Stop Smart Meters Australia commends United Energy for finally honouring their customers’ persistent requests to not have a smart meter installed.
Thousands of United Energy customers have recently received a letter stating “….we honour your request not to have a smart meter installed…” and “We have now removed the meter at your property from United Energy’s smart meter exchange program.” However, the letters then tacitly intimidate customers to accept a smart meter in the future by citing a possible additional charge from 2015 if they keep their analogue meter.
But aren’t we already paying for a smart meter even if we don’t have one? We all have been paying for one since the beginning of 2010. So how can power distributors charge people twice? Surely the Australian Energy Regulator will have something to say about this!
Click here for a copy of the letter: SKMBT_C45114020409390
The question arises, when will other Victorian power distributors show some integrity and respect people’s legal right to refuse the installation of a smart meter on their properties?
Furthermore, will other Victorian power distributors still have the audacity to claim that smart meters are compulsory? Or are lies and deception ingrained in their ‘customer service’ culture?
Stop Smart Meters Australia 
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United Energy letter consists of three paragraphs and each paragraph contains false and misleading statement(s).
1.”United Energy formally acknowledges your continued refusal to have a smart meter installed”
Incorrect.
My action has not been of a continued nature. My action in this matter has been a once off. I said “No” meaning “I do no give consent to the installation of a smart meter on my premises”.
My right to say no is a one off action and and that non consent is an ongoing situation. I have not refused anything. It is United Energy whose actions have been of a “continued” nature in that they have “continued” to harass me, “continued to bully me”, “continued to lie to me”, “continued” to attempt to forcefully install a smart meter into my premises NOT HAVING MY CONSENT without which they have no right to force it upon me. So for Point 1. You United Energy are the guilty ones and not I
2. “…….we will honour your request not to have the smart meter installed at this time”
United Energy, you do not have my consent to install a smart meter on my premises as you well know but pretend that you don’t. It means you can never install a smart meter on my premises not just “at this time” but “at any time”
3. “This will mean that you may incur additional charges from 2015 for the costs of having a non-standard mater. If you would like to avoid these charges, please contact us as soon as possible on 1300 650 887 between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday so that we can arrange a convenient time with you to exchange the meter”
FYI, I once again do not give you United Energy my consent to impose upon me any “additional charges” for your bogus claim of “having a non-standard meter” but in reality would be a penalty or forfeiture for the non-installation of a smart meter. You seem to deliberately imply that I don’t have the option of consenting or not consenting to pay these “charges” when in actual fact that option is my right to exercise. Of course you can be assured that I will still pay for my supply and consumption of electricity.
They attempted to hide the fact that we had to respond to their “terms and conditions” because they made it appear that responding was something we could only do if we wanted to arrange a time to get a smart meter installed knowing full well that whilst none of us wanted that, none of us would contact them. That was their trap to stop us from replying and rebutting the thing that they had forced upon us by Register post being their terms and conditions that they intend to force upon us.
Start writing those letters folks.
Another point or two
“we will honour you request”
United Energy honour nothing, they are just snakes
“We believe all relevant information has been provided to address your concerns in relation to the smart meter installation process”
Why don’t you tell us if smart meters radiation will ever cause anyone to get cancer ?
Why don’t you tell us if smart meters will ever make me sick in the light of the fact that many people have already reported becoming sick after smart meter(s) were installed
United Energy, YOUR continued trespass upon my property is NOT “my continued refusal”.
United Energy require my consent to install a smart meter on my premises.
United Energy does not have my consent to do this.
This was made clear to United Energy from the very outset.
There is no such thing as “continued refusal” on my part.
“Continued refusal” is false insinuation.
The continued action of United Energy of trespassing onto my property and attempting to install a smart meter without my consent is totally illegitimate.
UE and Jemena are trying to get us to self incriminate by admitting to “refusal”
I’ve been told that in Commercial Law “refusal” may mean that you are stating for the record that “I accept your offer (of a smart meter) but I dishonour it”
That’s what we must not do.
See the trap folks ???? And that’s just one of them. The UE letter is absolutely loaded.
why arent we playing them at their own game?
Send UE the following as well:
“If you do not reply to me within 7 days then UE agrees never to install a smart meter at my residence at any time in the future. Further if you do not reply to me within 7 days then UE agrees not to charge me/penalize me any extra charges for keeping my current meter at any time in the future”.
lets see them try and get their office to respond in time. no chance. if they are going to play this nasty game with us and assume that we will not respond then we can certainly play this game as well. they will incriminate themselves with their lack of response in time.
has no-one else thought of this? surely this is a great tactic?
here is my letter. it is a combination of Anonymous’ excellent post, as well as some others and my own contribution. i believe it serves as a solid response:
Attn: xxxxx xxxxx
AMI Delivery Manager
United Energy
P.O. Box 449
Mt Waverley, Vic 3149
25/3/14
I refer to your Registered letter dated 29/1/14.
1:/ “We believe all relevant information has been provided to address your concerns in relation to the smart meter installation process”
This is not the case. The only way you can address my concerns in relation to smart meters would be to by way of an official letter stating that UE categorically states that Smart Meter RF radiation is 100% safe to humans and accepts that any health concerns and costs associated that I may receive at any time in the future as a result of a smart meter (if one was to be installed) would be the responsibility of UE including any hospital / legal costs, expenses, loss of income, fire and/or damage to property, hardship (physical and/or emotional), or otherwise. I have not received such a letter and therefore you have not addressed my concerns in relation to smart meters. I welcome such a letter/official statement, however I expect that you know the reality of the situation, that Smart Meters are not really 100% safe and come with many health problems worldwide including cancer and therefore will avoid such a statement. You should be ashamed.
2:/”United Energy formally acknowledges your continued refusal to have a smart meter installed”
Incorrect.
My action has not been of a continued nature. My action in this matter has been a one-off. I said “No” meaning “I do no give consent to the installation of a smart meter on my premises”. YOUR continued attempts to trespass upon my property is NOT “my continued refusal”. Your use of the term “continued refusal” is false insinuation. It is United Energy whose actions have been of a “continued” nature in that they have “continued” to harass me, “continued to bully me”, “continued to lie to me”, and “continued” to attempt to forcefully install a smart meter into my premises. You have no right to force it upon me and my family, the government mandate is not directed towards the public. You, United Energy, are the guilty party. This kind of behavior is unacceptable. I suggest you look up “Brodies Law” in regards to bullying and harassment. Your behavior in regards to this issue is criminal and illegal and you should be held accountable in court, personally and severally.
3:/ “…….we will honour your request not to have the smart meter installed at this time”
United Energy, you do not have my consent to install a smart meter on my premises, not just “at this time”, but “AT ANY TIME, NOW OR ANY TIME IN THE FUTURE”.
4:/ “This will mean that you may incur additional charges from 2015 for the costs of having a non-standard mater. If you would like to avoid these charges, please contact us as soon as possible on 1300 650 887 between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday so that we can arrange a convenient time with you to exchange the meter”
I do not give you, United Energy, my consent to impose upon me any “additional charges” for your bogus claim of “having a non-standard meter”. Indeed I am already paying extra for service charges relating to a smart meter that I do not even have installed. You seem to deliberately imply that I do not have the option of consenting (or not consenting) to pay these “charges” when in actual fact that option is my right to exercise. Of course you can be assured that I will still pay for my supply and consumption of electricity as per my contract with my supplier and this will continue to be the case.
You, xxxxx xxxxx, have purposely attempted to hide the fact that a lack of response to your “terms and conditions” letter suggests that I accept them, which is not the case. You already know very well that I do not want a smart meter and therefore your letter has been written in such as way as to suggest that a response is not required unless I wish to “change my mind”. This is surely entrapment. How dare you. My signature of receipt for your letter IN NO WAY ACTS AS MY COMPLIANCE OR ACCEPTANCE of your terms and conditions therein.
If you do not reply to me within 7 days then UE agrees never to install a smart meter at my residence at any time in the future. Further if you do not reply to me within 7 days then UE agrees not to charge me/penalize me any extra charges for keeping my current meter at any time in the future.
The End.
Excellent post Chris making some really great points in your letter.
Just a few points……….
UE claim to have provided sufficient info re smart meter “installation”. Who cares about “installation”. Well in actual fact we do care about the incendiary risk which we know has not been disclosed. They mention nothing regarding smart meter “health and safety”. They do not even acknowledge it. We know that people are getting sick, that they also know that people are getting sick and that there is great uncertainty about how these devices will affect our health in the future as you point out. Also an explicit definition needs to be put to the word “safe” in the light of a number of very specific concerns that many expressed, otherwise nobody knows what safe means.
We also want to make sure they don’t turn around the issue of “one off action” or non-consent to “one off refusal”. We are not obliged by law to accept a smart meter, therefore their letters that they sent us prior to committing their unlawful acts of trespass have to be considered in the same light as their latest letter and Jemena’s latest letter ie. an “offer” (a contract offer) with the Jemena letter actually using the word offer. UE invite us to ring up if we want to arrange a meter exchange.
You see Chris, it has always been an “offer” that has been presented to all of us from the very beginning. It was never law. All the letters we ever received were offers, contract offers. In receiving and opening their correspondence we have accepted their presentation of their offer and we become obligated to continue what is in fact a contractual process. In the case of United Energy, it was the signing of the registered mail item that signalled that their presentation was received and that we are committed to continue the contractual process. Signing for the the letter does not mean we agree to accept their offer, it only means that we agree to either act or not act on their offer. An offer can be accepted, renegotiated in some way or waived (without cause) but when that offer is presented it must be honoured and that is done through response which they have deliberately tried to trick us into not doing. In future best way to handle offer letters are to send them back unopened or not sign for them.
A lot of emphasis in commercial law is place upon who it is that stands in honour and who stands in dishonour and it’s not so much about what the law says. Notice that United Energy themselves use the word “honour” ie. we will “honour” your request. United Energy’s letter is absolutely loaded. United Energy and Jemena are deliberatley trying to bring us their customers into “dishonour”. That is what their latest tactical ploy is all about. Now back to this aspect of refusal, the reality is that we have chosen to “waive” the benefit privilege of their offer which we are well within our right to do. “Refusal” has an accusatory aspect to it because it implies refusal of something that cannot be refused. They are saying “how dare we refuse ?” and have deliberately misrepresented an action that we are well within our lawful right to do. “Continued refusal” is a misrepresentation but so is “one off refusal” so be careful not to express yourself in such a way as to give credence to either of these two misrepresentations. We have not committed a misdemeanor as they are insinuating, neither a continuous misdemeanor nor even a one off misdemeanor.
It is good for letters to be short and concise and to just stick to points relevant. Anything else opens up unwanted dialogue and can be jumped on if inappropriate or if incorrectly expressed.
I would really put them on the spot and I would insist that any response be given in an affidavit of truth as they sometimes try to be game and reply with a whole lot of $#@+.
