are going to be spread out due not everyone is in during the day and i thing its a preety poor rate of pay

 

[jono44]

No.
You get paid 18 per meter upto 48 meters, but if you exchange 49 or more you get 19 per unit for all of them - that's the incentive to get stuck in!
Other companies offer different rates depending on whether you are self employed and have your own vehicle etc etc or if they supply you with all that sort of gear you get a lower rate (makes sense).Some offer basic + set price per unit and bonus, but I am going for the first one I mentioned.
Just really wondering if anyone has sat the induction week (what they thought) and roughly how they went on an average crappy day!

Ps. Steve the plumber - if you are interested in contacting the angency that I am going through you can let me know and we can go through it in a bit more detail via e-mail.
Jon.

 

[newbie1]

sorry i was looking on jobs plus website and the cheapskates are only offering 7.50 a unit which is a joke

 

[jono44]

No worries mate. What you probably have seen though is 7.50 per unit plus a basic wage of somewhere arond 300.

 

[migoplumber]

meter changes, are along side with national grid, they dont have to test instalations, just change meter, and cap off. so it only takes as long as undoing an redoing 2 nuts. most national grid guys i know are only qualified for meters, lacking the acs "qualifications" to legally be able to test a domestic property.
because of that, they change the meter and tofo.

shaun

 

[bobpape]

I am looking to get involved in moling/pipe cracking in new domestic gas service pipes,

So this thread is interesting,

I used to be corgi but moved away from gas a few years back (mainly because of the
bureaucracy) and since have focused on drain lining and drain replacement as a
consiquence the kit we own lends itself to installing any kind of under ground service,

Any one got any suggestions, might consider a joint venture,
We are located in Bromley,

Bob

 

[Probuzz]

Hi Jon
How did you get on with the Carillion Meter interview? I heard they make you sit an Exam and do a short pipework exercise! Any info would be a great help as I'm going on an interview this week! Really need the work!
Thanks
Ray

 

[jono44]

Hi Ray, NO good for me, - the agency I went through called me the day before Interview/assessments and said Carillion dropped me because they had so many applications and were only going to interveiw guys within the postal code areas of the said contracts- (i'm in Medway contract was in Romford).
Agency guy rang me today though and said they were still looking for guys because so many hadn't passed the theory exams! Oh well I told him, too late for me - British Gas have taken me on direct as a contractor. But now he tells me they are a bit slow at paying and wished me good luck. I don't no how good that sounds - anyone got any stories of contracting directly for British Gas?
Anyway, Good Luck with your assessments.
Jon.

 

[obseen16]

this sounds really interesting, i always thought you had to work for these companies to do meter exchanges, never thought they could contract out (or am i reading this totally wrong). has anyone had any BAD experiences doing this type of work?

 

[Bernie2]

Hmm

So did I! The thing is, I think as far as I know there is a big national meter exchange scheme going on.

They are trying to get them all changed to remote reading meters.

So I suppose they can't handle it all themselves.

Yes I have subbied with BG a few times, or should I say worked on BG contracts for companies that subbied to BG.

Bit of a mixed bag really, the times and prices given by BG where silly to say the least. Part of the problem apparently was whether the job had been priced by a salesperson or a gas surveyor. Its more a case of "suck it and see" I think.

 

[rab250]

Hi jono i read you have taken on subbing for Bg. whats the script with that then? how many jobs do you have to to a day and are the rates any good ?.
cheers

 

[davegsr]

Hi
I am looking to do meter swaps can anyone advise me the best way to go about this ?

 

[midge]

Hi all, I'm a bit late replying to this thread but hopefully it might help someone. I've contracted to a number of different companies over the years doing meter work.
In theory it should be easy to change enough meters in a day to make good money but often the realities differ somewhat. If all your work was in one road with modern houses, meter boxes, combi boilers and all the customers were in life would be sweet.
The reality unfortunately are many of the jobs are spaced way apart, AM and PM appointments mean you can't plan the route as you would like, few people will take a day off work just to have their meter exchanged, when you can get access many meters will need brackets fitted and outlet lead pipe renewed, you are responsible for checking the safety of every appliance in the property which can lead to conflict when you issue an ID ticket. If the boiler has a pilot the chances it won't relight, and all the while you will get earache from the customer about the price of gas and why the appointment was timed from 8AM to 8PM.
You will have to collect and return meters/materials in your own time and pay for any parking. (Flats in the cities are a nightmare, nowhere to park legally). Any pre-payment breakdowns also need to be attended quickly as they come in during the day on top of planned work.
Lastly, although you have visited 20 properties in a day, if you only get 3 completed, that's all you will get paid! It does happen.

I hope I haven't put anyone off

 

[jmsgas]

hi ph jones are the muppets that are trying to get fitters to do meters for £7.50 a meter
and £12.50 to be on call for 24 hr their turn over of fitters is massive