Impossibly high bill - and no options provided except "prove us wrong"

[JeffreyT]

BACKGROUND

Let me set the scene. We are two people in a house (in our sixties) and our electricity bill has been around $1000 each quarter for over 12 months. Around 50-60 kWh average daily usage. Now this is really really high for two people, no dependants, in a house on our own. However we have lived with it, even though the little "house" picture shows us that we ae using far more electricity that others in the area.

THE LATEST BILL

To our horror, the latest bill is $2307.71. A jump of over 100%! 100kWH average daily usage.

TO BE CLEAR

We have not changed anything. We have not added a new appliance, a new washing machine, nothing. What has changed is that AGL installed a Smart Meter in March this year. That's the change. 

The little house picture shows that we are using the equivalent of 20 people's electricity compared to houses in the area! There are two of us.

MY CONVERSATIONS

I have now spoken to frontline support a AGL, someone in the resolution team, and a manger in the resolution team. Here is the story I am given:

1. The reading are correct because AGL says they are
2. If they check the meter and it is faulty then we have to pay for the fact they checked the meter
3. The onus is on us to invalidate their readings
4. The bill is correct....because the bill is correct...unless we can prove otherwise
5. We have to turn everything off in the house and spend time messing about with appliances (where we know there has not been a change) to prove to AGL that their bill is faulty
6. Otherwise, the bill stands because.... it is their bill!

HOWEVER

1. AGL is providing a service to us, and we are entitled to pay fair value for a service rendered. This is an impossible bill, and we should not have to pay for a service incorrectly rendered
2. If AGL installed a smart meter, it is their meter that is making the readings, their system that is doing the calculation, and their system that is generating the invoice. It is beyond belief that AGSL says "trust us because you should" when a bill is provided that cannot, just cannot be correct.
3. We did not ask for a meter change. AGL put in a "smart meter" for, on the surface, to SAVE MONEY on the people who now do not need to read meters, and, on the surface, to institute some sort of scam where they can now charge double, with the response: it is what it is (heard that somewhere else?)

And the onus is totally thrown back on us to prove them wrong. 

This totally unacceptable.

I am going to write to AGL one more time, and then straight to the media and the ombudsman. I cannot be alone receiving this appalling behaviour, and it is time that companies like AGL start to realise that there are customers with rights, and the supplier's role is to serve the customer, not to issue bills based on calculations that the consumer has zero control over, and then put the onus back on the customer to prove them wrong.

Does this resonate with anyone else?

[NeilC]

@Ahalyap 

The first thing I would do if I was you is learn how to read your Meter.

Then start taking your own meter readings and writing them down (try and do at least once a day at approximately the same time).

Next log onto your AGL account and see what your current rates are.

This is the top of the screen you should see when you log in.

Click on the down arrow next to your user name.

You should see the above list.

Click on account settings.

You should see a screen similar to above.

Click on Property and Plans

You should see your plan now on the left

Click on the View icon

Now you know what you are being charged for.

You haven't mentioned what sort of meter you have, if its a smart meter you can down load your data from your AGL web page and possibly work out your daily usage.

To get a $2000 bill that means you are paying $22.00 a day. (90 day billing cycle).

If you would  like to Private Message me (and you have a Smart Meter) you could send me a copy of your Download file and I can do an analysis of it for you for free.

There are a multitude of things that you can do to track down your usage but unless you can really read your smart meter they are hard to analyze.

By the way changing retailers will not help as they all rely on the meter readings whether they are manual or smart meters.

Your best option is to continue on using DATA to prove your point.

Now just to make you even happier, we are a two person house, I am retired and the lady of the house is still working.

We have solar and only use evaporative AC to cool the house.

Below is our predicting electrical usage for our final quarter bill for 2022.

So the above is a prediction based on our daily usage over the last 44 days.

We have a heat pump Hot Water system set to reheat from 10:30 in the morning (thus using our generated solar).

Our reverse cycle Inverter AC unit is switched off at the circuit board (do you know that AC Inverter Types use 3kW of power a day just keeping the oil warm).