We were made an offer (presented as fictitious law) and the way we handled it was to say “thanks but no thanks”.
I would say handled honourably, appropriately and legitimately.
Presenting contractual offers as fictitious law.
How low can you get ?
And how could the government not be fully complicit in something of such ilk ?
An Offer is no different to a Letter of Demand, and it’s only the intonation given by the words used in each of these that differs. In both cases the presentation to the customer is a piece of paper (ie.letter) outlining terms and conditions of a contract that they want you to agree to and in the case of the Power Distributors, their correspondence is disguised (through quotation of fictitious law) not to appear to be as such.
Typical examples……
A letter of demand whereby you agree to let them install a smart meter.
A letter offering to replace the old meter with a smart meter.
Where is there a difference in going from a letter of demand to an offer ???
Their latest ploy, letters of demand TO GET YOU TO AGREE to pay extra charges that don’t even exist. Of course it can only be with your agreement that they can get away with the act of charging you monetary amounts that are without definition and without quantification.
If you understand this, then only a chump would agree to such EXTORTION.
What you get in the mail is ALWAYS a presentation of terms and conditions that they are trying by their stealth to get you agree to, in most cases by doing nothing………and you are not obligated to agree to any of their offers/demands. You have right of reply and can quite legitimately express your choice to “waive” it
ie. to waive the benefit privilege
(as supposedly the things offered/demanded are for your benefit)
If you have some initial difficulty in thinking of your Distribution Company’s correspondence as an offer, think of it as a letter of demand just like a parking fine is a letter of demand which when you open the envelope you are then forced to decide what you are going to do, whether to agree to their demand and pay the “fine” or whether to contest it by a number of other means available to you. Doing nothing leads to the receipt of subsequent “demand” notices which eventually leads to enforceability of demands.
To the power companies your silence is gold.
Those matters that are currently “outstanding” need to be dealt with but I am of the opinion that any new mail intended to bring about a fresh round of offer/demand/forced contractual activity should not be signed for and should be returned to the sender unopened asap and marked “without cause and without dishonour”.
Take note SP Ausnet, Citipower and Powercor customers what’s coming your way.
What we are being presented with has absolutely no legitimacy UNLESS WE agree to give it legitimacy
thanks for your excellent responses Anonymous. they have been most helpful. i partically was after more of an understanding of the offer “refusal” paragraph, i was not really 100% happy with what i wrote, and i can now re-word it more sucessfully by avoiding the deceptive net they have set there.
There is no doubt that someone VERY CLEVER has written this letter from UE, and loaded it with a whole ton of mis-representations and very well hidden traps. Most probably a collective of evil lawyers, not just some employee in UE as the letter suggests with its signature.
do you know if there is a “time limit” on a response? my letter from UE was dated 29th Jan.
also what do you think of my last paragraph, turning the trap around onto them. Or is requesting a response from them just poking the snake in the eye and probably not a path worth going down?
many thanks for your response. im getting ready to send this letter back to them registered.
Chris, the time limit is a very valid point and I don’t have a hard and fast answer for you. Notice that UE didn’t specify a time limit. According to sources that period is usually 28 days.
I assume time limits apply to both parties including those making the demand.
Is it worth replying at this stage…….is something I am currently looking into.
Most people were tricked by UE in being made to sign for registered mail and
tricked into not responding. It was deliberate deceit and contrary to all fair trading practice.
Jemena’s letter gave the game away.
Notice in UE letter there was no time period specified.
Perhaps sister company Jemena realised this as a flaw (who knows)
and hence included 10 days in their letter.
I’ll keep posted when I know more.
As far as your last paragraph, if you just want a reply I am sure they can oblige you and reply with rubbish. Perhaps you should ask them for the things they should reply with but which you know that they cannot provide. If you want to keep it simple, just “evidence” may suffice. Whether 7 days is acceptable I cannot advise.
Thanks Anonymous. I have decided to remove the last paragraph as it is just lowering myself to their level of deceit and all-round bad behaviour. Here is my V2 of the letter. It has been revised in all the paragraphs following your posts. I think it is much closer now. Thanks again for your input. I hope this helps everyone. It’s important to have full letters such as this for people to be able to send, many are not quite so capable of writing such an intricate letter response off their own backs. So here we go…V2
25/3/14
I refer to your Registered letter dated 29/1/14.
1:/ “We believe all relevant information has been provided to address your concerns in relation to the smart meter installation process”
This is not the case. There are still outstanding concerns about the smart meter installation process which you have not addressed, which then flow on and result in concerns about the smart meter and its safety directly. You have not fully addressed both of these concerns. The only way you can address my concerns would be way of an official letter stating that UE categorically confirms that Smart Meter RF radiation is 100% safe to humans (ie no health repercussions or effects WHATSOEVER….no biological change/damage in any way) and accepts that any health concerns and costs associated that I may receive at any time in the future for the rest of my life as a result of a smart meter and its associated RF radiation (if one was to be installed) would be the responsibility of UE including any hospital / legal costs, expenses, loss of income, fire and/or damage to property, hardship (physical and/or emotional), loss of privacy or otherwise. I have not received such a letter and therefore you have not addressed my concerns in relation to smart meters. I welcome such a letter/official statement, however I expect that you know the reality of the situation and will not open your company up to the legal repercussions of such a statement, knowing full-well that Smart Meters are not really 100% safe and come with many health problems worldwide including many forms of cancer and will therefore avoid such a statement at all cost. You should be ashamed.
2:/ ”United Energy formally acknowledges your continued refusal to have a smart meter installed”
Incorrect. I have not “refused”. I have said “No” meaning “I have honorably chosen to “waive” your proposal to have a smart meter installed on my property. Do not put words in my mouth. YOUR attempts to trespass upon my property is NOT “my continued refusal”. Your use of the term “continued refusal” is false insinuation. It is United Energy whose actions have been of a “continued” nature in that they have “continued” to harass me, “continued to bully me”, “continued to lie to me”, and “continued” to attempt to forcefully install a smart meter into my premises. You have no right to force it upon me and my family, the government mandate is not directed towards the public. You, United Energy, are the dishonorable and guilty party. This kind of behavior is unacceptable. I suggest you look up “Brodies Law” in regards to bullying and harassment. Your behavior in regards to this issue is criminal and illegal and you should be held accountable in court, personally and severally.
3:/ “…….we will honour your request not to have the smart meter installed at this time”
United Energy, your behavior is the dishonorable one in this case, and you do not have my consent to install a smart meter on my premises, not just “at this time”, but “AT ANY TIME, NOW OR ANY TIME IN THE FUTURE”.
4:/ “This will mean that you may incur additional charges from 2015 for the costs of having a non-standard mater. If you would like to avoid these charges, please contact us as soon as possible on 1300 650 887 between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday so that we can arrange a convenient time with you to exchange the meter”
I do not give you, United Energy, my consent to impose upon me any “additional charges” for your bogus claim of “having a non-standard meter”. I do not accept your offer. Indeed I am already paying extra for service charges relating to a smart meter that I do not even have installed. You seem to deliberately imply that I do not have the option of consenting (or not consenting) to pay these “charges” when in actual fact that option is my right to exercise. Of course you can be assured that I will still pay for my supply and consumption of electricity as per my contract with my supplier and this will continue to be the case.
You, XXXXXX XXXXXX, have purposely attempted to hide the fact that a lack of response to your “terms and conditions” letter suggests that I accept them, which is not the case. You already know very well that I do not want a smart meter and therefore your letter has been written in such a way as to suggest that a response is not required unless I wish to “change my mind”. This is surely entrapment. How dare you attempt to impose your idea of “implied consent” upon me, disguised as a “good-news” letter. You actions are despicable. My signature of receipt for your registered letter IN NO WAY ACTS AS MY COMPLIANCE OR ACCEPTANCE of your terms and conditions therein. Do not try these extortion tactics again.
I do not wish to receive any more letters from UE.
Yours Faithfully,
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
I had a SM unit installed against my wishes earlier after UE sent me that letter you’re off the list for the time being….. What are the steps we can take to have the meter removed? I ordered them off the premises at the time and demanded the meter be restored but they continued to make claims that supply may be cut off and claimed that the meter can’t be reinstalled. What are the steps we can take to address that? Any experiences addressing these? I stated that either they remove it or I will get a electrician to do it. They said that that would be unsafe and unwise. Has anyone found an electrician that does do the removals? Is there another approved analog or a non transmitting unit that can be substituted?
Thank you for all the hard yards people are doing.
Attention: All Electrical Contractors
There is much good work for you in REMOVAL of Victorian smart meters which homeowners did not consent to and re-installation of the far superior analogue variety. You would be doing a great service to humanity, restoring wellbeing and preventing many unnecessary cancers in men, women and children. Right now, people out there need your help….why not HELP THEM RECLAIM THEIR HEALTH??
Being an Electrical contractor, I would very much like to do the above.
The issue is, that the DNSP’s are a self regulated monopoly. They would likely cut off the person’s power, as soon as they found out. If there is a way to AVOID this occurring, then YES, I would be more than happy to offer smart meter removal services.
BC Hydro Backpedals
I see a lot of similarities with United Energy
BC Hydro use the wording
“IN THE MEANTIME we will not install a new meter for these customers………..”
United Energy use the wording
“we will honour your request to not have the smart meter installed AT THIS TIME”
BC Hydro statement actually means “won’t force the issue prior to a spring election”
Does United Energy’s statement mean……..
“wont force the issue prior to upcoming Victorian State Election in November” ????
They all follow the same script and copy each other. Not an original thought in all the greedy scumbags heads.
It seems that United Energy are still sending out smart meter installation letters and still doing installations of these carcinogenic devices at their own behest. The recipients of new installation letters also include customers who have received the United Energy letter supposedly acknowledging their smart meter refusal and which goes on to say that their premises have been removed from their installation list.
It has been said on this website that if you do not want a smart meter you must lock your meter box. Let me correct that. If you do not want a smart meter you must lock your meter box and KEEP IT LOCKED. No point locking your meter box if you are going to just reopen it when the power company makes some sort of threat against you and which threat is most likely only a threat. When you lock your meter box you must be committed to keeping it locked come hell or high water because I guarantee they will pester you and they will try and get inside your head in such a way where YOU yourself reopen the box for them.
DO NOT REOPEN THE BOX for them because of how they may make you to feel by some blurb that comes out of their corrupted mouths. They are playing on that and it has worked for them with even the most intelligent of people having been seduced and sucked in by their words and that has always been the way of the devil himself. You must stand your ground folks and do not at this stage start to engage with those who would contact you portraying themselves with fictitious authority.
Yep this has been a case for me. A letter from UE saying I have been removed from the list but may be charged more for refusing….. and then workmen turn up ignore the massive signs on gate, walls, meterboxes (block of flats) and my meter and replace all of them, profusely apologising but stating that it is an irreversible process – even though the bloody meter was probably in the back of the truck! Very apologetic…. and then some serious ugliness via forced safety checks in my flat with photos etc etc etc. Massive invasion of my privacy with threats of returning with warrants for refusing. Also switching off my power (bill paid) until a “safety check” could be done.
