Poor service in response to billing complaint

Sara received an electricity bill for November 2022 to February 2023 for $800, which she thought was high. She hadn’t used many appliances because part of the property was being renovated. She contacted her retailer and it accepted meter photos from her to adjust the bill. However, when she received the new bill, it had increased to over $3,000.  

Sara contacted the retailer again, but the complaint was not resolved. She contacted EWON and we referred the complaint to the retailer's specialist resolution team.  

Sara returned to EWON because she was unhappy with the progression of the complaint. Her case manager had asked her to send more meter photos and said she would investigate and provide detailed transaction information. Sara did not receive the promised information, so she called repeatedly to speak to her case manager for an update but was told each time that the case manager was not available. When her case manager eventually called her back, Sara was told the bill was accurate. Sara challenged this, and her case manager then requested more meter photos, which she sent. Without receiving any further contact, she received a new electricity bill showing the account was now in credit. She could not contact her case manager by phone or email.  

EWON’s review found the reissued bill for $3,000 was based on Sara’s meter photo, but there was a typo transcribing the meter read onto the bill which significantly increased the usage. Following EWON’s referral, the account was rebilled to correct this, putting the account in credit by $275.  

Sara was frustrated that the retailer did not provide a clear explanation when dealing with her directly, which led to her complaining about customer service. The retailer apologised for the customer service issues. The retailer offered to install a smart meter to ensure actual reads and give her more visibility over her usage.   

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