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With the price of utilities like water and electricity skyrocketing, prepaid electricity and water meters are fast becoming very popular with landlords for recouping water and electricity expenses.
Some years back I envisaged the future need for same and through a bit of clever marketing and word of mouth, have become one of the leading installers of these units in our area.
The service I offer my clients, I would say , is more than what most would do, resulting in repeat business and word of mouth contacts.
With prepaid meters, I will, for instance, register the meter/meters on the clients name on their behalf.
I will also purchase a complimentary token for each meter and load it when the installation is complete. ( money well spent, believe me )
On the 9th Feb, I completed a 4 meter installation for a client, 3 water and 1 electricity.
Registered the meters for the client as normal and then attempted to buy the complimentary tokens.
There was a problem with the registration of one of the water meters and I was not successfull in buying a token, this after I was assured that the meter had been successfully registered.
Contacted CitiQ and explained the problem.
Well after 6 emails and about the same number of calls to CitiQ, I was assured that I could purchase tokens for the meter. That was on the 17th Feb.
In the meantime, I had to return to site and bypass the meter so that the tenants could wash themselves and use the bathroom.
The client was also hesitant to settle the invoice, which is quite understandable.
I then tried purchasing tokens again on the 21st Feb and was unsuccessfull at my corner shop ( Flash ), OK Foods, Caltex and Super Spar. I was eventually successfull at Pick n Pay.
( Not a Pick n Pay fan since they treated me like a 4 year old and tried to force me to push a trolley when wanting to buy a loaf of bread. Told them in no uncertain terms what they could do with their bread and trolley, but that's a story for another day )
Notified CitiQ again that no tokens could be bought at the above outlets for that meter.
In the meantime, I have removed the bypass, entered the complimentary token and informed the client that his tenant would have to drive across town to Pick n Pay in order to buy water. There is no Pick n Pay close to where they are. I also informed him that I would check periodically to see when he can purchase water at the other outlets and let him know.
Well yesterday 26th still no go at Flash, so I suspect it's still the same at OK Foods, Caltex and Super Spar as well, but I just don't have the time to drive from one outlet to another in order to do CitiQ's dirty work for them.
A word of caution.
Think very nicely before recommending a service provider to your clients. I made a mistake by suggesting CitiQ, not knowing that they are useless at solving a problem should one arise. When things work properly it's good, but don't expect to solve a meter registration problem quickly. It won't happen.
I now give my clients a list of ALL the service providers available and they make the decision as to who they wish to go with.
Another tip
When purchasing a water meter, open the box and check that the correct remote is in the box. It has happened to me on a number of occasions that the wrong remote is in the box with the meter. I have saved myself much frustrations by checking each unit before leaving the supplier.
Peace out .. Derek.
Some years back I envisaged the future need for same and through a bit of clever marketing and word of mouth, have become one of the leading installers of these units in our area.
The service I offer my clients, I would say , is more than what most would do, resulting in repeat business and word of mouth contacts.
With prepaid meters, I will, for instance, register the meter/meters on the clients name on their behalf.
I will also purchase a complimentary token for each meter and load it when the installation is complete. ( money well spent, believe me )
On the 9th Feb, I completed a 4 meter installation for a client, 3 water and 1 electricity.
Registered the meters for the client as normal and then attempted to buy the complimentary tokens.
There was a problem with the registration of one of the water meters and I was not successfull in buying a token, this after I was assured that the meter had been successfully registered.
Contacted CitiQ and explained the problem.
Well after 6 emails and about the same number of calls to CitiQ, I was assured that I could purchase tokens for the meter. That was on the 17th Feb.
In the meantime, I had to return to site and bypass the meter so that the tenants could wash themselves and use the bathroom.
The client was also hesitant to settle the invoice, which is quite understandable.
I then tried purchasing tokens again on the 21st Feb and was unsuccessfull at my corner shop ( Flash ), OK Foods, Caltex and Super Spar. I was eventually successfull at Pick n Pay.
( Not a Pick n Pay fan since they treated me like a 4 year old and tried to force me to push a trolley when wanting to buy a loaf of bread. Told them in no uncertain terms what they could do with their bread and trolley, but that's a story for another day )
Notified CitiQ again that no tokens could be bought at the above outlets for that meter.
In the meantime, I have removed the bypass, entered the complimentary token and informed the client that his tenant would have to drive across town to Pick n Pay in order to buy water. There is no Pick n Pay close to where they are. I also informed him that I would check periodically to see when he can purchase water at the other outlets and let him know.
Well yesterday 26th still no go at Flash, so I suspect it's still the same at OK Foods, Caltex and Super Spar as well, but I just don't have the time to drive from one outlet to another in order to do CitiQ's dirty work for them.
A word of caution.
Think very nicely before recommending a service provider to your clients. I made a mistake by suggesting CitiQ, not knowing that they are useless at solving a problem should one arise. When things work properly it's good, but don't expect to solve a meter registration problem quickly. It won't happen.
I now give my clients a list of ALL the service providers available and they make the decision as to who they wish to go with.
Another tip
When purchasing a water meter, open the box and check that the correct remote is in the box. It has happened to me on a number of occasions that the wrong remote is in the box with the meter. I have saved myself much frustrations by checking each unit before leaving the supplier.
Peace out .. Derek.
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