Harassment and more harassment.
By the way I was told that they (workmen) were instructed to ignore the no tresspassing/smartmeter signs and install anyway. So the test is now who is going to start the class action of trespass on a massive scale?
The course of action to take whenever this sort of thuggery takes place is to immediately disconnect from supply and to cease further payments. They gamble that you will not do this because they think they have people over a barrell with electricity being a service too essential to go without. So once they get the smart meter in they can just laugh at you.
The issues at stake here goes way beyond how essential a service electricity is to any of us and have more to do with how essential our freedoms and our rights are to us and how essential Democracy is to this Nation and how essential our health and well being is to all of us.
This sort of transgression warrants people power led physical retribution on a mass scale in the way we see happen in other nations.
Holding any of us over a barrell is not on. When they would try and hold us over a barrell then as far as I am concerned, all bets are off. The smart meter must be removed any which way by hook or by crook. And if needs be, they can stick their power.
They do indeed gamble that they have people over a barrel. But, unfortunately the “gamble” is very low risk of loss to them, because most people will, have, and do cave in. Corporations and government now know far too much about the workings of the human mind in the 21st century and we live in the deteriorating societal reflection of that where exploitative manipulative greed has risen to such heights, it is destroying everything, including the will and individuality of the people, and ultimately the lives of most us and our offspring as well.
“The issues at stake” go far beyond what most people will even try to comprehend or acknowledge (cognitive dissonance). Smart meters are such a small aspect of what is actually going on in the world and the majority don’t want to know or face the responsibility of having to actually deal with, or do something about unpleasant problems. Ignorance is bliss, but ultimately it is going to be very costly indeed.
Our democracy or the facade of it is long gone, for anyone with eyes that will actually see. People need to wake up at the very least to that and face it because it is growing to the point where it cannot be ignored. Fascism is here folks. The amalgamation and blurring of corporations and government. The exact opposite in most ways of democracy where the few dictate to the many and ‘nothing’ is more important or will be allowed to stand in the way of control and profit. We have barely anything left of democracy except the ‘forced’ (at risk of fine) ‘right’ to vote for our corrupt oppressors who are selling us and everything we hold dear out.
The previous generations who gave up so much and fought so hard for what we have are surely turning in their graves at the cowardice, complacency, apathy. The moral, ethical, and intellectual bankruptcy that is so prevalent today. We are literally and so freely giving away everything that was given to us by those that came before, and then we whine and whimper it’s not fair when we start suffering the consequences.
Our individuality, our very souls and lives are under attack. Not only from without but also from within. People should fight against being owned or controlled and treated as corporate cash cows and slaves. Held to ransom, extorted from, Poisoned, irradiated and spied on. Bullied, threatened and coerced. Actually paying to be attacked, while begging to those attacking us to please stop. Crying it’s not fair and against our rights etc. It’s pathetic!. Humanity as a whole is largely pathetic and indeed worth a ‘laugh’ at the ease at which most willingly imprison themselves for the financial gain of the few. All because most won’t stand up in sufficient numbers.
I know it, you know it, and they know it.
The personal mental anguish, self loathing and torment for surrendering to something known to be wrong. That is what people suffer from that give in to evil. For what? In the case of smart meters, for the ‘cozy convenience’ of electricity. At what price?. They can stick their literal and perceived power because I will relinquish no more of my own. The price is just too high.
Very well said John.
John, you have hit the nail right on the head! But, can you give us a plan of action for combating the loss of our democracy?
If a death meter installer were to put your old meter back, it means they will not get their $600 “reward”, so of course they won’t do it.
If you have taken your signs down (I have not) – think again as you will need to keep them up to cover the upcoming gas & water AMIs.
My understanding is that this letter only went to people who have made a medical based objection to the installation.
A friend of mine got a letter on Thursday from UE saying that they would be coming by between 17th Feb and 4th March 2014 to install a meter. The usual stuff about how they own the meter etc in it too. However, they did not wait until the 17th to attempt the installation – they arrived on the 14th (yesterday)! I prepped her well & she refused stating the mandate was over & she had a right to refuse. The guy tried to tell her she was going to be charged extra. However he did not try to force her to have the meter changed any further than trying to “scare” her about fees.
UE ARE NOT THAT IMPRESSIVE – THEY ARE ONLY COVERING THEMSELVES LEGALLY RE PEOPLE WITH CLAIMED MEDICAL ISSUES. AND THEY ARE NOT DOING THAT OVERLY WELL EITHER SO SSMA STOP SAYING THEY ARE NOW DOING A GOOD JOB!!
Miriam
I got the letter too and I did write to UE but mine was not a specific medically based objection, it was a Prohibition to their fictitious authority ie. installation prohibition and prohibition to harass and coerce.
Hi Miriam,
Well said by you ! United Energy Distribution are now acting as a pack of bullies. Please look up Brodie’s Law on the Internet, it’s been in force here in Victoria since June 2012. This constant bullying by United Energy Distribution and the rest of these Low-Life foreign owned five Electric power companies C.E.O’s and their minions of their Publicity Departments or actual Spin and Lies Departments.
Note that if you or anyone is continually bullied either at work or at school or anywhere at all including bullied to take a Smart Meter now named an A.M.I remoter recording Microwave Meter against one’s Will and Better Judgement you can take them to Court and Sue them under BRODIE’S Law and when convicted by a Jury of twelve men strait and true these bullies will receive a Prison Sentence of up to ten ( 10) Years.
” Please spell this out to these ‘Dunder-Heads’ at United Energy Distribution.
Anyone else reading this comment, it applies to Powercor and Citypower and Jemena and SP AusNet as well as to United Energy Distribution.
Re the implied extra cost for maintaining the Analogue Meter: if the charge is approximately $150/annum as was suggested, then it will be small change indeed compared to the rise in your bill from the installation of a “smart” meter.
Rremember: these new meters will measure the inevitable usage surge that occurs WHENEVER you turn an electric appliance on from cold. These surges will be at their worst for the high usage appliances such as electric jugs, clothes dryers, washing machines and air conditioners etc.and will even apply to lights, power tools, computers, mobile phone and laptop chargers, IN FACT every single appliance that uses electricity has an initial surge in usage when it is activated. An increase in your electricity usage bill of up to $500/annum is not to be unexpected with a new AMI meter. Couple this with the almost inevitable tariff increases and you may start to see the wisdom of maintaining the old analogue meter which DOES NOT and CANNOT read these surges. This AMI debacle is nothing more than a method of increasing the revenue of the power companies due to the slow but measurable and inexorable reduction in power use by people who are fed up with being fleeced and ripped off by the utility companies. Once the trough guzzling, self serving parasites are removed from Spring Street (both sides would be preferable and let us all pray to our God that “None of the above” is finally added to the ballot paper) then we may just have a snowball’s chance in hell of living peacefully.
1vimana1 on February 14, 2014 at 1:56 am said:
Dear readers,
A few lines down I have given the web address of Michigan Stop Smart Meters which is very worthwhile reading. This is my reply to them in Michigan about our problems, very much like theirs.
Dear Michigan Stop Smart Meters,
Thank you for this latest email of yours. http://michiganstopsmartmeters.com/2014/02/13/macomb-county-smart-meter-opt-out/
Here in Victoria Australia the five (5) foreign owned Electrical Power Companies are in collusion with the Victorian Government and it seems will very likely try to force us their Electricity Customers, to pay a fee in 2015 for those of us keeping and refusing for Health Reasons as well as other reasons, to give up the Safe and Passive Analog Electric Meters on our privately owned home and or small business properties.
This threat by the five foreign owned Electric Power Companies in collusion with the Victorian Government, is no less that Extortion and Blackmail and we have advised those same powers that to impose a second and extortionate fee upon us, is the height of Evil as we are already paying for the meter reader man to come and take his three monthly readings of our Analog Electric Meters already.
If they of the five foreign owned Electric Power Companies aided and abetted by this now collusory Victorian Government try and force yet another fee or impost upon us in 2015 as they have indicated already, I as well as some two hundred thousand of us and still growing in number, will most certainly resist this Wickedness of the foreign five owned Electric Power Companies and this also Victorian Liberal Party who are acting in collusion with these foreign owned Electric Power Companies.
Reply ↓
John V,
An excellent letter of yours John. You cover many facets of this modern wickedness of the five foreign owned Electric Power Companies and this Collusory Victorian Government who are acting in CONCERT with these five foreign owned Electric Power Companies as they try so desperately to force both young and older Victorian Citizens into weakly giving up the Safe and Passive Electric Analog Meters some two hundred thousand and still growing numbers of us refuse to give up. I for one refuse to give into BULLYING by these modern Tyrants.
Simply stand your ground folks, keep your private electric meter boxes firmly padlocked and your Legal Commonwealth Anti-Trespass signs of $167,000 Dollars to fine any trespassers on your privately owned home and or small business properties; that means the often very sneaky Electric Smart Meter or now named A.M.I digital remote reading meter Installer Men.
My adult daughter had a smart meter installer attend her house in late December 2013. she refused the meter and he told her that there are only 6 properties in all of Victoria without a smart meter now. LIES!! She refused the meter and two weeks later received a letter from United Energy accepting her refusal of the smart meter. She had refused twice. We live 10 minutes drive from her and today 11/2/14 received a letter from United Energy telling us they are installing a smart meter in the next 6 weeks. I rang United Energy and the man on the phone said he would note my objection and a case worker will look at it. They have been to our property 4 times to attempt installation and we have refused each time. How many times do we have to say NO? Why are they sending thousands of letters accepting refusal but not to others? Why the discrepancy? The man on the phone couldn’t answer my questions.
Anonymous, I’m just wondering whether it could be just the people who have formally written to UE expressing their non consent/prohibition for the installation of the meter that may have received the refusal acceptance letter. Have you ever written to UE before ? Have you sent them either the Prohibition of Installation Notice or Anti Harassment Notice available on this website ?
My advice is to do so if you have not done so already. The one thing you must do regardless of whoever is receiving or not receiving the refusal acceptance letters is to lock your meter box securely with an industrial padlock or two or three, put up a notice and make provision for your meter to be read at meter reading time.
Put up your security nice and tight and wait however long you need to for the dominoes to fall.
Eric, I rang powercor and told them I didn’t want a spy and fry device,( I called it a smartmeter then because it was 2012) installed. While on the phone, an installer began work at the first house in my court. I started crying to the man on the phone begging them not to install because it would affect my health. The installer bypassed my place and I haven’t heard from them since.
Hi Eric.
Thanks for your advice. We have written to United Energy in the past after seeing this website and have had a lock and notices on our meter box for around 18 months now.
