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If they can't afford to pay the gas, how can they afford to call a tech?

See that from time to time. Also seen entire meters taken where people have tampered with locks. I have also changed out gas packs or furnaces for heat pumps and noticed a gas lock. Some times people or businesses really do forget to get gas service if they move in during summer and didnt have gas at previous place. If I have to make a special trip out of my way I may charge trip fee but most of time do not. The only one that really duped me was a older house in town that had been renovated into a realestate office years ago and had been added onto a few times. They were making it into a co-sign/hobby store and wanted to make sure units were ok. Its fall and still warm so ac is running. this place has 3 heat pump condenser units one to basement upgraded into offices, with its on Thermostat. Main floor has other heat pump and tstat. 3rd unit eludes me as I cant find its air handler or extra tstat. It looked different than others so I assume its abandoned. Everything seems great untill a while later I get a call saying it gets cold at times on main floor and I check unit which is doing all it can with its little 5kw aux heat on 4 ton HP. I notice with a/h off air blowing through it. Come to find out there was a furnace tied into its ductwork(not correctly twinned but cluster @#$%^) and the access had been covered on recent remodel. Made new access to it and checked it out but no gas. Lock on meter. Explained situation to owner but they were ok with how it was setup and will turn on gas. The condenser unit must have been changed out with a used HP, as I turned on (after a hunt) breaker to it and it cooled when it was supposed to.

Originally Posted by bullmoose

Not awkward for me to tell a customer that it is locked out. I tell them to call the gas company and then ask them how they will be paying for the service call today.

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your harsh dude,,,,,i like it!!!

Hoarders house?

Originally Posted by everythingisdumb

They can switch to electric

I had to remove a gas furnace and install a new electric furnace for a person who hasn't paid their gas bill in months. The gas company ended up removing the meter and capping off the line outside of his home. The home was completely destroyed from the 3 huskies and cats they owned that used the house as the bathroom. The kitchen sink was overflowing with dishes, and open cans. The smell was so unbearable, I could only be in the home for 5min before running outside. I also remember throwing out the clothes I wore that day too.

This was in my rookie years, I'll never do a job in those conditions again.

Originally Posted by everythingisdumb

They can switch to electric

Um, let them eat cake?

Can't pay your gas bill? Just install a heat pump! Hell, lets go with oil - good 'n hot!

They can switch to electric

I don't even know where to start. I used to work for a company that did low income work all winter long so I saw that all the time. I would usually handle it differently based on the customer. If it was an elderly or disabled person that truly needed assistance. I would tell them "sometimes the gas co makes mistakes" or "that happened to me once when I forgot to pay my bill". I wouldn't be so nice at places like joe mentioned. I have tons of stories from places like that.

Originally Posted by bustedknuckles

...that sneaky seal disk the gas Co. will put in the meter outlet and forget to remove. Once took me hours to find that one for a customer who could document service but had no gas(the seal will stick in th outlet line).

The "blind washer." Not necessarily sneaky, just smart. And it probably was not forgotten. Some gascos use them instead of locks - they don't get cut off, most people don't know they are there, and many of the rest are too afraid of natural gas to pull the meter and remove them.

Two weeks ago I repaired a cooler at a Restaraunt I had done work at before. I was out in the van writing up the invoice when I see the gas company come and lock out the meter 30 minutes before dinner service.

I go back in with the bill and tell the owner I need payment immediately in cash. He's always mailed a check in the past and asks why I need payment now. I tell him its a new policy. He opens the register and pulls out some cash for me. After he gives it to me he asks "why the new policy?" I tell him "because the gas company is locking your meter right now"

The look on his face was priceless.

Not awkward for me to tell a customer that it is locked out. I tell them to call the gas company and then ask them how they will be paying for the service call today.

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And they allways want you to cut the lock off because they have "payed the bill but they haven't turned the gas on yet". Or how about that sneaky seal disk the gas Co. will put in the meter outlet and forget to remove. Once took me hours to find that one for a customer who could document service but had no gas(the seal will stick in th outlet line).

This happened to me a month ago. I was going to a low income job to diagnose and give price. First of all when they don't plan on Paying you until it's approved why do they expect you to diagnose it. Anyways found a bad ignitor then I asked are you sure you have gas? Knowing they were broke and seeing this thread or one like it. They then tell me well they shut it off awhile ago but I'm thinking they might have turned it back on. I basically said thanks for wasting my time and fuel and they never called back, go figure. What pisses me off is the girl has an iPhone she's texting on and a nice laptop with what looked like a million songs on it but had to have welfare pick up the bill. I hate those jobs and prefer not to do them.

[QUOTE=VTP99;14853191]

Originally Posted by DLZ Dan

The first time i was there, i diagnosed a bad gas valve and i ordered it.

So was the old gas valve still good ?

No, when i first diagnosed it, the gas was still on. It took a couple days for the new valve to come in and for me to get back there. By that time, PSE&G visited.

[QUOTE=DLZ Dan;14823941] The first time i was there, i diagnosed a bad gas valve and i ordered it.

So was the old gas valve still good ?

I once had a no heat call like that in Philly at a convenience store where the owner said that I put lock on his meter to get more cash from him. Said that lock was not on before I arrived. I packed up tools, walked away, never went back. I let the office handle that issue. (Lock was stamped with the letters PGW)

I ran into that problem several years ago at a Doctors Office. They moved into the office late April or early May, so they forgot about getting the Gas turned on, at least until a nice chilly November morning.

Maybe they thought you had the multi-tool to turn the gas back on for them....

I once went to an apartment for a no heat, found glow stick bad replaced and every thing fine. The next day she calls in and reams us a new A hole demanding me to come back right now, got there checked it out and found gas was shut off and locked, after telling tenant she needed to call gas company she got very emberest and said she was sorry, then she called back the next morning and asked if I could stop by, when I got there she had baked me a nice batch of cookies and her heat was working fine.
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Originally Posted by NY2GA01

Looks like a gas co lock. What's awkward for you about people not having cash to pay their gas bill?

I hope you got paid in cash.

It is. I get paid from the strip mall landlord so i will get my money. The first time i was there, i diagnosed a bad gas valve and i ordered it. When it came in, of course i put it in and tested the unit. No gas, no gas smell, nothing. Came down off the roof and saw that. It was kinda awkward to tell them the reason they dont have heat is because they didnt pay their bill. I was told by neighbor tenants that PSE&G was out there that morning locking it out.