A distraught couple have lashed out at gas giant AGL for sending them a $5000+ gas bill for an all but empty apartment.
Wally and Jenny Jacobs, who spend a total of three weeks per year in their Melbourne flat, explained that the property is vacant with the gas mains switched off the remainder of the time.
Despite this, they received three gas bills this year totaling more than $5000 when it ‘should be less than $10’.
AGL sent a couple three bills totaling $5440 for a flat that they spend three weeks per year in
The Jacobs told The Age that they received two ‘totally bloody ridiculous’ gas bills of $2863 and $1900, leaving them with a total bill of $4762.
When they disputed the amount, they were left with a ‘staggering’ bill 5440 for a totally of 179 days.
Mr Jacobs said that all they do in the apartment is use the heater and boil some water.
‘What can I say, I thought I had to go and get my eyes checked. From previous bills it’s never been like that.’
When contacted, AGL said that they had had trouble reading the meter at the property, and had based the bills off an estimate.
But the Jacobs said that the gate that lead to the meter remains unlocked, and were mystified as to why the company couldn’t access the reading.
An AGL spokeswoman said they would investigate why the distributor had not been able to read the Jacobs’ meter.
AGL said that they had had trouble reading the gas meter at the Jacobs property in Melbourne
‘In this case, it appears the customer has received estimated bills for an extended period of time, and further investigation is required to understand and validate the readings provided,’ an AGL spokesperson told the Victorian publication.
The Jacobs are not the only ones to have had this issue; the Victorian Energy and Water Ombudsman has received 406 complaints so far this year in relation to estimated gas bills.
‘It’s fair to say that it is really confusing for customers when they get an estimation because in this day and age they assume their meters will be read and based on actual data,’ Cynthia Gebert, Victoria’s Energy and Water Ombudsman, said.
Mr Jacobs is angry that customers are able to be billed based on an estimate and not the meter
Ms Gerbert said gas companies needed to communicate better with their customers when bills were estimated.
Mr Jacobs said he believed it may be a wider problem than just their bill and that the problem is ‘systematic’.
‘As a consumer you sign a contract with AGL. The gas usage is determined by reading a meter but where in the contract does it say the consumer is billed by estimate only?’ he asked.