Smart meter installer disconnected my shower

[SimonH2]

Should be noted where the bodged up wiring was at the bottom of the old meter, both sets of outgoing tails are unharmonised pre-2006 cables.

But that still does not excuse the meter fitter leaving a service disconnected - does this count as an illegal disconnection of supply ? If it had been me, I'd have been on the phone "very quickly" and expressing my dissatisfaction in such a manner that the fitter would probably get a phone call to turn around and re-visit the job

What the meter fitter should have done is to observe the issue before he started and either :

• Put both tails into service connector blocks (a.k.a. "Henleys" in the same way that all vacuum cleaners get called "Hoovers"), and connected those to the meter with single tails
• Informed the customer of the problem and cancelled the install.

As already mentioned, the best option now would be to get your supplier to come out ("like yesterday or I'll sue") and fit an isolator switch. Then get an electrician (preferably a better one than did the original bodge) in to re-do the tails from the isolator to the two CUs, using the correct service connector blocks to split the tails. Make it clear that "in a week or three" won't do, and you are already going to make a complaint to Ofgem about your illegally disconnected supply if they don't sort if NOW - I suspect your typical call centre operator is likely to perk up somewhat at the opportunity to be named in such a complaint (make sure you get their name early on in the call).

It might be possible, given the hassle they've caused you, to persuade the guy that comes to fit the isolator to put in a couple of connector blocks and re-connect the second board. That depends on who gets the job, how overloaded he is that day, and whether you have the right sort of biccies to offer him.

 

[sparkwright]

But that still does not excuse the meter fitter leaving a service disconnected - does this count as an illegal disconnection of supply ?

Not sure, bearing in mind it was presumably an illegal CONNECTION of supply in the first place, and the new meter fitter could avoid any new legal drama by simply not re-connecting the shower supply and leave the customer to it.

Not at all how I would deal with such a matter, but there you go.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

As already mentioned, the best option now would be to get your supplier to come out ("like yesterday or I'll sue") and fit an isolator switch. Then get an electrician (preferably a better one than did the original bodge) in to re-do the tails from the isolator to the two CUs, using the correct service connector blocks to split the tails. Make it clear that "in a week or three" won't do, and you are already going to make a complaint to Ofgem about your illegally disconnected supply if they don't sort if NOW - I suspect your typical call centre operator is likely to perk up somewhat at the opportunity to be named in such a complaint (make sure you get their name early on in the call).

It might be possible, given the hassle they've caused you, to persuade the guy that comes to fit the isolator to put in a couple of connector blocks and re-connect the second board. That depends on who gets the job, how overloaded he is that day, and whether you have the right sort of biccies to offer him.

I think that would be entirely unreasonable, assuming the tails feeding the CU were possibly both illegally connected and at a guess, not even proper tails wire used for the connection to the meter - perhaps a length T&E.

 

[AndyPRK]

They were tails. You can see there is a previous pic

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

They were tails. You can see there is a previous pic

Oh, OK - so it looks like the only issue was they were under sized?

 

[SimonH2]

I think that would be entirely unreasonable, assuming the tails feeding the CU were possibly both illegally connected and at a guess, not even proper tails wire used for the connection to the meter - perhaps a length T&E.

As mentioned, they were proper tails.
I see no justification whatsoever - absolutely none - for the meter fitter to just disconnect them and say nothing.
I don't know the ins and outs of the rules, but suppliers do not (AFAIK) have the power to arbitrary disconnect a user's installation without so much as even telling them. I'd certainly be shouting about illegal disconnection to get the supplier's attention in sorting it out.

Oh, OK - so it looks like the only issue was they were under sized?

While under-sized compared to "standard", there's an argument that they were correctly sized for the load.