Special Meter Read Fee-DR - Why I am being Charged?

[satya]

Hi.

I just got my first gas bill and it shows that I was charged by "Special Meter Read Fee-DR" of $14.8

When previous owner left you would have done a final reading and already charged them the same "Special Meter Read Fee". Now what's the point of charging again for same thing.

A "normal reading" after new tenants moving in would suffice. No need for this "special reading".

How do I dispute this?

[-Steve-]

Hi Satya, we need to obtain a read when you move in as gas is not disconnected, we obtain a new read in case gas has been used since the premise was vacated, to ensure you are not billed for consumption you are not responsible for. If you wish to discuss or dispute this further, please get in touch via messenger in My Account.

[satya]

Hi Steve, when you say gas is not disconnected, what does it mean?

Does it mean previous occupant didn't disconnect the gas connection and haven't paid the gas disconnect charges?

Also as per the joining terms I was supposed to get $25 gas credit on my first bill but I can see the credit amount is $22.73. Why is that so?

[-Steve-]

When you vacate a property the gas is left on and only a meter read is obtained, as gas is not disconnected. 

Regarding the credit of $25.00 this is inclusive of GST, so it reduces the GST on the bill by $2.27, this is why the credit displays as $22.73.

[Mitch23]

I have just been charged $33 for a meter read when moving out. So the person moving out gets charged and the new person moving in gets charged. Seems like it’s a win win for AGL. Honestly the charge to the new tenant is probably more than if someone had used the gas for an extra day or 2. You should let the new tenant decide if they want a reading depending by telling them the date it was last read by AGL. In some cases it would be 1-2 weeks or less between old and new tenant highly doubtful that a new reading is needed as the cost to do the reading is more then a weeks supply of gas! 

[Natalie-AGL]

Hello @Mitch23, 

Thank you for reaching out. 

These fees are passed on from your distributor when and a meter read to establish or finalise your account. It is required that a read is taken when moving in or out of a property to ensure that we start and finalise you're billing based on the correct meter read, however, I can appreciate where you are coming from. 

You can find more information about feed and charges on your energy billing on our website. 

Kind Regards, 

Natalie