Customer accumulates debt after a change in electricity providers
Published on 09 October 2024
Alex* had solar installed and changed from his original electricity provider to a subsidiary provider. Bills were paid as usual. After a couple of years, Alex was advised that the subsidiary provider was closing and the account would be transferred back to the primary provider. Alex thought nothing more of it, as all customer details would be moved in the transition and no action needed to be taken on his part.
When Alex noticed he hadn’t had a bill in a while, he contacted the provider and discovered that incorrect contact information had been received for him when the account was moved across. A large debt had accumulated of approximately $3,500 – putting Alex’s family into a difficult financial position.
Here’s how we helped
Since the provider had the wrong contact details on file, Alex received no bills or notices about payment. The power had also not been disconnected at all during this time, which would have alerted Alex of an issue. When Alex called the provider back a short time later, he noted that they still had the incorrect details in their system. He came to us for help.
Our investigation confirmed that incorrect contact information had been carried over, and the provider confirmed that it was their error.
Outcome
As a result of their error, the provider decided to adjust the bill down to $1,200, and then as a commercial decision, further waived the balance, leaving nothing owing.
Alex had not expected the whole amount to be waived and was very grateful. He acknowledged that the financial assistance provided by the provider in waiving the bill had significantly assisted his family and was very pleased with the outcome.
What can you do?
If you aren’t receiving regular bills from your provider, you should contact them to see what the issue is and if it can be resolved. This will help avoid going into debt with your provider.
Read more advice on changing energy providers.
*name changed to protect privacy.