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njdevil24 t1_jecikha wrote

Someone correct me if I’m wrong but PSE&G employees don’t go door to door anymore reading meters. So if anyone is doing so, they are either a scammer or a thieve.

Be mindful of your property because whilst someone is taking to you another could be trying to break in through another door.

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fatcringeforever t1_jecllpm wrote

They do. Not all meters are smart meters. Many are still read the old fashioned way. Large project to replace all meters to be automated within the next year or two though.

Third party suppliers do go door to door and make it seem like they work "with" pseg to gain your trust, ask to see your bill, record your "POD ID" number then switch your supplier to their company.

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MeatTornadoGold t1_jed3co2 wrote

If only we had some way where we could capture an image or vision of the meter and send this mystical object via some sort of series to the company directly.

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thatdudeorion t1_jed67er wrote

You can actually read your own meter and submit your usage to PSE&G via the website or mobile app, don’t even need to take a picture.

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Vulg4r t1_jed6er7 wrote

I did this for all the months during covid because I was afraid the estimated charges would come to bite me in the ass. never had an issue and once meter readings resumed everything was fine

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netsfan549 t1_jeck712 wrote

They still do by me

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W0RST_2_F1RST t1_jecklrq wrote

Do they go to the door though?

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netsfan549 t1_jecl35q wrote

For meter reading yes

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EmbracedByLeaves t1_jeel4li wrote

They don't usually knock on the door. They just go read it.

Only reason to knock on the door would be if you have the meter inside the house, which is grandfathered in until you replace the MDP and then have to relocate outside.

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megandr t1_jef7e8x wrote

You're forgetting gas meters. Most of them are inside.

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yad76 t1_jeco4vj wrote

They do and they also still show up randomly door to door to inspect gas meters inside homes. They basically set up a situation where it is so easy for scammers and thieves to take advantage of the situation.

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irocksandals t1_jecpqol wrote

Meter readers still go door to door. Plenty of areas still have old style meters normally it's on your monthly bill what day they show up. Also you have meter set inspectors showing up periodically as well as service technicians and street inspectors for emergency reasons showing up.

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HeyItsPanda69 t1_jecr7xh wrote

They show up to mine. But they don't knock on the door, they just let themselves in the back yard and leave. They'll leave a voicemail the day before to let us know they're going to be there bc we have a dog and will only knock on the door if the dogs are in the back yard to ask to be let in.

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EagleFly_5 t1_ject3hh wrote

Iirc there should be a program/initiative nowadays for PSE&G (or w/ a contractor) to go door to door to upgrade meters to a smart meter, and although it’s optional, they won’t knock and/or show up if they can access the meters outside.

My dad had his old/manual style meter changed for a smart meter for his house inside the basement today via a contractor, and the process only took 5 minutes in the morning since the service man just happened to be in the neighborhood. To be fair though, they did give a heads up for ~1 month now (w/ 3 letters) saying it was an option (not a mandate) for homeowners to upgrade to smart meters, and he’s always at work ≠ bad timing.

PS: YMMV, but if a homeowner doesn’t install the smart meter and/or opts out, there’ll be an additional 12$ monthly charge for billing in 2024. Businesses can’t opt out, or at least plenty by now should have them.

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netsfan549 t1_jecvsrm wrote

Smh I didn't know about twelve bucks. This morning I called them to come install smart meter. The closest date was at the end of april

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Bellabird42 t1_jed3mwd wrote

They come to my house to read the meter. Always with a marked car and their meter-reading devices. Never once has one needed to come inside, though!

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ansky201 t1_jeet5s5 wrote

PSE&G still does door to door readings in my neighborhood. My electric and gas meters are both outside so they just walk around and take the readings. They would never have a need to knock on the door or come inside.

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nynapturale t1_jeea17l wrote

No there are a few that still come for buildings. But houses idk

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whateverisok t1_jecx0jr wrote

Aside from the other commenters, it's "thief" not "thieve" --> "thief" is a noun, "thieve" is a verb.

Just to help with your future thievery :)

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