Is normal behaviour from a water meter installer in the UK?

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Funky_monkey2026@reddit

Breach of data protection act. He took your number without your consent. I'd report it to Thames Water.

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belladonnapopsocks@reddit

I'd say it's normal to ask whether you live alone, as your water bills are estimated for the number of people in the household. However the rest of it isn't ok x

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Technical_Magazine88@reddit

Nope, that’s not normal. Far from normal.

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LuminalDjinn11@reddit

Can you keep us posted, please? I’m concerned for your safety and so sorry this is happening to you.

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Thats weird as fuck. I work for a water company as a plumber, I have set my phone to withhold my phone number when I call customers because I used to get crank customer call me up randomly about problems in the evenings and weekends , and weirdos contact me on what’s app.

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Nandor1262@reddit

You work as a ‘plumber’ for a Water company? We don’t employ plumbers. We have meter technicians and network technicians but we don’t touch people’s internal plumbing.

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OldAdhesiveness570@reddit

Your company is shit then, im busy non stop dealing with problems after shutdowns, doing blowbacks from internal to the bst to clear out blockages, changing internal stop taps when the jumper drops and restricts flow after shutdowns, internal meters , does your company not do that?

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Nandor1262@reddit

Maybe we just call your job something else then. We have Network Technicians but I’ve never heard anyone be referred to as a plumber

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OldAdhesiveness570@reddit

I didn’t mean to harsh then btw , network techs maintain the network , there are hundreds of them. We are a big company there is enough work to make it worthwhile to have Dlo plumbers on instead of using contractors.

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Nandor1262@reddit

That’s alright I may have come across a bit blunt. I was just surprised because I work in Water and deal with Supply, Networks, Maintenance, Meter, Restoration and Leakage Techs every day but in 10 years working for a Water Company I’ve never heard anyone call themselves a plumber or suggest we deploy one. Companies are all set up slightly differently though and maybe if there are only 15 of you it’s a small enough team that I’ve just never come across them.

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OldAdhesiveness570@reddit

Your company probably use contractors, it’s very common to get no waters after shutdowns , the network technician will check it’s ok at the bst and if still no water , contact dispatch to request a plumber.

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OldAdhesiveness570@reddit

We are one of the biggest water companies in the uk and I’m one of 15 plumbers , if your company don’t employ plumbers directly they might use contractors, you have to deal with issues caused after we do network shutdowns

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Nandor1262@reddit

Were they a contractor or Thames Water employee? If they had a Thames Water van and branded PPE on they’re an employee.

I work for a Water Company and we do all have work phones and WhatsApp is the preferred messaging app of choice as people in the office can have it open in a browser and support those out and about. I’m surprised they messaged you though over giving you a call or asking their manager to if they felt they had left something behind.

On asking if you live alone it might sound an odd question but if they were fitting a Smart Meter they probably have forms to fill out to give an idea of your water usage. Obviously multiple people living somewhere changes what we’d expect to see quite a lot. Smart Meters allow us to flag when someone’s usage is abnormal indicating a leak, we want to reduce the amount of water being wasted and also don’t want to send customers massive water bills.

It’s also information which would be used to work out your bill, whilst you are charged for the water you use with a Smart Meter it’s a bit like energy in that you can set a fixed amount to pay a month and then adjust it up or down after a few months depending on if your in debit or credit.

Usually this would be sorted out over the phone but the meter technicians may have been asked to sort this out for any new customers by Thames.

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VMS_UK@reddit

Obviously it’s not fucking normal. Tell them your husband isn’t happy with their communication and wants to report them. Should get them to fuck off

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rex500andone@reddit

Report it to the police because if he attempts to make contact with you again then having this event already on record could be beneficial. We've no idea what the police know about this guy so reporting it could help add to other investigations and if he comes to the attention of the police in the future then what you report nowcould be of value then.

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who-gives-a@reddit

Maybe he was attracted to you but didnt dare ask you out. Maybe its his way of finding a means to ask you out.

Could be totally innocent and shy.

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LongBeakedSnipe@reddit

Could be totally innocent and shy.

If he acted like a criminal stalker, innocent is hardly the word I would use.

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who-gives-a@reddit

The world has gone mad where everyone is now considered a creep, pedophile or rapist.

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LongBeakedSnipe@reddit

Ehh, no, not everyone, just the creeps, p(a)edophiles and rapists. What is this emasculated nonsense.