We do our washing between 10 and 3 during the day as this is cheaper, never use a hot water wash unless its really necessary.

Even silly things like when you want to make a cuppa you only put enough water in the kettle as you need (why heat 1.5 litres when you only need 500mL).

We don't own a dryer and hang up clothes to dry on a clothes line. (Under the verandah, carport or on a drying rack inside if necessary).

Hopefully the above is maybe pointing as to where your high usage is being used

Cheers

Neil

If you like my reply please take the time to click the like button to show your appreciation for the response.

[twaltisbuhl]

SAME SITUATION! I'm absolutely disgusted at my current 'estimated' bill. They've told me that it's based on historical usage and seasonal. NEVER have I once had to pay anywhere near this amount. It's double any other bill we've ever had. We are a two person household and NOTHING has changed. There is no additional usage, no additional appliances, nothing to account for this rise. I entered our actual meter read and now they've decided that it's even higher. COMPLETE RUBBISH. The estimates provided over the past six months have been WOEFUL. And now to be slugged with this is DISGUSTING. Their chat assistants seems to be bots that only have the most rudimentary functions necessary, couldn't even provide me with a simple dispute number or advise when or how I'd be contacted. I've been with AGL for a long time and had been perfectly happy. In the current financial climate I could not be more disappointed that they really do not give a **bleep** about their customers. 

[NeilC]

@twaltisbuhl 

I suggest you read my post above and get your current plan etc.

Why are you getting estimated bills.

The neighbourhood is a place to ask a question from the neighbourhood members, if you are not satisfied you should be actually talking to someone.

Get some facts and then produce them to AGL .

Cheers Neil

[twaltisbuhl]

Thanks Neil

I strongly suggest that AGL actually looks at the facts that I've already presented.

I've done my very best to find information and it is severely lacking.

I've attempted to speak to someone and have only got basic bot responses.

Have you bothered to consider that? No.

Explain to me how a bill more than doubles any previous bill with zero change in usage.

It simply shouldn't and yet, AGL have decided that it did.

If the usage is the same, why would a bill be fluctuating between $70/$80 to $130 to credit to over $250?

It simply wouldn't.

If you have a human being who is willing to have an actual conversation with me and address this issue, I'll be perfectly happy to participate.

You have my contact details.

Until then I'll be keeping a very close eye on my meter read and bills, as clearly AGL is acting unscrupulous.

Thanks
Tanya

[NeilC]

@twaltisbuhl 

Tanya,

"Explain to me how a bill more than doubles any previous bill with zero change in usage."

1. If you are on a single rate tariff then your bill will normally waver around a fairly constant amount.
2. However if you have changed to a demand tariff, it can dramatically change because of a single days usage.
3. With a TOU (Time Of Use) tariff, your bill will change depending on when you use the electricity during the day or night.

Hence the reason that I took all that time to document how to get your current tariff.

Don't have any contact details for you other than hitting the reply button below your post.

I am not an employee of AGL, nor have ever been. I joined this neighbourhood so that I could try and help people such as yourself with issues and put you on the right path.

Pick up the phone and wait to get a response or log onto your account and then chat with a real person.

Cheers Neil

[twaltisbuhl]

Thanks Neil

I'll reiterate that nothing has changed. I have not changed to a different plan or tariff.

I've attempted to speak with AGL and have limited 'copy and paste' responses.

I've made my post to this community so that people know they're not the only ones and to try to garner further information for myself.

Thank you for taking your time to assist the community, shame that AGL don't do the same.

Regards

[AGL-CustomerX]

@DHoiberg is it using this link Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW (EWON) ?

[AGL-CustomerX]

@AGLtheftvictim, nice name 🙂 😝

[AGL-CustomerX]

Hi @JeffreyT,

Yes, that could possibly be my issue here.

How to explain that to the AGL customer service team without causing outrageous call-out fees when they send in their technician? 

[NeilC]

@AGL-CustomerX 

I think I know you.

Are you William Anchor.

Cheers Neil