Customer receives an unexpectedly high bill for a vacant building

Published on 13 September 2024

When Sylvia* received a high bill for her empty commercial building, she contacted her energy provider to find out why. Sylvia’s energy provider said that the bill was a catch-up bill based on an actual meter read. The meter had not been read for 2 years. All the previous bills had been based on estimated meter readings. This meant Sylvia had been undercharged for 2 years.

Here’s how we helped

We wanted to check if there were many cases where it might be over a year before a customer has an actual meter read. We asked the energy provider to look into it and confirm if this had happened with other customers.

The energy provider told us that sometimes customers’ meter readings are estimated, rather than read in-person. This can happen for a few different reasons, but mostly when there are property access issues. It can also be because of extreme weather or scheduled meter reading dates. If there are property access issues twice in a row, the energy provider gives the customer instructions on how to submit a ‘self-read’. A self-read is more accurate than an estimate.

Outcome

The energy provider identified there was an opportunity to provide a better customer experience. They started providing self-read advice to all customers who had 2 estimated bills in a row. They also decided to offer customers the option to install a smart meter when there are issues with easily accessing the meter.

Five other customers had a similar situation. Since the new process started, we did not receive any further complaints.

What can you do?

If you’ve got an estimated bill, you can submit a self-read to avoid a catch-up bill at a later date. If you’re receiving estimated bills because the reader can’t access the meter, contact your provider to try and resolve the problem.

Read more advice on estimated bills or meter issues.

*name changed to protect privacy.