Atmos Energy only allows 7 contractors to move a gas meter in Dallas and the minimum is $800 regardless. This is price fixing! Then you have to pay a plumber to move your side of the line additional. Has anyone had any luck doing this at a fair price? The meter is in the middle of yard and only looking to move it 2 feet behind the fence in dirt.
2007-06-19 03:38:03 · 3 answers · asked by Bob B 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
The reason for the price is that the 7 contractors have been tested and passed a certification exam to be able to work on the gas companies equipment. Sorry, but you will not find a way around it.
2007-06-19 03:45:06 · answer #1 · answered by sensible_man 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
While you can do your own gas or electric repairs or alterations in your own home, you can't touch the meters. That's a job that only the authorized service people are allowed to do -to prevent people from altering them or bypassing them. (The dangers involved are really secondary to the theft of gas or electric, regardless of what they'll tell you. It can be dangerous if anything goes wrong, but THEY are concerned about their money.) So yes, you'd have to arrange for somebody to come out and move the meter. You can save some money, though, by having things prepared and ready when they come, so they don't have to make a couple return trips, or spend their valuable time digging and rearranging your pipes. If the meter is sealed, don't break the seal. If it's not, or if there's a shut-off just beyond it that isn't sealed, turn it off and disconnect the pipe or cable on YOUR side of it. Relocate your pipes and/or conduit to the place where it's to be moved, and when the guy comes out, all he has to do is lengthen (or shorten) the supply lines and reconnect everything. If the supply lines are to be buried, it's a big help to dig the necessary trench beforehand too. And let him know that when he's done, you'll take care of filling that trench back in. This way, you are only paying for the time he takes to do the actual moving of the meter, and not all the additional stuff that you could do yourself. You're only paying them for the bare minimum needed. Oh, and if you go this route, make sure you coordinate your work with theirs, so you aren't left with no service for a week!
2016-04-01 05:29:50 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your gas company has a monopoly. Sometimes if you complain to your city officials who deal with the monopoly they will put in a call for you. First you need to determine what the rate is in another city and demand that you want it done for that rate. If other cities in TX only charge $400 then you are in business. If other cities in TX charge $700 then you probably cannot complain.
2007-06-19 05:07:01 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