Unreasonably high Electricity bill > faulty meter

Hi,

So I am a pensioner living alone at home.

My last qtr bill (Apr-Jun) was showing average usage of 15kwh per day - completely unreasonable and way higher than any previous bill. I thought this was absurd but was told it must be one of my appliances. I was monitoring my meter trying to identify the culprit but the usage remained high no matter what I did.

On 3-Sept AGL came and installed the smart meter. From that day onward my daily usage immediately dropped to about 5-6kwh per day (Sept average 5.38kwh).

Nothing has changed in my lifestyle or appliances, only the meter has changed.

To me this is a clear indication that there was an issue with the old meter and I was charged incorrectly.

However when I call AGL customer service I am told that there is no evidence that the meter was faulty and therefore it must have been ok.

This is a very disappointing and inconsiderate response by AGL team.

I would like to know what are the best steps forward? Is ombudsman the next step or is there an alternative before escalating further?

ChrisE_AGL

+16 more

AGL Moderator

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344 Messages

Hi @ruu

I can understand why you’re concerned, particularly when you’ve seen such a noticeable change in your usage following the meter replacement.

As this needs a closer look at the meter and billing information on your account, it isn’t something we can properly assess through a public Neighbourhood post. Before taking the matter further externally, I’d recommend having the billing and meter concerns reviewed through our support channels.

You can also find information on things to check when you receive an unexpectedly high bill, including whether a bill was based on an estimated read.

Thanks, Chris

ruu

+1 more

Switched-on

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3 Messages

Hi @ChrisE_AGL

Thank you for your response.

I have read the relevant information already and can confirm the final meter read was done when the meter was replaced so it was not an estimate.

Can you clarify what you mean by your support channels??

I did speak to AGL customer service and that the request was more or less dismissed. Is there an alternate path?

Thanks

(edited)