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OldAdhesiveness570@reddit

Yea it’s not cool at all, to come on strong and make contact like that when someone has shown no interest. In 20 years of working as a plumber and meeting thousands of customers , I have never had an interaction that would make me think about trying like that, I have been propositioned by women twice, both times it was obvious they were not very stable and I got out of there as quickly as I could.

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Bubble-Master96@reddit

If this is the case then it isn’t innocent and shy. It’s not okay.

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ThrowRAkitty13@reddit

Nothing innocent about being very inappropriate when you're on the job.

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DryJackfruit6610@reddit

No excuses. It is completely unprofessional, unacceptable and a breach of data protection.

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redheadedwildgypsy@reddit

Never, ever answer the question from a man in particular 'do you live alone'. Glad you reported him and be vigilant.

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EternallySickened@reddit

They might have asked about living alone because there is a single person tariff available for people who live on their own. It’s not well advertised and isn’t available to everyone even if they do live alone oddly.- This would be if you didn’t have a water meter being fitted though. The guys get paid to do the job and if they don’t fit one internally, they don’t make as much money.

Contacting you by WhatsApp is definitely not a normal thing to do though. Even if the reason was actually legitimate. Reporting them seems the right choice.

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Bubble-Master96@reddit

This is not okay and genuinely dangerous. I would also be passing the details onto the police. This man knows where you live, has your details, and now will likely be reprimanded for his behaviour, and he was brazen enough to do said behaviour. I assume you’re a woman, take this seriously.

Ensure you raise a formal complaint, request what action they are taking to ensure the employee is dealt with but also what they will be doing to ensure they keep you safe. This is a GDPR breach at best, and harrasment at worst.

I’m sorry this happened to you.

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Drnorman91@reddit

Also probably has a good understanding of the layout of the house too

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Wide_Necessary992@reddit (OP)

Yes, I’m a woman and I made a formal complaint immediately after. Now it’s a matter of whether this will be escalated accordingly. I am slightly worried about the fact that he knows where I live though…the world is a very scary place rn

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abgs87@reddit

The only saving grace, is i highly doubt you're the first person he's done this too, so probably won't even be able to tell which customer it was that has reported him.

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WaltzFirm6336@reddit

I’m also a single woman. I never open my door when I’m not expecting someone. Even delivery drivers. They can either leave the parcel or I will go pick it up. Please don’t compromise your safety and felling of being safe by thinking you have to be ‘nice’ and open your door to any knock. You don’t.

Also, I’d get some cameras for peace of mind.

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Bubble-Master96@reddit

Call 111 and explain the situation and explain your fear, so that there’s some sort of record of it somewhere. Then if it happens again or escalates, you’ve got evidence of repeated contact and will help it be taken seriously.

Just ensure all your windows and doors are locked, I see in a comment you have a camera which helps. Probably over cautious, but that comment about asking if you live alone really doesn’t sit right with me

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Supermans_pants@reddit

FYI - 111 is for online doctors, 101 is for non-emergency police.

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Bubble-Master96@reddit

Thanks for the correction! I always get them mixed up

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fenney@reddit

Probably have better luck calling the police on 101

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kalendral_42@reddit

Getting your personal number from the file is a breach of DPA. If he wanted to contact you about forgotten tools he should have done it through the company channels not by getting personal info from your account & randomly texting/calling you

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Far-Concentrate-9844@reddit

If it was the only contact number, I’ve left things in customers houses and phoned or gone back to ask….. but I’m not a massive creep so it probably hit differently 😂 The live alone comment coupled with the text isn’t right.

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Wide_Necessary992@reddit (OP)

That’s exactly what I was thinking. I immediately blocked him

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nathderbyshire@reddit

Asking how many are in a household wouldn't be odd for a utility company as ofc it affects usage dramatically but asking if you live alone followed by the rest is far from a usage query and straight into creep territory.

Do you know if they contacted you from their personal number or a work device? If they've taken your details from work it could very well be a GDPR breach as well, or very much a grey area as they can't ensure your information is and will stay protected on a device they can't monitor. I've worked in utility and we had to use whiteboards or notes with a lock on your user profile and the only time we wrote down information more permanently was when the systems went down - emergency situation and the information was handled by managers to be shredded once dealt with. You absolutely could not take any details, not even a name and store it on your personal device. Slightly different for engineers who attend if they need to contact customers but it should just be a number, nothing being saved and they most likely should be using a work device

If Thames water don't take it seriously you may have to look into making a complaint with Ofwat or the CCW, I'm not sure which is best for your situation

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purquoy@reddit

I live alone and had a water meter installed. But my water usage level isn't anything to do with the installer, that's between me and water company accounts and billing. Nothing he does is related to water usage.

