Restaurant unable to pay estimated bill during lockdown

Jasmine’s restaurant shut in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 restrictions. She then received an electricity bill from her retailer for the month of April for $1175.56, based on an estimated meter read.

Jasmine considered the bill to be high as the only electricity being used was for a single fridge. She provided a meter self-read however the retailer did not accept this. She also said the retailer required her to pay all of the account, which she could not afford, before it would establish a payment plan. Jasmine contacted us when she received a disconnection warning notice. 

Outcome

When we investigated, the retailer placed a hold on the account and said that the notice had been issued in error. It said it had received updated data from the distributor and the estimated bill would be reissued and that this reissued bill would be significantly less than the estimated one.

It also said it would offer an affordable payment plan to Jasmine if she could not afford the new bill. We let Jasmine know and advised her to contact us again if she could not negotiate an affordable payment plan. 

Energy retailers must provide additional support to customers impacted by COVID-19. If you’re having problems paying your bills contact your provider. If you're not happy with its response, contact us.