Usually when they try to install the smart meter they give a 2 week time frame with 5 days per week and we make sure someone is at home continuously for those 2 weeks to deny the installation. This time they’ve given us a 5 week time frame with 6 days, Monday to Saturday, each week. We are beginning to feel like they are holding us prisoner in our own home.
When our daughter got her letter (she hadn’t written to United Energy just had the lock and notices) we thought good, our battle should be over too.
Sadly not so. If it wasn’t for this website we probably would’ve given in by now.
Thanks, Lee
Anonymous, may I suggest you send them the very powerful anti harassment notice (available on this website) which clearly spells out a penalty of a $1.1 million dollar fine for any body corporate that would use undue coercion or harassment to force acceptance of any product. As you say that you have previously spelt it out to them explicitly in writing that a smart meter is not to be installed on your premises, any further correspondence on their part that ignores your previous explicit instruction not to install and which insists they are going ahead with such installation is clearly a case of bullying, harassment, undue coercion you name it. Read the post from Gwen above. This poor women was reduced to tears by these thuggish Electricity Distribution personnel. It makes my blood boil when I hear of this and there are many persons like Gwen who have been literally reduced to tears by their bullying and the aggressive insistence that they are coming across with. I had such an encounter with a female (can you believe it) representative from Servicestream and I am fairly thick skinned and yet I was left quite shaken by this women. In hindsight I can see that in her repetetive insistences, she was virtually taunting me. Our sweetheart which I won’t name here can be very assured that I have everything I need to fully expose her unlawful conduct at a time of my choosing and that I am totally committed to doing so.
Anti harassment consumer law is a very real law with very real penalties and we saw such penalties imposed upon AGL recently.
There are also anti stalking laws in the Crimes Act 1958 carrying very real penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment and anti bullying laws (Brodie’s Law being an extension of the Crimes Act) again carrying very real penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment. Electricity Distribution senior personnel know this and they are fearful because they are in a very dire position because they know that there conduct has well and truly transgressed these laws and they are afraid of people like us fully determined to see the law prosecuted upon them and fully committed to seeing them receiving “their just desserts”
As far as I am concerned, these people have to go to jail. Even if they were to cease from attempting smart meter installations, they have already gone too far in what they have done and must be imprisoned. The message needs to be sent out that such a thing as this must never be allowed to happen again.
I would definitely send out the anti harassment notice if I were you. And I would also take the security on my meter box to the next level up. I would photograph it or even better film it. These people know that they can’t legally commit break and enter. You probably read on this site the post about the Tongan man that they paid off $250,000 to not take them to court. If it was me they can offer me any amount of money whatsoever. My choice is that they must be brought down and they can stick their money (any amount) and they can also stick their electricity. Such conduct as theirs and such a wicked agenda as this must not be allowed to prosper in this State nor this Country.
We received a letter 2 weeks ago by registered mail from United Energy confirming our refusal to the installation of smart meters. To my surprise, I received a letter today telling us they will install a smart meter at our property next week. Once again United Energy has lived up to its reputation of being a pack of liars.
Dawn,
Looks as if United Energy are not only unable to keep their promises but are doing what they can to trick you. To catch you on the hop so to speak and force a microwave smart meter into your Private Electric Meter Box when you are away from home. Please padlock your Electric Meter Box with a stout padlock first of all and only then put up your Legal Commonwealth of Australia $167,000. Dollar Anti Trespass Signs, that’s what I did.
I phoned United Energy last September (2013), we didn’t want the smart meter. Now they have sent notice to install again (Feb 11).
So now I have called the Energy Ombudsman to get a 3rd party to note that we do not want the smart meter. I spoke to United Energy again, and they have again confirmed that I have refused the meter.
Just to make sure though, I am going to send them the Prohibition of Installation Notice or Anti Harassment Notice given in the kit on this site.
I’ve also bought and viewed a copy of that new movie promoted on this site: “Take Back Your Power”. It’s was well worth watching, and very informative. I think I will buy a few more copies to hand around.
You can’t refuse. You have to correct them. You do not give consent and you formally object to the installation of a smart meter. They know you can’t refuse. But you can say no or I do not give consent.
UE are using “refusal” and “continued refusal” as a noose that they are handing out to their customers in a seemingly innocent way but their intent is for their customers to hang themselves. They are playing the “refusal” card to all their customers. Even installers who get turned away will ask the customer “do you refuse ?”
They know that their customers don’t realise there are legal implications when using the term “refuse” and they would try and get them to admit to “refusing” without understanding the implications of saying so, but still causing them to self incriminate when in actual fact they haven’t “refused” at all. There is no Act of Parliament which says you must have a smart meter therefore you have not refused. “Refusal” doesn’t apply. Their demands are no more than a dressed up offer which we have “waived”, “objected to”, “not given consent” to.
It’s difficult to get a conviction for any crime including murder and the best way to get a conviction is always by a confession. We also see cases where an innocent suspect is perhaps beaten and forced to sign a fake confession under duress by corrupt cops in order to get a conviction. UE through their cunning sewer rat lawyers are also trying to deceive their innocent customers who have not broken any law and have not acted outside of their rights into self incriminating by playing them the legally loaded “refusal” card.
Check any other letters you may have received from UE and you will find that they have been playing you the “refusal” / “continued refusal” card all along.
Filthy sister company have also now played the “refusal” card to their innocent customers to try and get them to admit to “refusing access” to the meter when that is not the case at all. The only thing these customers have done is objected to their “offer” (yes offer) of installing a smart meter.
Make sure your meter box is locked nice and tight Dawn.
I’m just wondering if you are a glitch in their system or if they are going back on their word. You may wish to communicate to them that you have your refusal acknowledgement letter from them. Perhaps you could send a photocopy of such letter as a reply to their latest correspondence. (don’t get into unnecessary conversation)
If you ascertain that they are going back on their word as opposed to this latest letter being just a glitch, then please communicate it to all of us here because there are enough of us having these refusal acknowledgement letters that are able to cause a major backlash to United Energy.
To Dawn, the reason you got another letter is as far as they are concerned you have refused. It is illegal to refuse. You do not give consent and formally object. You need to make it very clear that you have not refused.
Next time they turn up just let the (large and toothy) dog explain to them in language they ALL seem to understand, that ‘NO’ means ‘NO’.
It’s really great isn’t it ? UE tell me they won’t be installing a smart meter at my house and yet they’ve just gone and installed one at my neighbors house which means I get radiated in my own house regardless. What’s the point of their letter if they’re going to radiate me anyway.
Who gives them the right anyway to transmit pulsing EM radiation that is thousands of times stronger than the usual background level through my home ? I now no longer feel safe in my own home.
Eric25,
ARPANSA’s inappropriate (heating) standards do not give the power companies the right to transmit any amount of electromagnetic radiation into your premises that is above the normal background level.
ARPANSA are not legislators.
ARPANSA are “charged with responsibility for protecting the health and safety of people, and the environment, from the harmful effects of ionising and non ionising radiation” and they have failed dismally BUT they are not legislators……..
………so who the hell gives the Electricity Distribution companies the authority to transmit ANY amount of non ionising radiation into our houses. As far as I am concerned,
I AM THE AUTHORITY that determines whether any amount of radiation is permitted or not permitted to be transmitted through my house from ANY source including from neighboring houses.
Technically I should be able to sue either my neighbor or my neighbor’s Distribution Company or BOTH for any intrusion and contamination of my living space where the source is on my neighbor’s premises.
I totally agree.
I have the same issue. Whether I’m inside my house, or whether I decide to go out into my backyard to do some work, or to water the garden, etc, I’m subjected to the radiation from the meters on my neighbour’s homes.
I need to talk to my neighbours and explain to them my dilemma. If they tell me to mind my own business, I’ll have to remind them that their meter, transmitting dangerous, 2B carcinogenic RF radiation into my home, IS MY BUSINESS, and I’m not going to allow it.
Elise,
The Victorian Government blames the five foreign owned Electricity companies, and then these Electric Power Companies blame both the past Labour Victorian Government and back and forth it goes, one blaming the other, like a pack of naughty school kids. I know this is FACT as when I spoke to the five Electric Power Companies Public Relations officers they blamed the Victorian Government.
My response was always, ” You the five foreign owned Electric Power Companies took on the Government Contract to force these Dammed Poisonous to Humans and all Life Dopy Electric Microwave Smart Meters now named A.M.I and or remote reading electrical digital meters onto the Victorian privately owned home and small business owners didn’t you ? ” This had them squirming and they could not reply in the negative as I had them by the, “Short and Curlies.”
Can’t you just see it and hear it just like when we were in school.
“Please Miss it’s not my fault,” as the people in the Human Relations Department blame the Government, or when I phoned up the Victorian Ombudsman for Energy and Resources he blamed the five (5) foreign owned Electric Power Companies.
When I telephoned Mr Mark Feather of the then as it was named D.P.I one of the main players in this Evil Blame Game, bleated to me many months ago that it was these five foreign owned Electric Power Companies’ faults. And so the blame game goes round and round just like a Merri-go round at a Circus.
I retorted rather angrily to Mr Mark Feather the D.P.I’s Boss, ” That’s right Mr Mark Feather, blame it on someone else won’t you, very brave of you indeed, I rather sneered back at him over my telephone.
The truth is folks that they all did it, the Labour Victorian Government under John Brumby started off this sorry mess and they were kicked out of power and before the end of the Victorian Labour Governments’ reign of Microwave TERROR, that great hypocrite Mr Michael O’Brien then in opposition stood up in Parliament in 2010 and stated that the Microwave Smart Meter Roll-Out was a stupid and possibly very dangerous idea and would steal ever more money from the Victorian people.
How right he was, but to prove what a truly dishonourable man he was, when his Victorian Liberal Party came into power and he was then given the job as Minister for Energy and Resources, he grabbed this port-folio with Glee and started to rip ever more money out of the Victorian Peoples’ Cash Strapped pockets by adopting the same job as Mr Peter Bachelor had under the past John Brumby Labour Government. What a HYPOCRITE he Michael O’Brien turned out to be.
Sadly when our group fighting for our Lives and our Health went down to see Mr Michael O’Brien at his offices ‘ at his request’ back in March 2012 he had run away and was too frightened to meet us. His staff were most apologetic, but what could they do. Nothing, for Mr Michael O’Brien was their boss. Where was Mr Michael O’Brien ?, possibly hugging his TEDDY BEAR and hiding behind his Mummy’s skirts. We now have a similar problem with the also proving to be Dishonourable Mr Nicholas Kotsiras of the Victorian Liberal Party Government also hiding from us, in a cupboard or perhaps holding onto his “Teddy Bear for dear life to protect him from us his bosses, that is us the Victorian Public. Make no mistake about it Mr Nicholas Kotsiras we the Victorian Public are Your Employers and you are our SERVANT, so it’s high time you did as we told you !
The government you help elect ~ and pay taxes to support ~ “gives them the right” to do whatever they please.
