Electricity company OVO has apologised after the family of a 90-year-old man in Dunning complained the electricity smart meter installed in his home had made his daily life “distressing.”
The pensioner has had to endure over six months of trying to take readings from a device positioned at ground level.
Charles Watt is 90, living alone, in Dunning, Perthshire.
Mr Watt is doing well for his age but he collapsed in a park in May, and despite keeping his independence, has mobility and balance issues.
In December OVO decided he needed a new meter following “discrepancies” with the old meter.
His family claim that what the electricity company installed - a box at carpet level - has “created new problems rather than solving old ones” and is “an accident waiting to happen”.
They said Charles has been expected to bend low and kneel down to take readings from the smart meter which sat at floor level.
Additionally, as this meter works on tokens, he was expected to frequently go to the post office to buy credit for the card meter when before his usage was managed through paying a quarterly bill.
His daughter, Lesley Malone, told the PA that the set up was “very distressing for the mental health of an elderly person living independently but alone”.
She said: “My father got a fright when it appeared he had an enormous bill because of trouble he’d had reading the display.
“It’s also really a lot to expect for him aged 90 to have to toddle off to the post office every two seconds to put more credit on a card.”
Lesley complained that “a multitude” of emails sent since to OVO customer services regarding the change of meter in December and appealing for help to improve the situation for her father, had been “ignored.”
She sent pictures showing how awkwardly placed the smart meter was for a disabled person with balance issues and invited the PA to visit.
Since the PA got in touch on their behalf, OVO has been discussing improvements for Mr Watt’s electricity supply.
An OVO spokesperson said: “We’re sincerely sorry to Mr Watt for the inconvenience.
“We’re working with him now to find a more suitable alternative and a goodwill amount will be issued on completion of this.”
