said by taraf:If your private property is preventing them from accessing their private property (they own the meter), then it's fair game. It's just like when Bell has a pedestal that happens to be on your property... you cannot legally prevent them from accessing it, and if it's behind a locked gate, they will use bolt cutters to destroy the lock. You have no recourse, because your "private" property was preventing them from doing their job as a public utility: they might reimburse you for damages as a courtesy, but they have no obligation to. It's the same as what happens if you park in front of a fire hydrant... if they need access to it, they're not going to call you to get you to come move your car, they're going to ram your car and push it out of the way, and then send you the bill for repairing their truck.
Bell peds, that's not an unfettered access requirement in a contract. That's a legal easement.
There are many types of meters which are located in areas on private property inaccessible by default to a reader and an appointment or scheduled time is necessary to read them.
If they can't read the meter, they estimate.
It may not take a court order to break
your gate, but it takes one to break mine. If you're knocking at my door that's one thing. If you're at my back gate with bolt cutters you best be having a police officer and a court order in hand, because AFAIC you're an armed intruder and
will be treated as such very quickly.
Mike