That’s where the problem lies,….and the solution, too.
United Energy got into my neighbors house whilst my neighbor was out during the day and installed a smart meter. I had previously spoken to my neighbor and told him to lock his meter box which he did not do. He has a two meter high front fence with a two meter high access gate which he unfortunately left open. I said to my neighbor that he should have locked both his meter box and his access gate. His response was one expressing doubt about “whether you can actually refuse it” to quote his words. One week later I received my letter from United Energy “formally acknowledging my refusal”. I will certainly be showing my neighbor this letter because even though I don’t have a smart meter, he does have a smart meter and it is transmitting onto my property big radiation spikes of power density 650 microwatts/m2 and I am very very upset about this. Here I am in the same week as being told that a smart meter will not be installed on my property that I have now begun being affected by smart meter radiation transmissions from my next door neighbors house. It’s a minor victory and a crushing defeat at the same time. And I do feel that I am being experimented on having this radiation transmitted through my premises as there is no genuine guarantee that long term exposure to this radiation will not give me cancer or that shorter term exposure will not cause me various other health problems. I actually feel that I am being assaulted in my own premises and that microwave radiation is the assault weapon and that the Electricity Distributor is the assailant.
Hi Eric25, that really sucks. You are now in a similar situation as we are, only we have it on both sides. One side we have 4 units and the house on the other side has a smart meter also.
Where did you buy your EMF meter and what type/brand is it?
Thanks.
Need Help, actually I also have it on both neighbor sides now. Perhaps I should sue both my neighbors for radiation that is originating from their premises and being transmitted into mine and which I do not consent to. The radiation from my first neighbor’s smart meter made me ill with violent nausea at one stage. Never had felt such horrible sickness in my whole life till then. My neighbors did not do anything to prevent the installations from taking place when they could have. These devices should not have been installed on anybody’s property because they are harmful to human health and we know that. Thus installing on some (those who cave in) and not installing on others (those who take a stand and do not consent) is nonsensical and a morally flawed methodology.
The same problem is occuring with mobile phone towers being placed on private land with owners willing to sell their souls and accept dirty “rent money” from the telcos. I am contemplating whether I can sue the local shopping centre manager for radiating me when I go to the local shopping centre to do my shopping. Why not ? He was willing to take the dirty money to allow powerful (thousands of times greater than a normal background level) radiation masts to abide on shopping centre premises. The girls in the CBA branch are being exposed to 10 milliwatt/m2 of mast radiation all day long and they don’t realise the risk to their health and to the fetuses of any expecting mothers.
Now good EMF RF meters are available from
http://www.radmeters.com/RF-meters-detectors.html
I have used the Cornet meters, models ED85EX ED75/ED78S (replaced the ED75), either of them will do a good job for home use.
There are other brands which make good meters including Gigahertz.
http://www.gigahertz-solutions.com/en/Online-Shop/Measurement/High-Frequency/Instruments.html
The HF35C model is a popular one (very professional) for home use when it comes to smart meters. You can see lots of videos on youtube showing the use of this (and the above) meters by home users.
The Accoustimeter Model AM-10 is another very popular RF meter with an effective sound function.
Just Google it as it’s available from different sources at different prices.
http://www.emfields.org/detectors/acoustimeter.asp
You can also check Ebay for all of these meters and find other sources where you can get these meters and at what price, or else just google and see what else comes up.
Dear Minister Nicholas Kotsiras,
I ask you to think very carefully about your next move concerning your Victorian Government’s aim regarding its Insane agenda to continue the Illegal installation of Smart Meters for it will surely bring down the Victorian Government at this years elections and bring you down as well.
This sir, is no threat but an inevitable consequence of the Lies and deceit of the Fiver Foreign Owned Overseas Power Companies who have wilfully corrupted our Victorian Government in breach of this governments moral and legal duty to honour and protect each and every Victorian’s health and welfare.
If you bother to do your research properly and objectively aided by your two Ministerial advisers you will learn that there is a huge revolt in the United States concerning the continued attempted roll out of Smart Metres, Interval Read Meters (I.R.M) and in CANADA huge numbers of the public are now in the process of suing BC Hydro, who is becoming very worried at the ever growing number of their customers who realise they have been lied to by their Energy Ministers and Government who has been in collusion with the POWER companies for years.
Why do you sir, side with these five foreign owned Overseas Power Companies who don’t give a damn regarding their Australian customer’s health and welfare and why do you persist in believing in the skewed and false opinions of those Microwave Scientist and Doctors who work for the Microwave Industry whose only agenda is to SELL this disproven technology to a largely ignorant and uninformed population of Victorians.
We are people not SHEEPLE ! !
Signed,
Henry Leschen.
Brace yourself to never receive a reply Henry. All N.K will be doing is planning nice retirement holidays whilst the “PEOPLE HE SERVED ” suffer. 😦
Happy dissenter,
Don’t forget that these cruel people of this Liberal Party Government and the past Victorian Labour Government as well as the five foreign Electric Power Company C.E.O’s and Mr Mark Feather of the well known Department of Primary Industry and the past and present Victorian Ministers for Energy and Resources and all of their ILK are all sticking together like glue.
This this will not help any of them even Mr Shane Breheny now in retirement when he and all of them are finally dragged kicking and screaming into the High Court of Victoria, for they will be judged most harshly for their past and present and still ongoing crimes against the people of Victoria on whom these two Victorian Wicked Governments of Labour and the Liberal Party and the five foreign owned Electricity Power Company C.E.O’s have tried to force their Victorian customers to accept or now better known now as A.M.I remote reading digital Electric meters against their customer Will and Better Judgement.
Also consider that there is a mandatory yearly meter read no matter if you have a smart meter or analogue meter. You also have the right to add monitoring hardware to the meters to read meters or other tasks, example a internet IP camera, therefore there shouldn’t be any extra fees for meter readers if you elect to have yearly readings or remotely read internet based reads.
I took a picture of my meter reading today and emailed it in. All OK. An actual read. Maybe it’s me who should be getting paid.
Yes Camieri,
many would agree with you.
Just wanted to report that today we arrived home at 5pm after being absent most of the day, and as is my usual practise these days after being out I checked my Meter Box to find that the metal tag that allows padlocking had been twisted out of shape, obviously by persons unknown who had used the heavy padlock as leverage to try and break the metal tag off to gain entrance to the Box, so I can only assume that someone (maybe an Installer) attached to Powercor is responsible, for who else would be wanting to gain entrance except the Meter Reader who is not due just yet, and anyway can easily read the Meter through the aperture I provided.
If it was an Installer then they must know when we are not at home and if so were going to ignore the signage “STOP Do Not Fit A Smart Meter”, which I have had on my Box since 2012
Maybe whoever it was were disturbed before they could go further so from now on I will have to be on the alert more than ever which is a sad thing to be happening and also unnerving especially to the likes of myself and my wife who are Aged Pensioners.
If I was guilty of harassment such as the Power Companies are subjecting people to I have no doubt I would be dragged into court and jailed for it.
That is a disgraceful act frontad84. I don’t think there is the slightest doubt your property was damaged by an installer. You are quite correct when you say if you were guilty of similar behaviour you would be hauled off to court. It is sickening how these people are being allowed to get away with this sort of criminal disregard of private property. I would ask that anybody with hard evidence of damage to their property, please report it to the police. Further, if the police do not act appropriately, take the matter further with the relevant authority to which the police are answerable.
frontad84, as sure as east is separate from the west, it was an installer. If you can step up the security level on the box, my experience is that it’s worth the investment.
Please, go to your local police station with a photo of the twisted metal and report this damage to your property. A precedent needs to be set.
I would call the police and make out a report for attempted break and enter and willful damage indicating the power company as the most likely perpetrator with motive to do it.
I’m sure the police will try to talk you out of it but stick to your guns – this is a crime and must be taken seriously.
We need to make absolutely sure that this sort of criminal behavior will NOT be silently tolerated or ignored.
So it seems locking the meter box will make some of them go away – while others are much more aggressive and attempt to break into the box.
Installing cameras powered by a UPS is a great idea however this will only record the event and although you will have a record of their crime you may also end up with a smart meter installed.
I will be installing a car alarm/tamper switch to my meter box which be connected to 2 x 110db sirens also powered by the UPS.
The video of this would be absolutely hilarious – youtube gold….
Some may think this is mean trick – however I am entitled to protect my property with an alarm system. Also if they were not attempting to break and enter and damage my property then they wouldn’t need a change of underwear and/or become a laughing stock on youtube.
Installers beware….
I love it! You’ve inspired me to do the same.
HELP! I’ve just received a phone call telling me that if I don’t make an appointment to get the smart meter installed that they ‘could take me off the grid’. I told him that I don’t want one and hung up. Is this true? Can they now actually cut our power for not accepting it????? I’m with Energy Australia. In need of some advice PLEASE!!
I very strongly doubt that they can connect your electricity supply, Olivia. That sounds like a disgraceful, barefaced lie to me, and is typical of the desperate, dishonest badgering they have resorted to. You should have got the person’s name and asked him to put it in writing. Or told him to make sure he told you the exact time of disconnection so you could have every television and radio station present to record the deed! Hang in there, Olivia, they’re bluffing for sure.
Olivia sweetheart, just hold your nerve. What most of us on this website have done has worked. Hopefully you know the drill. What these people are doing is against the law and they love intimidating people like you. Olivia, it’s you who are the powerful one and when you see this it’s them who become afraid of you. Darling make sure you’ve locked your meter box securely OK ?
No they can’t! Electricity is an essential service that cannot be denied to you if you are paying your bills on time. Remember you only have a contract with the company that bills you and not the likes of Jemena, United Energy, PowerCorp, etc.
Olivia – they said ‘could’ not ‘will’. They have been using such intimidation tactic for a while now.
Best not to engage with them at all.
Energy Australia is a retailer, they may threaten disconnection but the reality is that they cannot disconnect, they can only request that the energy distributor (Powercor, SP Ausnet etc) disconnect your supply. However, your energy distributor will never threaten nor act upon disconnection of your supply purely because you refuse a smart meter installation. The only time a distributor will agree to act upon a disconnection request is if you have not paid your bill, a supply is no longer required at the property, or there has been suspected criminal activity at the property. They will never cut your power over something as trivial as a smart meter refusal.
Olivia,
No they can’t cut off your power. If you pay your electricity bills there is now way they can cut off your electric power. That they even suggest this, is the height of criminality on their part. You say you are with Energy Australia they are your Electricity retailer not your Electricity Supplier.
The important thing is this, who is your electricity suppliers, is it Powercor or City Power or SP AusNet or Jemena or United Energy Distribution please ? It is not Energy Australia who phoned you, it would be one to the five foreign owned Electric Power Companies who intimidated you over the telephone. You did the sensible thing in hanging up your phone. If they call again simply demand the full name of this Creep who is phoning you. Demand their Christian Name and their Sir-name and write it down and the Electric Power Company they are phoning from. Please tell this bully to put everything in writing and to sign it and post it to you, and then tell them that you will take these threats of his or hers to your solicitor who will SUE them. Simple as that, that’s how I got these people off my back.
