[dogscoff]

I've discovered a great scam here in the UK with gas & electric suppliers.

They have developped a great new trick over the last few years called "estimated meter reading", which is a fancy way of saying "legalised theft". Basically they can't be arsed to send a monkey round to read the meter, so they just guess at he numbers! You get a bill through with a meter reading, but hidden somewhere on the bill is a little letter "E" that means "Estimated", meaning the meter reading bears no resemblance to reality whatsoever. And, surprise surprise, their 'estimates' always err on the side of "massively overcharging the customer".

My last bill was for £80, having just spent a similar amount a few months earlier. So I read my meter and found that I should have actually still been in credit after my last payment- but they were going to take £80 away from me, the theiving little ****es.

So I phoned them up and, using their automated phone service, supplied them with an accurate meter reading and they amended my account. However, it occurred to me that I could just as easily supply them with an 'estimated' meter reading every time I receive a bill. I wonder how low I could make the numbers before they came knocking on my door. Do you think they'd notice if my readings actually started getting *smaller*?