Do you tip your meter reader?

[Red Squirrel]

Ok serious question, is it up to a home owner to clear the path to the gas and electric meter for the meter reader to come check? Also if they fall or get hurt, can they sue? The meters are located in the side of the house behind the garage and that section also has a raised cement slab as a deck. With the snow it's hard to tell that there's about a 1 foot increase, followed by a 1 foot drop to get to the meter. Someone not being careful could potentially get hurt.

It will be an easy enough job to make a path there if I keep it up, but if I don't have to, I might not bother. I'm guessing these guys are equipped to deal with all sorts of hard to get to meters and probably have a full snow suit and maybe even snow shoes, but maybe I'm guessing wrong.

 

[El Guaraguao]

|||||||||| 20% personal interest on this thread

 

[Dirigible]

If you trap the meter reader you get to keep them. They're wily, though. Also: they'll pee on you to get away.

 

[pontifex]

/foresees 50 bazillion shitty parody threads asking if you tip X person...

 

[destrekor]

If you trap the meter reader you get to keep them. They're wily, though. Also: they'll pee on you to get away.

:biggrin:

 

[XZeroII]

Do you tip your proctologist? I was there the other day and at the end I offered him $20 after he was done but I think it might have been too soon. How long should you wait?

 

[Capt Caveman]

My meters have remote sensors that allow the meter people to just drive by in their car and they can read everyone's meters.

 

[rh71]

wtf tipping is out of control...

 

[Modelworks]

Nope, area hasn't had meter readers for over 10 years. They send the data back over the power lines.

 

[zerocool84]

wtf tipping is out of control...

On these boards it is. People here will tip for take-out and even tip great for horrible service. Everyone here just tips to tip and not for doing a great job and going above and beyond which is what a tip or "gratuity" is supposed to be for.

I wonder how many people here tip their mailman or tip the trashman.

 

[guyver01]

Ok serious question, is it up to a home owner to clear the path to the gas and electric meter for the meter reader to come check? Also if they fall or get hurt, can they sue? The meters are located in the side of the house behind the garage and that section also has a raised cement slab as a deck. With the snow it's hard to tell that there's about a 1 foot increase, followed by a 1 foot drop to get to the meter. Someone not being careful could potentially get hurt.
.

When i got my electric bill last year (last time i was in a house paying for electricity) .. one of the inserts said "it's that time of the year again.. please make sure your meter is free of obstructions so that we can read your meter. otherwise we may have to guess based on past usage. if our estimates are incorrect, you will be credited or charged based on your next actual reading"

This was for XCEL in Colorado.

 

[Colt45]

I assume they're union, and get paid better than I do.

 

[l0cke]

When i got my electric bill last year (last time i was in a house paying for electricity) .. one of the inserts said "it's that time of the year again.. please make sure your meter is free of obstructions so that we can read your meter. otherwise we may have to guess based on past usage. if our estimates are incorrect, you will be credited or charged based on your next actual reading"

This was for XCEL in Colorado.

You don't have the wireless there yet? I do.

 

[guyver01]

You don't have the wireless there yet? I do.

nope... at least not when i lived there.. they might have gotten it since.
This was up in Thornton..

Moved out about 9 months ago... the POS house had vaulted ceilings... damn upper part was warm all winter, lower part was freezing.

i know cuz i hadda climb a ladder to change a lightbulb.. the air around the chandelier was hot as hell... but was freezing back down on the floor.

 

[Patranus]

On these boards it is. People here will tip for take-out and even tip great for horrible service. Everyone here just tips to tip and not for doing a great job and going above and beyond which is what a tip or "gratuity" is supposed to be for.

I wonder how many people here tip their mailman or tip the trashman.

"mandatory" tipping only encourages bad service.

 

[BoomerD]

Why would I tip an electronic device that only costs me money to begin with?

Both PG&E and the local electrical utility installed "smart meters" in the past 2 years.

No more meter readers.

Everyone who's had the smart meter installed for their electrical has been bitching loudly. Electrical consumption appears to have increased 10-20% since they were installed. Of course, the company claims that the new meters are just more accurate than the old "wheel style" meters...

 

[dullard]

Moved out about 9 months ago... the POS house had vaulted ceilings... damn upper part was warm all winter, lower part was freezing.

i know cuz i hadda climb a ladder to change a lightbulb.. the air around the chandelier was hot as hell... but was freezing back down on the floor.

I don't know what this has to do with tipping a meter reader, but I'll comment anyways. Guyver01, that is what ceiling fans are made for. Get one and use it, even in winter. I've seen them under $50 for the low-end. In summer, that vault is great, you feel cooler at the floor with less AC usage.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I don't know what this has to do with tipping a meter reader, but I'll comment anyways. Guyver01, that is what ceiling fans are made for. Get one and use it, even in winter. I've seen them under $50 for the low-end. In summer, that vault is great, you feel cooler at the floor with less AC usage.

Except, you want ceiling fans running in reverse during the winter and those usually cost a bit more.

 

[Nik]

Why in the goddamn hell would you tip a METER READER?

I swear to god, some people have more money than they know what to do with and they don't understand the concept of a tip.

The meter reader is doing their JOB. They get a paycheck. Fuck tipping them, unless they're going to break open the meter and roll back the dials for me.

 

[MrMatt]

in massachusetts the rule is you have to clear a path, and if they trip & hurt themselves they can sue you.

Tipping though? I've never heard of this.

 

[eplebnista]

No. I never see them either.

 

[Adrenaline]

Meter readers here make around $25/hour or so. I do not tip my meter reader.

 

[wiredspider]

No reason to tip them, not like they come out to read the meters that often. I think they only come out every 3 months, if it they picked a time there was snow on the ground, to bad for them.

 

[StageLeft]

Obviously not.

BTW your home insurance probably has personal liability. Call them. I am covered to $300k by default with mine and it covers seemingly everything. I asked recently if I fly a radio control plane into somebody's house does it cover that and she said yes.