Thames Water no notice given for installer WiFi meter!

[jaba]

Sorry firstly, but not sure what the best place to post this.

I've had Thames Water turn up at my road with no notice on Friday and dump a load of there stuff on a big plastic sheet including a tone of earth steeling my parking place. Says work will be done in about a week but when I called them was told more like twice that!
So for work I was told by a contractor that would take 20 minutes, I'm losing a ability to park outside my place for maybe 2 weeks!

I lived in place for a long time, they have all my contact details including land line and mobile.
I got no letter no call, nothing. Not even a leaflet through the door when they were knocking on doors last week a neighbour told me.

After calling them and spending a very long time on the phone was told my area is in the serious zone!
Strange how then the government map doesn't seem to show any red in this area at all.
And I can't remember the last time there was a hosepipe ban here!
Further to that a water reservoir near me, 1.5 miles away was taken out to build housing about a year and a half ago!

So my question is;
Can I stop them, or if not, can I stop them installing a WiFi meter?
It will collect and send them my usage every 24 hours.
Now when Thames Water are hacked in future it will be very easy for whoever pays for the data off the dark web to work out when someone is on holiday away from home over time! Or worse the Wifi transmission to be hacked as data is transmitted so you can see day to day if any water is being used or not!

Thanx for any thoughts on this.

 

[Dan Robinson]

How is it your parking space?

 

[Hot&Cold]

Smart water meters,are you sure ?

Water meters with the ability to be read remotely from a passing vehicle,yes.

Do you own the road ?
If you have a bypass on your existing meter,its time to remove it

you can refuse a remotely read meter but you need to get a court order,good luck there.

 

[Iamchamps]

I take it the parking space is a spot on the road you claim as yours? If so that is public road nothing you can do, if it is an actual allocated space to which you have some document to show then call them and tell them.

You sound like one of those conspiracy people who lurk in the electric/gas smart meter section saying the government will keep switching us off etc that is a load of rubbish. They can do what they like with their equipment and even more so if it's not on your property.

Like above the new water meters make is so a van can drive around and collect data without opening the meter cover to save time/cost for them.

 

[motorbiking]

Is the parking place exclusively for you? i.e. its on your deeds in some form? Or are we talking about the place on the street that you normally park in?
If its exclusively for you - tell them you'll be recovering damages for the trespass if they don't shift it.

After the install - if its on your land, wrap it in foil.

 

[jaba]

Smart water meters,are you sure ?

Water meters with the ability to be read remotely from a passing vehicle,yes.

Do you own the road ?
If you have a bypass on your existing meter,its time to remove it

you can refuse a remotely read meter but you need to get a court order,good luck there.

Yes 200% sure it is a smart meter as I spent 2 hours talking to customer service.
They will be a remote pickup point where the signal from these new meters will get sent to then back to Thames Water from there. Don't know if can be read from passing vehicle, but that would be easy for them to do if they wanted to do it, bit like when Google stole all those details about people wi-fi routers and what one didn't have passwords with there google cars driving around.

No, I don't own my road but what they're doing is using the space outside for up to 2 weeks but the job to change the meter I was told by contractor is 20 minutes.
When the Electric guys dig, they do each job and collect dirt next day or 3 and are gone, but this spot they have chosen to use is now a dumping ground for 2 weeks for all the other jobs!

Don't know what you mean about the bypass?

 

[jaba]

How is it your parking space?

Thanx for your reply, oh I mean bumping your post count and not actually contributing to the thread!

Ok, to be more specific and clear, not my parking space, the parking space outside my home which I can no longer use for probably the next 2 weeks.

But they have also dumped their gear on top of a disabled bay near me. The guy has made many calls to Thames Water but as yet no help from them to resolve the issue. Again no notice given to them either!

 

[Dan Robinson]

Hopefully the disabled guy gets his space back. As for YOUR space - it's a case of tough schit... you'll have to walk a few extra meters.

Amazon might be able to help with your paranoia .

https://www.amazon.com/Electro-Deflecto-Unisex-Foil-Size/product-reviews/B01I497JAM

 

[jaba]

Is the parking place exclusively for you? i.e. its on your deeds in some form? Or are we talking about the place on the street that you normally park in?
If its exclusively for you - tell them you'll be recovering damages for the trespass if they don't shift it.

After the install - if its on your land, wrap it in foil.

No it isn't. It's the lack of notice or any notice in my case and at least one of my neighbours who has a disabled wife. No the wifi meter is in the pavement, public footpath so no hope of the tin foil wrap lol
But thanx for the tip.

 

[jaba]

Hopefully the disabled guy gets his space back. As for YOUR space - it's a case of tough schit... you'll have to walk a few extra meters.

Amazon might be able to help with your paranoia .

https://www.amazon.com/Electro-Deflecto-Unisex-Foil-Size/product-reviews/B01I497JAM

Well that is funny, and even a little more hilarious you new about that product
I haven't yet wrapped my CC in tin foil but now you convinced me otherwise

 

[Newboy]

Time to join the pastafarians

https://www.venganza.org/

 

[75pete]

My understanding is that Thames is and has been rolling out these smart type meters for the last few years now. Starting in London but will then move out to cover all of their area. Big brother is watching you!

 

[Ian H]

Won't they just read the usage in relation to the meter number? So A16476456 has used 47liters today, rather than EG, Micheal Moore at No.57 used 47liters.

 

[bernardgreen]

Won't they just read the usage in relation to the meter number?

Yes but most meters are close to the house they are supplying. So scan and identify the meters in the street, link them to the nearest house and then if they can be read from a distance the security of the properties has been further reduced by the use of "technology" without due consideration of the risks involved.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Here we go.