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Wide_Necessary992@reddit (OP)

He messaged me on WhatsApp, so I’m assuming it’s his personal number, since he also has a dp of his face. I figured he probably lied to whoever had my number on file to obtain it, which just shows how unstable the company actually is with private info :/

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nathderbyshire@reddit

He probably got it legitimately for contact if they go to properties but they shouldn't be saving it to a personal device. If you think your details have been breached you can report to the ICO separately as well

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/report-a-breach/

However, he had your number and address, you have to weigh up if retaliation could be a possibility and how far you'd want a complaint to go because unfortunately it's not like you would have much help until something happened :/

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ThatBlokeYouKnow@reddit

Poor sod just wanted a bit, was he old, plumbers have seem to have been replaced with step brothers these days

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Wise-Independence487@reddit

This is not normal behaviour at all, that’s creepy and the company should take it seriously

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_Rookwood_@reddit

This interaction got weird when he contacted you directly on your number and lied about leaving a tool at yours. Contact Thames Water.

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Honey-Badger@reddit

I think know how many people live in a property is a normal question for anything to do with utility meters because if the reading is currently really low or really high it means something is wrong.

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lungbong@reddit

Not water but we send engineers to sites. The jobs are allocated either via the engineer's phone or laptop. They get access to the customer's name and address and a "press to call button" if they need to call the customer. They never see the customer's phone number and when they close the job most of the data is no longer visible (they have to close the job to get the next one or to sign off at the end of the day). In the unlikely case the engineer did leave something on site our process would be for the engineer to report this back to the office who would contact the customer.

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Dry_Curve9126@reddit

Very not okay…

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abgs87@reddit

This is very odd. Firstly there is no need for such personal questions and secondly, if he'd genuinely left a tool at yours, he'd have more than likely discovered it at next job and would have either called you straight away or turned back up to get it (both of which would be perfectly acceptable without the weird question prior..) you did the right thing reporting them to Thames Water.

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Kiss_It_Goodbyeee@reddit

Your spidey sense are working correctly. This is borderline creepy behaviour.

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Extension_Sun_377@reddit

Not even borderline, way over the line

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waveform06@reddit

I got asked if I live alone when they came round wanting to fit a new smart meter.
They couldnt fit it, so asked if I lived alone to get me the single occupier discount as I was on a shared meter.
Thats they only reason I think they reasonably ask you if you lived alone, if you were on a shared supply without your own meter.
But obviously, you'd just had a meter installed. So no reason.

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Ok_Advantage_8153@reddit

Why post it here? You've not posted for years and a boyfriend and rl people have apparently said its weird so you decided to ask randoms on the internet?

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YouWascallyWabbit@reddit

Weird as fuck.

OP, I'm going to tell you what I told my younger female relative who is single and lives alone - your fiancé is away for a few days, he normally takes care of stuff like this.

And get a pair of man's boots from the charity shop, wear them in the garden to get muddy, leave them in your porch.

Irritating as fuck that we have to do these things. But there are a lot of shitty men out there. I for example have another burly relative's photo on the wall, in his police uniform. Why? Because people out there are effing weird.

You did nothing wrong. Take care my dear and dob this weirdo in.

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Wide_Necessary992@reddit (OP)

Thanks, I’ll definitely be keeping this in mind for next time

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That-Chain-5139@reddit

Its not normal and you did the right thing in reporting it. I once had this with a gas engineer who came to do an annual safety check in my rental. It was the single time in my life i felt in fear in my own home of what might happen, he was a total creep and just kept staring at me smiling and gawping and wouldnt leave. In the end i pretended my boyfriend just texted to say he was about to pull up - THAT was the thing that made him leave. I didnt report it because i felt like what would anyone actually do about it? What would i say? I should have though. He was a self employed engineer and i was worried my landlord might be friends with him or something

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buttnuggetmaster@reddit

As a workman, this is pretty 50/50, absolutely could be creepy behaviour, absolutely could be small talk, + i do leave tools at places all the time. If there is no tool there, just tell him that it isn't there, and that's the end of it. No need to put yourself at risk with any further interaction. If a tool does turn up just leave it somewhere safe outside the property for him to collect.

