New Alinta Energy Bill after <1 Year since Switching Away

ilubbargains on 18/09/2024 - 13:47

Keen to hear whether anyone has been retrospectively issued a new electricity bill from their old electricity retailer, one year after leaving said old retailer?

Context: I was a long-term Alinta Energy customer until July 2023, before switching to Origin (all hail Guru). Received an Alinta Energy electricity bill this week after >1.25 years of radio silence following the switch. This was after finalising accounts etc back in July 2023.

New Alinta bill is ~$150 and the customer statement I've requested was comprised of 10 separate lines of reversal entries (both credits and debits) that lack detail and substantiation. Upon request, no further detail or explanation of these 10 'adjustment' line items was able to be provided, apart from '…it's part of our reconciliation process…'

Would have thought final accounts mean FINAL. Has anyone had a similar experience of receiving a bill from your old Electricity supplier, after having switched away a while ago? And if so, did you withhold payment and take the 'you can't cut my power cos I'm not with you' stance?

Home & Garden Electricity

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Comments

  • kipps on 18/09/2024 - 13:55

    What state are you in? There are rules about how long ago a retailer can backbill you.

    • ilubbargains on 18/09/2024 - 14:03

      Qld

      • kipps on 18/09/2024 - 14:21
        +7

        The limit for the retailer to go back is 9 months for undercharging.

        https://energy-rules.aemc.gov.au/nerr/603/486264#30

        Rule 30
        Undercharging (SRC and MRC)
        (1)Subject to subrule (2), where a retailer has undercharged a small customer, it may recover from the customer the amount undercharged.
        (2)Where a retailer proposes to recover an amount undercharged the retailer must:
        (a)unless the amount was undercharged as a result of the small customer's fault or unlawful act or omission, limit the amount to be recovered to the amount undercharged in the 9 months before the date the customer is notified of the undercharging; and
        …

        • ilubbargains on 18/09/2024 - 14:47
          +1

          Fountain of knowledge you are, much appreciated.

          • Bruceflix on 18/09/2024 - 15:44

            @ilubbargains: Offer them 1c in good faith otherwise it goes to the Ombudsman and will cost them substantially more than the $0 they deserve

        • oscargamer on 18/09/2024 - 17:11
          +1

          Yeh maybe. If the line items are them trying to take a legitimate bill from your bank account and it didn't go through for some reason, that's not undercharging.

          You do actually need to find out what the bill is for

  • freefall101 on 18/09/2024 - 17:51
    -1

    Would have thought final accounts mean FINAL. Has anyone had a similar experience of receiving a bill from your old Electricity supplier, after having switched away a while ago? And if so, did you withhold payment and take the 'you can't cut my power cos I'm not with you' stance?

    Definitely don't pay, you don't need to.

    I worked at a place once where someone got really into fixing up the discrepancies in the system. Those gremlins that always exist, numbers that don't match for whatever reason, and what you do is just ignore them then wipe them when the account closes. But this genius decided to go process thousands of account adjustments, not knowing that it automatically triggered a invoice at the end of the day to each customer. We then had to call them all up and apologise, any payments requested would be reversed and any discounts/refunds promised were honoured. It sucked.

    If you're really bored, take it to a news network. They'll have a field day with this kind of stuff.

  • ilubbargains on 19/09/2024 - 15:46
    +1

    Thanks all. Got the ombudsman involved. Alinta acknowledged that it took over 12 months to revise the bill so the outstanding amount has been waived. All done within a few hours of being contacted by the ombudsman. Happy days

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