Monthly bills too high!

[Patrees]

Is it just me, or is $480 for three months of electricity way too high?  I am a single 60 year old female. I have electric cooking ,heating and cooling and hot water, all of which i have hardly used. I barely have the tv on. I use my laptop daily and have 3-4 lamps on in the evenings. I have a fridge which is on all the time and a washing machine that i only use once a week at best as i am limited with water where i am. The supple charge is actually more than the usage itself being 91.300 per quarter.  Any suggestions apart from trying a different company?

[jayden_AGL]

Hey Patrees,

Welcome to the AGL Community!

Given the way you've described your usage habits, I can appreciate why you're concerned! The best place to start with a questionable bill is always the quality of the meter reading. If you refer to the second page of your bill, underneath 'Your electricity supply details' you'll find a column that reads 'Read type' - does it say Actual or Estimate here? If it's says estimate, then we haven't been provided with a true reading of your meter (typically due to the fact that the meter reader couldn't access your meter) and as a result, your usage is based on an educated guess.

If you log into your AGL My Account or app, you'll be presented with the chance to enter your current meter readings yourself. In doing this, your bill will automatically be credit for any overcharges.

However, please let me know if your reading is 'Actual' so that we can look at other possible causes!

Cheers,

Jayden

[Patrees]

My reading is an actual reading. I was present when a man came out to read it.

[jayden_AGL]

Thanks Patrees!

It's important to check this against your bill as well to ensure that it has been calculated correctly.

Cheers,

Jayden

[Patrees]

To answer your question, no, i haven't checked that my bill has been calculated properly. Firstly i would not have a clue as to how to do that, and secondly, i expect to have my charges properly calculated without having to do it myself. We as customers, are charged what i believe to be outrageously high tariffs as it is without having to double check that the services we are paying for are being completed properly. 

[jayden_AGL]

Hi Patrees,

Thank you for getting back to me.

You can find information you require here:

• How to read your meter
• How to submit a meter reading

I can appreciate why this advise may be frustrating. To clarify, your meters are not read by AGL but your electricity distributor who read the meters in your area on behalf of all energy retailers. We're obligated to use the meter readings they provide us, which are wrong from time to time due to human error. This is why these figures are always worth double checking.

Kind regards,

Jayden