It is not the law that you have to accept an Electric Smart Meter or they may call it an A.M.I remote reading meter as well. It’s still a microwave smart meter which is not smart in any way at all, but a Type 2B Carcinogen Meter. There is no LAW to force the M/Wave Smart Meter on anyone. It is simply a Mandate by the Victorian Government and a Mandate is only an instruction. No law of laws have ever been passed in Victoria to make it the Law either under this Liberal Party Government or under the Past John Brumby Labor Government.
Richard, you’re not correct on this one. It would have in fact been her retailer ‘Energy Australia’ that threatened her with disconnection. The distributor (Powercor, Jemena, etc) never calls customers directly unless the customer calls them first, and each of the distributors know full well that they do not and will not disconnect supplies over smart meter refusals. In fact the main culprits for wanting the meters installed are the retailers. You would be very surprised and shocked at the amount of disconnection requests that the distribution companies receive from the retailers and actually refuse to follow through with the disconnection as the retailer has no authority to tell the distributor to disconnect a supply for a smart meter issue. If you as the property owner illegally tampered with the meter yourself or removed it yourself, that would be a different story, then out of the interest of safety to the property owner, the Electricity Distribution company has an obligation to disconnect the customers supply until such time as a new meter has been installed and inspected by an LEI. This is a requirement as per guidance from Energy Safe Victoria.
REC Loans
I have been rung up by Jemena, my neighbor has been rung up by Jemena and many others I know have been rung up by Jemena trying to install a smart meter. And Jemena have threatened disconnection. They have done it over the phone and I have it in writing. Jemena are a distributor.
Distribution, is a self regulated industry, metering included.
Different models of meters, have to be tested and confirmed accurate (approved), by the National Measurement Institute, prior to being used in the NEM.
There is no requirement from ESV, for a replacement meter to be inspected by an LEI.
Load side of the customer installation maybe, but only if a fault is identified, upgrade carried out, etc.
Click to access NITP14.pdf
http://www.securetogether.com/en/global-network/australia/
Although I’m really happy that United Energy have sent me a letter saying I have been removed from the Smart Meter program due to my continued refusal to have one (& the fact I padlocked the meter box & provided it with a clear Perspex window so they could read the meter), I wouldn’t be giving them too many accolades as they have continually harassed me with letters claiming they would cut off my electricity, take me to court, or fine me if I didn’t get one. They also bullied my 80 year old next door neighbour into removing his padlock by coming to his front door telling him if he didn’t they would cut off his power.
I will definitely not be removing the padlock as they have been very deceptive & aggressive during this whole process. I know people who had notices up saying no Smart Meter which the meter installers ignored & installed one anyway (only locking your meter box will stop them). Other people suddenly had no power & found out that the meter installer was outside changing the meter without any warning for them to save work on computers etc. Interestingly they told me they would cut the padlock if I didn’t remove it, but didn’t end up doing this, so they have continually lied & harassed & intimidated for the last 3 years.
Also you can’t change Electricity Distributors as it is done by location as opposed to Retailers who actually bill you for your electricity. Telling them you don’t want one doesn’t work by itself, you have to lock it (whilst insuring they can read the meter) & put a sign up saying you refuse to have one installed.
Maybe it’s a ploy to get the unsuspecting customers to let their guard down and unlock their meter box. DON’T fall for this ploy! Keep your meter box LOCKED!
I’m with a different supplier and will be keeping my box locked.
Remember folks, you have Premier J.Kennett to thank for PRIVATISING our power! Now you should be on your guard as to just what that other “liberal” Mr Abbott has in store for us!
Remember folks, it was a Labor government which mandated the installation of smart meters…
You are spot on, Matt. This is not a left versus right issue. Both sides are selling us out. It’s a little annoying and a complete waste of time turning this into a political points scoring game. The powers behind the whole “smart grid” have the pollies in their pockets – all of them – both sides . Wake up people.
Can people move beyond the game of left vs right. It wouldn’t have mattered who was in at the time. Smart meters are mandated and dictated to be installed by powers outside of our political parties. Vote them all out and cut the strings that control them.
Remember folks, don’t vote for ANY political party that does not work for us or act in the best interests of the people or prosperity of Australia – we’re paying their salaries !!!
Simply making the point that whoever you vote for you get a politician.
STOP ELECTING THEM!!
AND STOP PAYING TAXES in order to support them in the style YOU can’t afford.
What’s wrong with people?
They beat themselves over the head with a club and then don’t stop bitching about having a headache.
In this case Kennett’s at fault. He should be made to pay reparations.
In addition to “No Smart Meter” signs and a locked meter box, I’ve also put a notice on the front gate stating: Memo to smart meter installer: If you break into this properly, you will be committing a criminal offence.” So far, although they have driven up and down the street several times, sneaking into homes while the householder is absent to install the meter. They have left me alone.
To Ken White,
Good work on your part. Loved the bit on your signage,” If you break into this property you will be committing a criminal offence.” Very true Ken.
I got the letter but still keeping the signs on the front of the house (good advertising to wake others up) as well as on the porch and the actual meter box. And of course that will stay locked. My letter stated that they would not install a smart meter “at this time” so I feel that they are keeping something up their sleeve so they can reverse this decision at a later date.
Stay alert about this issue and don’t trust them.
Perhaps a new round of letters is required where each of us who has received this letter state our position and correct them (UE) on these issues ie.
1. Correction, you will not be installing a smart meter AT ANY TIME
2. We will not be paying that which is tantamount to extortion money
I wonder what comeback they will have to that. What they won’t be able to say then is that we have acquiesced to their new contractual terms. Remember the key thus far has been to say NO so that there is no implied consent.
Helen,
Good moves on your part. These sneaks are lower than a snake’s belly. You may want to put a Perspex clear weather window into your Electric Meter Box which allows the meter reader man to get his readings if you’ve not done it already. Many have done this. I don’t bother as I am an old ” Electric Meter reader man from way back and send in my electric meter readings up to two and three days ahead of their meter reader man, by phoning in my figures to my Electricity Retailer who is happy for me to do this..
United energy was here this morning (Frankston). I have not received any letter (except the ones that demand smart meter be installed). We have a padlock on our meter box. The technician was told to leave and that we did not want any smart meter. Upon asking him if he was going to leave, he stated that he first needed to take a photo of the locked meter box, which he proceeded to do. As he was reversing out of the driveway – that he had blocked off with his vehicle – he made the comment (threat?) from his car window that our power would eventually be cut off.
I think this is the 3rd of 4th attempt by united energy to install the smart meter here. The technician was not nearly as aggressive as past technicians who have been very threatening, unprofessional and verbally abusive. Like all of you, we have no interest in this meter being installed. Just a heads up on what is going here.
Pen,
If I were you I’d get the next Electric Meter Man’s name if he is rude to you and report him for rudeness, with any luck he’ll get the sack, he deserves it. You are the customer and this and other rude minions deserve ” THE SACK.”
They’ve tried that photo bullshit with me, and I tell them that if they don’t know what a meter-box looks like they shouldn’t be in the job.
and btw. Each time they’ve entered or blocked my driveway I’ve ordered (not asked, or even demanded) them to move, and they have.
But it’s not just the meter-box they want pictures of; twice they’ve shifted their van to the side of the road and started photographing the house ~ even thought the hedge prevents them SEEING the house…..except for the solar panels on the roof.
I have wondered.
I had one smart meter installer sit under a tree out the front of my place and just laugh, laugh at me in a condescending an insulting manner, eating his sandwich, watching my place with this grin, camping out and like he was waiting for me to leave to “pounce” at any time.
This is true harassment in any sense of the word. These people and their evil bosses must go to JAIL. I cannot believe this is happening in Australia!
One bastard from Jemena went to an elderly woman’s place last week and the woman told him “no thanks” and told him to leave but as he left he said to her “we WILL be back and we WILL install it”.
Who the #$@% does this person think that he is ?
This is an harassment of the worst kind imaginable, being taunted in your own home.
And to do it to an elderly woman………..this bastard from Jemena ought to be castrated.
If ever a person of this ilk as a result of rubbing someone up the wrong way once too many, were to meet an unfortunate demise…..it would be more than deserving.
Chris, I take it your meter box is securely locked up. I’d also ring the police and report this person for loitering/stalking.
Personally I would not trust them. My power company is Jemena, who are no better. It will be interesting to see if the charge for not having a smart meter will be legislated, which would certainly put the government in a sticky situation. If it’s not legislated then why can’t we charge the power companies for causing us to read our analogue meters? We already pay for a meter reader through our standing charges, so this would seem fair. Also remember that we are not under contract with the power distributers (Jemena, United Energy, etc) most of us are however, under contract with power companies such as Origin, Red Energy, etc.
Paul,
If the Victorian Government were to legislate in 2015 for another Electric Meter charge because we refuse to give up the Safe and Passive Analog Electric Meters this would be Extortion and Blackmail as well as double dipping which I will not tolerate. We are the Customers of these five foreign owned Electric Power Companies and we deserve and DEMAND RESPECT ! These greedy C.E.O’s of these Electricity Companies and an equally greedy Victorian Government are simply CARION CROWS out to steal ever more money out of our already Cash Strapped Pockets.
We are already paying for the meter reader man to read our electric meters. Do as I do and get permission to read your own Electric Meter. I was an Electric Meter Reader Man in Western Australia some years ago, it’s a very simple job. I just record the Electric Meters figures some two to three days ahead of schedule and phone them in, no problem.
Please note that there is no competition for any of these five foreign owned Electric Power Companies. Firstly you have City Power for Melbourne sitting pretty with Powercor to the West and then Jemena and next SP AusNet and then United Energy attached as if they were all part of a spider’s web. There is no competition for any of these five greedy and unprincipled five foreign owned Electric Power Companies who attempt to rob us at every turn. Frankly we the people need to seize these five companies and kick City power and Powercor’s C.E.O back to China where he Mr Tim O Rourke belongs and the other four C.E.O’s of SP AusNet and Jemena and United Energy back to Singapore where they belong as well.
Unprincipled Geoff Kennett stole our Victorian State Electricity Company off us back in 1974 so we should take it every one of these five Electric Power Companies off China and Singapore as pay-back.
United Energy, Jemena, SP Ausnet, Powercor and Citipower have a repertoire of FAQ (frequently asked questions) which they include in their printed material.
At the rear of their recent installation letter, United Energy included the following question in a list of FAQ’s
Question: Can I refuse to have the new meter installed or defer installation ?
Answer: No. The Victorian Government…………………………..blah blah
They have been telling their customers for two years “NO.” FULL STOP
They have told thousands of customers that they cannot refuse installation.
