A group of young flatmates are breathing easier after a Fair Go intervention helped convince Genesis Energy to wipe a massive backdated bill for more than 400 days' worth of power.
A Fair Go investigation showed that neither it nor another power company could prove who had ordered a power meter to be reconnected.
The meter is one of two at a single Auckland flat. Having two meters for a single address is unusual and created confusion, and has also highlighted holes in the system for keeping track of power supply and charging.
"It just screams 'uh-uh', " says flatmate Abi Manthel-Brown.
The flat has been home to six 22-year-olds who are finishing studies and starting work. Some have been there just weeks or months, while others moved in together more than a year ago.
One of those originals, Valda Kesonsung has the power bill in her name and runs a flat bank account to pay all bills on time.
"We each put $20 in every week and we've never been short and just pay our power bill as it comes," she explains.
Despite that, they were hit with a massive power charge more than a year after moving in.
"$2800 was on the bill," says Kesonsung, "I was like, w-w-what.. do you mean?"
Genesis offered a 20% discount to clear it, but gave them just six weeks to find that money.
Fair Go's investigation revealed what the power companies thought they knew, but had got wrong.
It starts with the national electricity registry that identifies properties with an electricity supply.
Genesis spokesperson Estelle Sarney says that registry had the wrong information about the flat, namely that it "has two separate electricity installation connection points (ICPs) which have been showing as assigned to separate addresses."
Genesis says it has no "remote visibility" and only picked up one meter when Kesonsung asked them to move her power bill to their new flat address - a process that's a simple tap on an app, with no physical checks.
The property and both meters had previously been with Electric Kiwi, which told Fair Go its customer had moved out more than a month before the new tenants arrived.
Electric Kiwi says it had disconnected both meters weeks before the new tenancy began, but then: "We received a flag that there was consumption on the vacant site, and discovered the site had been reconnected, but this was not done by any of our registered contractors, nor by the metering company.
"That is peculiar as the ICP was with us at that time and no one else has rights to energise it," says Electric Kiwi chief executive Luke Blincoe.
Electric Kiwi says it took months for the unallocated power use to show up on its books and it then ordered a second disconnection.
But with no idea who was using the power, Electric Kiwi hadn't spoken with the flatties when it sent a contractor to disconnect the meter.
"I was like 'OK, strange. No thanks. Leave.' So we kicked him out," says Manthel-Brown.
Calls to the companies by the flatties led nowhere, the flat thought it had all been a mistake, then a second attempt to disconnect months later succeeded.
After getting the power back on, and all under one company, Kesonsung and the flat received that $2800 back-bill from Genesis.
Fair Go asked why that happened, given that the power companies had failed to do their job of correctly charging for power, for at least nine months, and perhaps for more than a year?
"As this was genuine electricity consumption and a cost to us, Genesis had initially been working with the customer on a repayment plan," says Sarney.
"We’re really sympathetic to the experience that Val and her flatties have had. It sounds far from ideal," says Blincoe.
Electric Kiwi offered to pick up half the bill if Genesis covered the rest, but Genesis had already reviewed the case and decided to wipe the bill and wear the cost itself.
"We have contacted the network provider to look at what changes can be made to the way information is held on the electricity registry, to avoid similar issues arising in the event of a future switch to another retailer.
"We will also be contacting the property manager to discuss the two ICPs in the house," says Sarney.
The flatties are just happy this is in the past, though they know the power bills will be much bigger from now on.
Power tips
If you have any doubts about your bill, contact your power company.
Some problems may also be resolved by Utilities Disputes, an independent service for energy complaints.
Phone 0800 22 33 40 or go to https://www.udl.co.nz/ for more information.
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