Usage Tracker Gets Worse

[MF1]

I use the My Account version of the usage tracker.

1. Login Failure. The only way it will allow me to log into my acount is to log in, then instead of taking me to my account it takes me back to the log in page, I then have to click on the AGL logo which takes me to the AGL homepage, then I click on my account tab and I can get into my account. This has been going on for a few months with a brief week or two when it worked, then it broke again. This issue has been reported on the general board before and it appears to be an issue for Firefox users like myself. I have cleared the cache which didnt work and tried another browser (Opera) which did work but it is not a browser I like that much or use. Having to use another browser just for AGL login is inconvenient. Please would you ask the IT department to fix this issue with login via Firefox. It has worked with Firefox in the past, so clearly it could work again if someone brings it to their attention.

2. Missing Hourly Consumption. Until a few weeks ago my usage data used to provide hourly consumption which was helpful for being able to track and  reduce or eliminate appliances with high usage.

This issue has been reported on these boards more than once before but has not been fixed.

3. Missing Daily Average Usage. Until a few weeks ago my usage used to provide a daily updated average usage cost and kwh usage for that month. This was helpful to keep down the average cost for the month to below a certain level.

4. Missing Total Kwh. Until a few weeks a go my usage used to provide a total kwh for the month so far, this was also helpful.

5. Incorrect Predicted Usage. The predicted usage at the start of the month on the usage landing page is around 3x the actual usage for an average month. This is confirmed by the bill smoothing estimate which is 3x less than the predicted usage on the landing page.. Every month the landing page predicted usage reduces over the month, but resets itself to be completely wrong at the start of every month. If the bill smoothing estimate can get it right, I don't see why the predicted usage can't.....they should be basing their estimates on the exact same previous usage. This has never been right.

Whoever is playing with this software at AGL needs to be confronted....every week they seem break another part of it.

One of the main reasons I have stayed with AGL, is the depth of it's usage information which had previously helped me to reduce my bills considerably, month on month. This is now starting to slip away from me as I have far less info to work with. If you persist with this minimal info, I can't see much reason to stay.

I have tried to discuss these issues with escalations but the agent told me that staff are "not trained to deal with the online account portal" and therefore the agent said she had "no idea what I was talking about".

When I asked to speak to someone in IT, she refused to put me through.

[David_AGL]

Hey @MF1 thanks so much for taking the time to give detailed feedback here.

It looks like there's a few separate issues to be addressed. On the topic of usage in My Account - We know there's stuff missing from the current implementation of usage tracking in My Account. As @Carla_AGL said on this thread over on the Ideas section, rest assured that updates will be coming to this area in the near future.

I'm sorry you found the customer service agent you dealt with over the phone was unfamiliar with the online account features - we're taking steps to improve this as well.

On the login issues, this could be caused by a number of things. I previously found that ad-blocking extensions in Firefox were preventing me from logging into my account. It may help to disable these type of extensions for the AGL website and see if this helps you to log in without issue.

[MF1]

Hi David,

Thanks for your reply.

I think it would be helpful if you could stay in contact with IT to ensure that these issues are dealt with quickly and then update us as to progress.

I don't have any adblockers on Firefox and I disabled tracking protection but this made no difference.

I can log into the community and it takes me straight to the relevant page, so there does seem to be a break  in the My Account log in portal for Firefox. It used to work with Firefox with no changes my end which makes me think it may remain an issue at your end. It would be helpful if you could ask IT to stress test this with Firefox.

On a general note I have found over the years that most of the presistent issues I have had, lead to the IT department. These boards would seem to point to the same area of recurring and persistent problems for many other customers. This, in my opinion, is one of the main sources of extreme frustration for customers.

IT seem to be almost uncontactable even by senior staff. The same issues remain unfixed for years. Responses and updates from them on fixing problems are almost non-existent....it's always 'jam tomorrow' with them.

I am strongly of the belief that an overhaul of the IT department is needed....they need to be more accountable, more capable and more responsive and quite possibly better funded. The fact that your escalations team have until now not been trained to deal with or know anything about My Account and other IT issues, speak volumes about how AGL simply have overlooked a major cause of costly and longstanding issues. It costs AGL time and money to repeatedly not deal with the same IT issues. 

Getting to grips with the IT department will reduce a lot of the daily stress that your customers and no doubt your agents have to deal with. I see no point in spending money on advertising to gain new customers when many others leave due to a variety of persistent IT problems that are just never fixed.

Other large companies are able to run efficient and workable IT...it has been  my experience over more than 10 years with AGL (when I joined, it took nearly a year to produce my first bill despite repeated requests), that unsolved IT issues have become an accepted norm by staff even top level at head office. It's time that culture was fixed.

Thank you.

[MF1]

David, a further thought:

The fact that the IT department felt it was ok to go live with an unfinished and less functional version of the usage software, speaks volumes about:

A) How they just don't understand the basic principles of good IT provision.

B) How we all, including AGL staff, shrug our shoulders like this is somehow ok and normal, it isn't.

C) That we all just live with, "it will be fixed some time in the future, maybe", with no actual deadline for them to have to stick to and no one apparently making them accoutable. This is normal procedure for AGL IT.

David, why don't you send the link to this message page to the IT director Simon Moorfield and ask him to bring the IT department to Australia, staffed with people who actually know how to provide working IT services. AGL makes billions, it should surely be a priority to get this central issue sorted.