Ombudsman involvement reduces estimated bills

A customer, who was experiencing severe financial hardship, complained that they had received a number of bills from the Retailer based on estimated meter readings. The investigation by the Energy and Water Ombudsman found that the last actual, as opposed to estimated, meter reading was nearly 18 months earlier.

Following the Energy and Water Ombudsman’s involvement, the Distributor arranged a meter reading. The Retailer then recalculated the bill based on the customer’s actual consumption. The Retailer also recovered the undercharged consumption for the last 12 months only, in accordance with the relevant Code. A credit for the amount waived was applied to the customer’s bill.