How weird is this?!

[Madissun]

In the last 8 months that i've been living at my current address, i've never received an electricity bill. I dont have any gas, everything is electric. People kept telling me to just leave it and not worry about it (ie. be grateful for free electricity!) but i just couldn't do it. If im not paying for it, then someone else is, KWIM? I've heard stories about account numbers being mixed up and people paying twice the amount they normally would etc etc.

So i just called the company now and asked why in the last 8 months i've never received an electricity bill from them. He put me on hold to check my account and said "Unfortunately there were some issues with meter but it's fine now. We'll generate the bill and when you receive it, call us and we'll organise a payment plan."

So i said "And i'll receive a bill for the past 8 months?" and he said yes, but we'll put a payment plan in place. So i said, "What was the problem with the meter?" And he said "The readings weren't coming across but they are now, so it's all fine".

So what, if i had never called, the readings still wouldn't be coming across? And how am i going to know if the readings are accurate if there was a problem with the meter and the readings never came through? If they never came through, where are they going to get them from?

[*LovemyKids*]

OMG you poor thing, its going to be one big bill!!!

I would be complaining that is rediculous!!!!

Goodluck and I hope it is not too big for you!!

[Cupcake]

Got me stumped!! I thought people walked around and looked at the metres to get the readings? Then if they cant gain access for any reason they 'guess' then balance the difference on your next bill. Is that wrong?

Id be interested to see how much it is!! Bugger!

[Pandora]

Is it a brand new house (and therefore meter)?
Thus happened to us when we built our new place. We got bills though, but no usage charges. I rang after the first $35 bill for three months and they saidthe same thing and to call them when we got the next bill to arrange a payment plan. Lucky for us they had never actually activated the meter so they weren't measurig it at all and we got three months electricity for free. I hope that's all your issue is!

[Madissun]

Pandora- it's not a new place but it is a newish meter. It was the same meter when the previous tenants were there though so im assuming it was activated?

[*EJ*]

Sounds like a quick thinking cover up in their explination. What part of the meter wasn't working? How do they know they still have an accurate read? After 8 months surely they could have realised something wasn't right and sent someone out to check the meter!? I'd definatley double check that they can make you pay the whole 8 months worth.

[Junglemum]

This happened to us in a round about way. I had to ring the electricity company about 6 times to get a bill. It was so frustrating chasing for a bill, but i didn't want to leave the country with an unpaid bill, these things always catch up with you! I eventually got a bill after we moved out. $984, which seems ridiculous for 8 months in a house with a wood fire, and just basic electrics, but i was so over it i just paid it.

[Madissun]

Myboys - I know!!! I dont get it. Sounds like a cover to me too. I want to know how they prove that the readings they have "now" are accurate for the last 8 months. You would think they would have sent someone out if they weren't receiving readings froma property for 8 months!

[Madissun]

Junglemum- Can i ask what company it was?

[Visitor7]

I can't remember if this is for all electrical companies, or just one or two, but I did read that they only have to read ONE meter per year, and just guestimate the others. Sounds like that is what they're doing. Unfortunately thought with them guessing the meterage during the year, it could be way off. You might get 2 or 3 largish bills, but then the 4th quarter will be a lot less as that's the accurate one.
Good luck, it does sound like it's going to be a fairly large sum.

[Junglemum]

ummmmm, Tru energy.

[Trillian]

I can't remember if this is for all electrical companies, or just one or two, but I did read that they only have to read ONE meter per year, and just guestimate the others. Sounds like that is what they're doing. Unfortunately thought with them guessing the meterage during the year, it could be way off. You might get 2 or 3 largish bills, but then the 4th quarter will be a lot less as that's the accurate one.
Good luck, it does sound like it's going to be a fairly large sum.

Really? the meter maid comes out every 3 months and reads our meter and we're rural!

I would be taking that up with an ombudsman, because it is not your fault that the meter was faulty and it isn't your responsibility to get fixed.

[Visitor7]

It might just be Ergon then? (who do Qld electricity). Dunno, I just remember reading it somewhere.

[Trillian]

Maybe Jodi, we're with Country Energy

[Madissun]

Junglemum- Im with Tru Energy also!!

I'll wait and see how much my bill is and if it's unreasonable, i'll take it further. There's only myself and my DS living there and up until December last year, i didn't even have a washing machine or dryer. So if they're going to "guesstimate" on an average household bill, then thats not good enough.

[Pandora]

... if they're going to "guesstimate" on an average household bill, then thats not good enough.

It depends on whether you have never had a bill, or if they have never done a reading.

If the meter is turned on and running (you can tell this by looking at it and checking whether its spinning around) then they take a reading and deduct the initial reading that they did when you had the power connected in your name and thats your bill. They shouldnt have to do an estimate at all if your meter is accessible and in fact I would insist they do a proper reading given the circumstances.

[Pandora]

Suga - we didn't have to pay for ours at all. The electricity was working but nothing was being metred and because it was a new house they had no baseline data to estimate from

[Life is Good]

I really feel for you. This happened to us except it was for 1 whole year that Tru Energy didn't issue a bill and then gave us a whopper $2k one when they finally got their act together.

Every time I called to find out what the problem was and to find out how much we were being charged (we had moved into a new home and I had no idea what our energy consumption was and therefore how much to allocate for electricity in our budget), I was told one tall tale after another (all totally different) and they just wouldn't let me escalate the issue.

Needless to say, I have changed electricity providers because after being lied to so many times, I just don't trust them. Their "apology-for-the-inconvenience-discount" was like $45, which I just found insulting...

I have real sympathy for you and I hope you get it all sorted out in your favour. I just wanted you to know that Tru Energy has done similar things to a whole heap of people