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ThrowRAkitty13@reddit

Asking if a tool is left behind and communicating through approved means = normal

Asking a woman if she lives alone while you are in her property on a job = inappropriate and concerning

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buttnuggetmaster@reddit

Yes absolutely, it could be clumsy small talk, though.

Either way, she has done all the right things by reporting it and ceasing all communication with him. Hopefully, that's the end of it.

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Great-Science-8586@reddit

No it's not normal. Be aware and careful. Don't respond and if you get further unwanted contact, my advice would be to report him to the police. What he has done should be a disciplinary offence as well so I hope his employer investigates and acts.

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RefrigeratorCrazy456@reddit

Not normal at all. Guy sounds like a creep and a menace. Nice one for reporting this to Thames water. And don't let them fob you off or not take you seriously. I'd be surprised if they didn't though. As that's creepy. Save any messages as proof. And block the weirdo. If he turns up at your property, which I doubt. But if he does. Ignore him. Don't open the door like your not in. Or if your boyfriend is there get him to answer door. Report to Thames water. And inform them you don't want that guy anywhere near your property again. He probably fancies you. But that's not the way to go about it.

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reditcyclist@reddit

Wierd and needs reporting. You did the right thing.

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Pocket_Aces1@reddit

Report it to the company, and the ICO. It's a data protection breach of GDPR guidelines. Using personal information taken from a "secure" service, and using it without authorisation by you.

The first part. Ehhh could brush it off as trying to make convo and maybe something to do with estimated usage for a water meter.

Everything else, nope. No. NADA.

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Wide_Necessary992@reddit (OP)

Thanks I’ll keep that in mind

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mrfatchance@reddit

see what the Suzy lamplugh trust say as this behaviour could escalate

https://www.suzylamplugh.org/

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68_namfloW@reddit

Didn’t know about this, it’s something to bear in mind.

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Wide_Necessary992@reddit (OP)

Thank you

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Honeymmm@reddit

Thank you for sharing this

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underwater-sunlight@reddit

Best case scenario, he wants to stay.ash, other considerations are robbing or kidnapping you, and maybe still trying to smash

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Yamahaha125@reddit

We had a gas safety engineer round, he left his”favorite” screw driver behind. His office contacted us, not him, the office. We then had to ring back the office to let them know we found it, and we arranged a time for him to pick it up.

Ringing you directly is weird.

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20127010603170562316@reddit

I used to work in admin for an online furniture company that does not exist anymore. There were only 2-3 of us who were "admin" (we got to oversee all refunds and serious complaints for no extra money)

I got wind of a customer complaint about a delivery driver who had just delivered a bed to a female customer. Apparently he was a little unprofessional during the visit, but it was when he text the customer later offering to help "test the bed" she thought something was off.

I took over / was assigned the case. I had contacts at the delivery company, so I called up and had a chat.

The delivery guy was out of a job before he got back to the depot. I was also told they'd talk to the driver "in private". (they kicked the shit out of him)

Anyway - no, not normal. Report it.

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eatlego@reddit

Sounds like a GDPR breach.

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Chuck1984ish@reddit

For balance,

Why ask if you live alone? Well I suppose the amount of water you use depends on this and it's possible information he needs to gather.

Messaging about the tool, entirely possible too, my EV meter installer called me on my mobile, they have it for the job and needed to confirm something.

I'm sure it's easier for me as a man to be less worried about stuff like that, and there are bad people out there. But also not as many as Reddit would have you believe.

There is no downside to reporting it though.

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ThrowRAkitty13@reddit

Make sure you keep all your doors and windows locked and maybe install a camera doorbell or something if you don't have one already.

His behaviour is concerning, you should report him too.

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ihavetakenthebiscuit@reddit

Yes OP, this is Sus AF. Worth calling Thames water and the police to report him. Police might not do anything about it but they might reassure you.

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Majestic_Bed4761@reddit

I work for a water company and I would day that is not standard practice. No employee should be using customer information for personal use.

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McBuk@reddit

Thames Water do a discount for single occupiers, but this still sounds sketchy.

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Ambitious-Elk-3350@reddit

No, it's creepy. Report the fucker.

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Gluebagger@reddit

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whereami-ana@reddit

Was it Thames Water that installed the meter? (I mean did they had their PPE on with the Logo?)

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Wide_Necessary992@reddit (OP)

Yes they did

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Wide_Necessary992@reddit (OP)

Yikes. I saved footage of him on my front camera just in case.

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