Now they are saying “United Energy formally acknowledges your continued refusal to have a smart meter installed”
United Energy have lied to all their customers.
Jemena, SP Ausnet, Powercor and Citipower have likewise lied to all their customers.
The answer “No. blah blah” to their printed FAQ is a LIE.
In all the answers that they give to their FAQ’s, they have purposefully attempted to deny every single one of their customers their lawful rights.
To those United Energy customers who did not want a smart meter installed but ended up having it forced onto them……YOU WERE LIED TO.
You do not want this infernal device installed on your property and yet you are now being forced to live with it against your wishes and may be even suffering because of it. It is because YOU WERE LIED TO by United Energy that you now have this torture in your own home. Those people who have this letter in their possession do not have a smart meter installed on their premises because THEY REFUSED. They refused expressly. They did the very thing that United energy put into print saying that they couldn’t do….and yet they did it. They were not imtimidated or in any way persuaded by United Energy’s LIES.
If it was me, I would now be very very indignant about BEING LIED TO and I would be expressing my indignation all guns blazing. I would be demanding the removal of this insidious device that was installed under totally false pretences and would even be looking into the legalities of whether I could have it removed myself without repercussion given that it was installed under false pretences and that it is now as clear as the day that ALL FIVE Distribution Companies have blatantly LIED IN THE FACE of ALL their customers.
I got a call from United Energy the other day telling me that a technician was going to come round and install the smart meter.
I said I didn’t need it because I had a Bi-directional meter for Solar and he accepted my word but you never know!
Jemena’s installers are right now harassing my elderly mother over the phone saying they are coming over to install a smart meter. My mother is in her nineties and suffers from all sorts of aliments including high blood pressure. I checked her systolic diastolic readings after today’s call and they were well elevated. She just does not need this. You B@STARDS JEMENA. Mark my words Jemena, if something happens to my mother your organisation will end up being decimated.
Armen,
Find out who phoned your mother if you can. If you can’t find the name of this Low-Life Bully send Jemena a STINGING Letter. Send it to Jemena’s C.E.O a Mr Paul Adams and tell him what happened to your mother and that if your mother dies, from all the bullying and aggravation Jemena is causing your mother, you will SUE him personally, and for Manslaughter. That’s what I’d do.
Before you do this, do as I did and get some good legal advice. I got under thirty 30 minutes advice from my lawyer for free.
Don’t forget Armen, that you can use Brodie’s Law to get this bully imprisoned for up to ten (10) years if you take him or her to COURT and if you win your case. Brodie’s Law has been in Power now since June 2011 when it was passed in Victorian High Court after a Ms Broadie Panlock committed Suicide after being bullied mercilessly and consistently at work.
I had occasion to try to help a friend who’s Electricity supplier is Jemena some time ago.
I got through to Mr Paul Adams Answering Machine and left him a polite but very strong message and to please phone me back. Of course this GUTLESS WONDER Paul Adams never phoned me back. I have heard this sneaky Paul Adams making all sorts of lame excuses regarding some fires which broke out in his area after these far from smart electric meters had been installed. He had the gall to tell a number of huge fat lies to Mr Neil Mitchell on the 3AW Radio programme stating that the microwave electric smart meters were being sabotaged. What a bunch of lies they turned out to be. He should have been sacked immediately.
How does ten years in prison grab you Mr Paul Adams and co. ?
And that will just be starters only as far as I am concerned.
I hope nothing happens to your mother, but I can tell you that i feel exactly the same way regarding my grandchildren.
Hi Joe, Can you tell me where you get a bi-directional meter for solar please?
I was knocked back on this by Powercor, who went ahead and installed a smart meter, against my wishes, but with threats – to cut off the power.
Your installer will come back, as they don’t give up,…..because THEIR bosses have an agenda…
It’s great that we are seeing a breaking down of this idea in the community that smart meters are compulsory.(Although the other week, in Ashburton a smart meter was installed in my mother-in-law’s house. She was talking to my sister-in-law afterwards. The conversation went something like this;
(Mum)- ‘What’s a smart meter?’
(Daughter) ‘Oh it’s just the same as the old meter – Every ones got to get them – Its compulsory’)
(Mum) – Oh ! ( end of conversation )
Its soul destroying that were dealing with such a level of ignorance in the community.
Incredible how popular myths get started. Keep your communication to them consistent and don’t give in. Good Luck!
my bi-di was installed along with the solar-system in 2010.; which was fine because they had to be able to measure how much power I was feeding to the grid. They told me then that ‘smart meters’ couldn’t work with solar systems.
It looks as though that’s changed,
If you’ve got panels up (and these days aren’t getting much for the power you export) you’re always able to simply reconfigure those panels into a stand-alone system (relatively cheaply these days) and disconnect from the grid altogether.)
Want help/info? Just ask. dabbbles@gmail.com
I’ve got a bi-directional meter too, but they’re still trying their luck because it has no radio-transmitter built it. I wouldn’t get complacent if I were you.
I’ve just been told by my wife that a fella from “the electricity company” was at the bottom of the driveway earlier today, asking to speak to the Owners about their Smart Meter.
This chap spoke to our cleaner, who told them we were not home (we were).
I wonder what that was about, only days after receiving the “Golden Ticket” letter… ?
May I suggest getting those signs back up
@Gerald. Be very wary, I smell a rat.
1. Letters people have to sign for.
2. Personal visits from company reps seeking to engage in conversation with property “Owners”.
In my case a very odd phone call from SP Ausnet that tried to elicit my acknowledgement and acceptance of a charge next year if I continue to refuse an SM installation.
I suspect they’re sneakily trying to make some form of legal contract with people to accept the extra charge for maintaining an analogue meter. Perhaps these letters containing these extra charge threats could be deemed as a contract and accepting terms if not responded to within a certain time frame?
Gerald,
What ever you do don’t sign for any letters brought to your house by the Electric Power Company or their agent/s. It could easily be a ploy to trap you into a new Electricity contract you have never read. These sneaky B******S are getting so cunning now it’s frightening. Stand your ground Gerald. We live in a Democracy for Heaven’s Sake we still have Common Law under Magna Carta to protect us and don’ forget it.
What’s a ‘Golden Ticket’ letter?
A letter that supposedly says “you won’t be getting a smart meter” supposedly
Well, the letter had to be signed for, which I think is a bit odd – not taking any of their words at face value. They (UE) are probably up to something.
The postman told me jokingly that “millions of these went out today!”
Get Stuffed United Energy. You wont be charging any extortion fees.. understand! Do not threaten your customers in this way. TOU & smart metering is a dumb idea for households.
Intelligent people are all saying ‘NO THANKS’. Benefits do not exist… Health and safety RISKS certainly do though!
Hi Sharon,
Top letter of yours, covers a lot of angles.These people installing the Smart Meters are actually Pirates of the Suburbs, because a good deal of them just hang around waiting for the home owner to go out shopping or leave their home for some other errand, then quick as a flash these Smart Meter Installer Men dash in and whip out the perfectly sound and safe Analog Electric Meter and replace it with the Microwave Electric and now proving to be,’ far from smart meters/s.’
These so-called smart meters have been in a number of cases found to cause a fire or fires in the private Electricity customers Meter boxes and not only damage the said meter box when these smart meters malfunction and turn into Incendiary Meters, but can and have already caused fusion in some fridges, which is when the fridges electric motor gets insufficient current and causes the fridges electric cooling fan to run too slowly, thus causing the motor to burn out..
All readers, please check with your Home Insurance Company regarding the smart meters. With some Insurance Companies they will NOT insure you if you have a Microwave Electric smart meter.
In some cases these now proving to be far from “smart meters” have burnt down homes as happened in Northcote a Melbourne suburb and damaged a dentists two surgeries in Glenroy and some five (5) homes in the Geelong Area over a year ago and also did a good deal of electrical fire damage in the Ararat region, damaging four (4) farmers private electrical goods including two of these farmers fridges and several computers and printers.
These dopey so-called smart meters do not save the Victorian Electricity Customers any money at all. In most cases I know of, these electricity customers bills cost even more than when they had the good and safe Analog Electric Meters.
Not to mention the ‘no-risk’ certainty of being spied upon, silently and insidiously!
Yes we got the letter from United Energy… only it states “we ACKNOWLEDGE your request not for a smart meter” they did not say “honour”. We will NEVER want a smart meter and they can do whatever song and dance they like ~ we KNOW our rights ~ thanks to No Smart Meters Australia ~ we found out at one of your meetings ~ THANK YOU!!!!
“….although we will honour your request to not have the meter installed at this time.”
What the hell do they mean “….at this time.” ?
Does it mean that that they still have intent to no longer honour our refusal at some
future time ?
Yes Eric,
These now proving to be dishonest five foreign owned electric power companies are trying to be clever, but I see through their EVIL GUILE, these Servants of the Dark One Lucifer and all his filthy tricks.
Could we all support United Energy?….I will change over tomorrow!
Lois,
You need to read further down the page regarding United Energy’s False promise about honouring their customers decision to keep their Analog Electric Meter/s. The problem is that a little further down the page they of United Energy tacitly intimidate customers to accept a smart meter in the future by citing a possible additional charge from 2015 if these customers keep the Electric Analog meter, which is adding insult to injury.
Firstly they of United Energy offer you a lolly with one hand, and then effectively slap you in the face with a wet fish after that, which is their threat of charging you for being very naughty and wanting to keep the Safe and Passive Analog Electric Meter you still have safely padlocked in your own Private Electric Meter Box.
This statement of theirs of possibly charging you for wanting to keep the Safe and Passive Analog Electric Meter is EXTORTION and BLACKMAIL and BULLYING.
Worse still, if you have had even more than one of these or similar bullying letters from any of the five foreign owned Electric Power Companies you need to see a good lawyer and Sue that Electric Power Company under Brodie’s Law. Then when that bully is taken to court and given a fair trial by a Jury of twelve (12) Jurors straight and true and that bully is found to be guilty, they will receive a prison sentence of up to ten (10 ) years in gaol.
You see Lois, in these cases you need to fight fire with FIRE !
The way I read the letter that they sent me is that I may have to pay to have the old meter read to
calculate the bill. If it comes to that I will suggest that I read the meter and email the information to United Energy, on a monthly basis. That way every body is happy.
Russel,
As an old Electric reader man myself, I read my own electric Analog Meter and phone in the details to my Electricity Retailer. This I have been doing for quite a while. It’s very easy. Simply take your readings around one or two days before the due’ reading-date’ as set out in your last Electricity Bill and take the old figures away from the new figures you have recorded. Be very careful you have both recorded the correct figures so that you do not overcharge yourself. When you are happy that your figures are correct, simply phone in the final electricity figures to your Energy Retailer.
You will however have to allow a one time reading from your Meter Reader Man as that is one of the conditions set out by your retailer. First of all phone your retailer and do as I did and explain that you want to read your own Electric Meter and phone them the figures as I did and received their permission.
