How to Fix Incorrect Electricity Meter Read When The Meter Man Doesn't Come

Ltaxdeduction on 30/08/2022 - 09:32

(Apologies long time lurker first time posting)

Background: moved into new house for 1 year and was on Energy Provider #1. Electricity usage always an estimate and overstated. Reason being I keep my meter box locked as it is publicly accessible. I also didn't thought it was an issue as during each bill, I could submit my own readings to Provider #1 to fix the bill.

Problem: Problem arise when I changed provider in June 22 due to the expected rates increase. I moved to Provider #2 in a 12 month fixed plan. Provider #1 sent me 2 final bills, the 2nd one was over $1.2k. I didn't pay attention after the 1st final bill so by the time I noticed, I was too late to dispute and the money was deducted from my account.

The overpayment is due to months of incorrect meter estimates. Provider #1 advise there will be an actual meter read by Provider #2 in August, and to wait for that to happen. Apparently I was not allowed to submit my own meter readings when closing an account. In preparation I notified Provider #2 my meter lock's combination, as well as kept the box open around the time the reading was due.

Fast forward to today. The promised meter reading did not happen. My new bill from Provider #2 is also on the wrong basis.

What should I do? I know all of this would be fixed if someone from the energy company can come to read my meters. Who is responsible here? Is it the energy companies or the grid distributor? Should I go to the Ombudsman to get these guys to act?

Thanks

TLDR: wrong electricity meter estimates, no one come to read my meters, incorrect bills

Home & Garden

Comments

  • Xistn on 30/08/2022 - 09:42
    +20

    "I keep my meter box locked"

    Theres your problem.

    • JIMB0 on 30/08/2022 - 11:30

      It keeps nosy people from reading the meter.

      • Drakesy on 30/08/2022 - 11:49

        What would they gain from this?

        • Xistn on 30/08/2022 - 11:58
          +2

          You mean Watts to gain?

          I'd say Kilo's

        • JIMB0 on 30/08/2022 - 12:23

          Knowledge of your power consumption.

    • Chandler on 30/08/2022 - 12:16
      +3

      I also don't think that's legal. AFAIK, you're allowed to lock your meter box, but it must be with a lock that accepts the distributors master key.

    • taxdeduction on 30/08/2022 - 12:19
      -3

      as I said in the post, I have now supplied the combination to the energy provider, and I also leave the meter box unlock around the schedule time of the meter read. But no one came to read it

  • oscargamer on 30/08/2022 - 09:55
    +5

    "no one come to read my meters"

    They couldn't, because you kept it locked…………..Do you think people randomly walk around opening other people's meter boxes? For what purpose? What does the lock protect? Not that easy to steal electricity….well it is, but not via the box, but that's another story

    • taxdeduction on 30/08/2022 - 12:21
      -4

      I don't keep it lock anymore during time of meter read. They also have my lock's combination.

      I have read stories people can turn off your electricity switch at night to lure you out of the house

      • oscargamer on 30/08/2022 - 13:16

        How would you know……….if you're asleep ?

        Did you read these stories in the fiction aisle of the library?

        Come on. Yes, everything happens in this weird world, but really? REALLY?

        • gorgrond on 31/08/2022 - 18:31

          The wonders of living in a high trust society, I guess… if you ever lived in a low trust one, you would know.

          • oscargamer on 31/08/2022 - 21:14

            @gorgrond: Your comment probably says more about you than about me

      • fishing on 01/09/2022 - 09:11

        This last sentence is why as a woman I keep my meter box locked

    • ValuexHunter on 04/09/2022 - 20:34

      What is the other story of how easy it is to steal somebodies electricity?
      I thought you can only steal it unmetered from the powerline so you are stealing from the energy distributor not from a neighbour?

  • SF3 on 30/08/2022 - 09:59
    +2

    Who is responsible here?

    "I keep my meter box locked"

    OP.

    Should I go to the OmbudsmanzBargain to get these guys to act?

    FTFY

  • Seraphin7 on 30/08/2022 - 10:00

    What is the actual purpose of keeping meter box locked?

    I'm genuinely interested in what realistic benefit someone could gain from having access to another's meter box?

    • Xistn on 30/08/2022 - 10:23
      +4

      Well if I was a naughty kid…. flicks off every switch

    • Ocker on 30/08/2022 - 11:11
      +1

      I reckon at least 90% of meter boxes are publicly accessible

    • Shadowsfury on 30/08/2022 - 11:27
      +2

      Turn off security system

  • JimmyF on 30/08/2022 - 11:34
    +4

    Electricity usage always an estimate and overstated. Reason being I keep my meter box locked as it is publicly accessible

    So you caused the issue yourself by locking the box with an unapproved lock? They have approved locks that have a shared key so the meter reader can open them.