Good work all SSMA people esp the very active ones helping us all.
Unfortunately every big company is one eyed and motivated by economic gain primarily.
Ingrid,
None of these five foreign owned Electric power companies have any competition such as say Myer, who are in competition with David Jones, or Coles who are in competition with Woolworths, so that is why every one of these five Electric Power Companies thinks they can keep on gouging us.
Well, we won’t be the Golden Goose for long with their rabid greed digging ever deeper into our already Cash Strapped pockets.
Don’t believe it! We recently had our meterbox broken into by United Energy. The meterbox was nailed shut and plastered with signs expressing no smart meter is to be installed. They ignored the signs, removed the nails and installed a smart meter! Has anyone had any success with having their illegal installation removed?
Andrew, they should not have done what they done. Have you followed this up with anyone ?
I’d be interested to know more about this. Can’t say definitely I will be able to
suggest something for you but then again I’ll keep hush here. You can email me
h.jenkins878@yahoo.com.au
Andrew,
This is Breaking and Entering which is a Criminal Offence. You must first report this to your Local Police and send them a written complaint to back it up. Then you must send a written complaint to the head of the foreign Electric Power Company, United Energy Distribution whose C.E.O is, or was Mr Hugh Gleeson.
Were I you Andrew, I’d demand in writing to Mr Hugh Gleeson that the Electric Smart Meter be removed and that the Safe and Passive Analog Electric Meter be immediately reinstalled. They the Smart Meter Installer men know that breaking and entering is a Crime which can impose a prison sentence, so this desperate measure of theirs was also a Criminal Act.
Many people like me have padlocked their Electric Meter Boxes be they wooden boxes or metal boxes makes no difference. It is best to padlock them and put in a Perspex weather proof window so that the Meter Reader man can take his readings..
Nails are too easy. Try a modern glue…such as ‘No More Nails’. (after having sawn a slot into the door to enable reading.
In fact, if you could ‘prove’ that they had broken into your meter-box you could probably get the police involved.
Burglary is defined as ‘Entering a building or part of a building with intent to steal’
A meter-box is ‘a part of a building’ and the theft is obvious ~ of your old meter.
Failing that you can either remove the SM and send it back, or clip either or both of the two wires leading from the meter itself to the radio-transmitter unit, just to make your point.
Yes, received my letter from UE a couple of days ago, and it was well received. Signs have gone down, but box itself remains locked and signposted.
The issue of paying more for a unit/service we do not have that we’re already paying for anyway will be interesting. Surely not?
I think they want the signs to go down, then they will send around a smart meter installer and say “oh sorry…whoops…well too late”.
Do not take down your signs just because you received this letter!
Gerald,
The cheek of U.E. The absolute gall of possibly wanting to impose yet another fee upon you in 2015 and all of us still with the Safe and Passive Electric Analog Meters is the height of Extortion and Blackmail and EVIL. Don’t give into them when 2015 comes around, and that goes for anyone. Remember, so long as you pay for your Electricity, these foreign owned Electric Power Companies cannot cut off your electricity.
The incumbent Minister for Energy and Resources Mr Nicholas Kotsiras is raising the Fine from $250 Dollars a day on all of the five foreign owned Electric Power Companies, to now $500 Dollars a day for each Electricity Customer who’s Electric Power is Illegally CUT OFF.
Extortion, is the correct term for forcing a payment as an alternative to causing harm. Any charge for not having a smart meter is extortion.
Hi Michael.
It certainly is extortion. The distributors will claim they will need to cover additional admin costs for administering 2 programs (one analogue, the other digital). Haven’t they been running these two in parallel the last 2 years or so while rolling out the program?
Regards, Steve.
The extra charge is to cover the cost of running a parallel manual meter reading system
We ALREADY pay for our meter readers. Service to property charges are through the roof. Those of us refusing the SM’s need not have to pay double OKAY? It’s called discrimination ( and profiteering from objectors). Like to see them try charging the contributors at this website – most won’t wear it.
Dean, they already have to run a parallel meter reading service. Many people have Smart Meters, which have to be manually read – this is due to geographical conditions preventing the meter from transmitting successfully. My Aunty is one of those people. Are they going to charge these people a manual read service too? What benefit is a SMART METER for those people?…. apart from costing them extra for no reason whatsoever.
I am already paying for a manual meter reading system and have been doing so for years. Why should I pay for a smart meter reading system which I don’t use and which doesn’t even require “reading”. I have exercised my lawful right to elect not to use that which is a dirty stinking product.
What’s more how can I justify financially subsidising the act of murder ?
(smart meter radiation is carcinogenic FACT, carcinogens cause cancer FACT, cancer kills people FACT, this is known by the power companies FACT, though not admitted FACT, conclusion…..pushing these devices onto the populace amounts to murder FACT)
Pay them to kill you. Pay them to kill others. Agree to your own murder suicide.
UE Go to Hell !!!
@Dean. I’ve read and heard that exact same sentence almost word for word used by government and industry stooges numerous times. I hope you don’t believe it’s acceptable and warranted. It’s a lie, an excuse, and pure BS to try and give validity to licensed EXTORTION!!! There is no cost of “running a parallel manual reading system”. There is only a loss of expected profit gains from ripping people off in not reimbursing some of the service charges that always DID PAY, and CONTINUE to PAY for manual meter reading.
People should rightfully expect to get the same level of service of that which they continue to pay for.
If they don’t, they should be reimbursed if it’s no longer performed, or performed differently with savings.
I contend that the savings on remote meter reading are not theirs to pocket. An extra charge would be at the very least double dipping and nobody should accept that.
I had an unwanted phone conversation with someone from SP Ausnet today, who was trying to con me into these additional extra charges if I continue to refuse a smart meter installation, and my response was “Good luck with that” Plonk!!!
I suspect these letters are just a similar ploy to try and validate these extra charges in peoples minds. NO to smart meters and NO to the extortion charge.
Dean,
Wake up man ! We are already paying through the nose for these Analog Electric Meter readings of the Safe and Passive Analog Meters we refuse to give up for Health and Safety Reasons. What will it take for you to see the truth. We are also paying for these dopey and now proving to be Human Health wrecking Microwave Electric and far from ‘Smart Meters’ making ever more people here in Victoria and World-Wide sicker and sicker, and that applies not only to humans, but to all life on Planet Earth.
They these five foreign owned Electric Power Companies are Extortionists Extraordinaire aided and abetted by a Corrupt Mercenary and Corporate Australia which it’s been since 1974 since the Corrupt Victorian Liberal Party under the past Premier Geoff Kennett when he sold off our Victorian Electricity or V.S.E.C to China and Singapore for a song. It’s that simple Dean. You need to look behind the curtain of secrecy cobber !
Dean,
We are already paying for having our Electric Analog meters read. Don’t be fooled my son.
This will be even further Extortion by these five (5) foreign owned Electricity companies. I will never bow down to Blackmail and Extortion. There is no parallel manual meter reading system, this manual reading system has always been around, long before you and I were born.
The fact that these greedy extortionists of foreign owned Electric Power Companies have tried to force us their Electricity Customers to accept the now proving to be dopy and now proving to be Type 2B Carcinogen Causing Smart Meter’s is to rip ever more of your hard-earned cash out of your already cash-strapped pockets. Don’t let these cruel and immoral people get away with it. Simply padlock your Electric Meter Boxes and get up your Legal Commonwealth of Australia Anti Trespass Signs for $167,000 Dollars. You can cut a viewing hole in the steel electric meter box as many of have already done and put in a weather proof Perspex window so that the Electric Meter can easily be read by the meter reader man.
About Time. I’m With Origin. They Turned Up Today. I Was Not Home. Jumped The Gate And Spoke To My Wife. Said To Her They Can Cut The Lock Off. She Told Them I Was On My Way Home As I Was Working 5 Min From Home, and I Would Deal With Them When I Get Home. My Wife Had Me On Loud Speaker So They Could Hear Me. They Could Tell From The Tone of My Voice I Meant Business, And Left. From Now On When I Leave The Property, The Rottie Is Out The Front. All I Can Say Is Good Luck Next Time If They Jump Over A Locked Gate 🙂
Very interesting–your experience with them jumping your gate…. I am in a similar situation with locked box and padlocked gate. If they are jumping the gate I will have to padlock a second gate on my driveway….
I am confused when you say you are with Origin….Do you mean Origin turned up or Powercor? I have to get a Rottie or similar, which is a long term aim….
Good luck in the future.
Ted,
For these Pirates of the suburbs to even suggest that they will cut the lock off your Electric Meter Box is the height of WICKEDNESS and would be a criminal act, which is punishable with a stiff prison sentence for Breaking And Entering.
Please phone your local Police about this wicked threat made to your wife and you.
Good news that you are going to put your Rottweiler out the front of your house.
If any of these Pirates of the suburbs jumps your fence, I hope your Rottweiler tears the ARSE out of their pants and gets some Raw Rump Steaks off these Pirate’s back-sides.
It wouldn’t be Origin that turned up; they are a retail company only; they sell you the electricity, and don’t change meters. That is done by one of the five distribution companies,
Jemena, United Energy, Powercor, SP Ausnet or Citipower.
Way to go!
Been suggesting it for ages.
I wonder if they will remove one already installed…
I certainly hope so.
My meter was changed in October last year. I would like my old meter back please.
This whole thing is very sad.
Between this, the environment minister making stupid decisions regarding our Barrier Reef and baiting sharks in WA – it’s dreadful these stupid humans in powerful positions.
I am glad some of the people here will hopefully be left alone now and get some much needed rest. Well done SSMA for all of your hard work.
I hope there is an on-flow to other areas, so people can mould their new found confidence and voices into action against other foolish, narrow minded, ignorant, stupid decisions made by the same plus greedy, people.
not until legally compelled to do it – do not hold your breath 😦
Yes, got the letter.
I’ll hold off for now but if they do try this additional charge thing I’ll firstly ask for a refund on my payments towards the smart meter rollout, and secondly, suggesting that they would save themselves some money by allowing me to email them with my electricity usage when required (I’ll do it at half the charge they will be asking of me).
Sensible move on your part Jack,
I have been phoning in my own meter readings now for some time.
You are correct, I don’t have and don’t want a dopey, deadly Cancer Causing and far from Smart-Arsed Microwave Electric Meter on my property for a number of Health reasons. I have had the Electric Meter Box Locked since 12th August 2011.
My Anti-Trespass Signs which are the Legal Commonwealth Signs with the $167,000 Dollars signs, one in on my private metal Electric Meter Box and the other also firmly affixed on the front fence.
Hope I get back in the no meter list as they kicked me off it last year. Still a padlock on the meter box is better than any list they can kick you off at their discretion. They lie and will keep on lying. The day I see the installers removing them and installing the old analog meters is when I remove my padlock and start to believe them again.
Rik, they are not to be trusted again EVER. I will only rest easy when they no longer have an existence on this earth.