    Have you had any issues with the box being publicly accessible? Most meter boxes in Australia have been this way…….. so the meter reader could well read them ;)

    If you had been in VIC, they all have smart meters that can be read remotely. Maybe request one as an upgrade for your meter in NSW.

    • taxdeduction on 30/08/2022 - 12:22
      -1

      the provider I am with allow a BYO lock as long as we give them the combination, which I have.

      are meters commonly in the same box as the eletric switches? if the meters themselves are public but the switches are not then that would have been a better set up.

      • JimmyF on 30/08/2022 - 13:58
        +1

        the provider I am with allow a BYO lock as long as we give them the combination, which I have.

        It is not provider who reads the meter, so that advice doesn't sound right, have a read here, as I said there are special locks to use.

        https://meterkeys.com.au/faqs/

        are meters commonly in the same box as the eletric switches? if the meters themselves are public but the switches are not then that would have been a better set up.

        Yes meters and 'switches' as you call it, aka fuses aka circuit breakers.

        Have you had any issues?

  • SuperMick on 30/08/2022 - 11:38
    +6

    I always used to keep my meter box locked. It was to stop thieves turning off the power, and bashing you over the head when you went out to check if a fuse had blown, then robbing your house, car etc. A few years ago these robberies were happening in Perth, and this is what the police advised. You can still buy a special lock to go onto the meter box, and the meter reader has a key to fit it, so that he or she can open it, or like we have now, a glass or perspex window, so that the meter can be scanned.

    • pharkurnell on 30/08/2022 - 11:52

      straight from hollywood LOL

    • JimmyF on 30/08/2022 - 17:09
      -1

      WA sounds classy…..

  • Domingo on 30/08/2022 - 12:07

    The overpayment is due to months of incorrect meter estimates.

    Does this mean there were months of under charges due to meter estimates, which got trued up with the final bill?

    Or was the final meter read an estimate that was significantly different from their previous estimate and if so, on what basis did they estimate it differently?

    • taxdeduction on 30/08/2022 - 12:24

      every bill I sent them a photo of the actual meter readings. That seems to have only adjusted the bills but not the readings themselves, so I was hit with a massive bill at the end (which I was not able to fix due to provider #1 not accepting my self-read)

      • oscargamer on 30/08/2022 - 13:17

        But it's fair to say that you are ultimately only paying what you owe?

  • Daniel Plainview on 30/08/2022 - 13:17
    +1

    Pretty simple - submit your own reads, most retailers have a process for this - do that way. There's no perfect solution, so if you want to keep utility box locked (which I think is questionable and perhaps not even legal as is owned by the utility provider?) and not have estimates - this is the only way.

    Most retailers will tell you how to do this to their satisfaction.

  • bargainhntr on 30/08/2022 - 13:23
    +1

    This probaably differs from state to state and retailer to retailer but I recall energy retailers only requiring to do one actual meter read per annum. Frequency is probably more than that but I believe they usually outline that their standard is once per year.

    That said, it sounds like you do lock your meter box with an unapproved lock. Otherwise what was the relevance to putting that into your post if you took it off during meter reads?

    The alternative would be to get a smart meter installed in the future - that way you'll be able to lock your meter box and the retailer can remotely read your actuals.

  • taxdeduction on 30/08/2022 - 14:02

    Thanks for the feedback everyone. the take aways:
    1) yes my fault for locking the box in the past.
    2) sounds like not a big deal leaving the meter box unlocked
    3) wait for the next meter read and then fix up all the billing issues

  • Love a bargain on 30/08/2022 - 14:18
    +1

    Look at it from the bright side, you've prepaid some of your electricity usage at a lower rate.

  • kiitos on 31/08/2022 - 07:26

    Not sure how it can be fixed up properly now that you've been using electricity with provider 2 and they still haven't taken an actual reading.

  • 2esc on 31/08/2022 - 08:31

    I made a meter box i could lock so it couldn't be tampered with (tap was getting turned off by kids?).

    But i included a hole that allows the meter reader to see the meter numbers.

  • Marty156 on 31/08/2022 - 09:14

    Same issue when changed providers recently.
    BUT meter box NOT locked.
    So, who estimates what the correct reading should have been at changeover time?
    The old retailer, or the new -and how can you prove who is correct?

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