A HEAP of Shit Things about Origin Energy
I like to collate information - 2 reasons - it's gets the bigger picture from a range of sources in the one place; and if the source ever goes off line - it's still available.
Origin Energy? Loads of BAD news about them...
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/11/13/origin-energy-under-scrutiny-over-anti-renewables-stance
Origin Energy, Australia's largest energy retailer, came under intense scrutiny today from shareholders at the Annual General Meeting in Sydney over it's energy portfolio placing great emphasis on development of gas, poor investment in wind and solar power, and a campaign by Managing Director Grant King to destabilise the Renewable Energy Target.
At one stage a banner was quickly unfurled infront of the board on the stage which said "Origin: Build wind and solar, not coal and gas". It was just as quickly taken down.
According to Ian Rose on twitter, investors were more interested in reading a flyer talking about lack of solar than the annual report.
Origin Managing Director Grant King blamed the solar renewable energy target scheme for costing the company as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald: "The uncapped nature of the small scale renewable scheme has led to an increased cost of the scheme to customers of about approximately $3.2 billion,’’ he said. “The $3.2 billion cost of the [scheme] would have allowed most Australians to have smart meters installed.”
But shareholders were worried about the miniscule contribution of renewables to the overall generation portfolio. At one stage Grant King talked about how great the work with wind farms is, but neglected to mention it only makes up 1% of Origin's energy product.
“We won’t jeopardise our social licence and we certainly don’t want to be a James Hardie,” chairman Mr Kevin McCann said. “We have a team of environmentalists working with the government under strict regulations in Queensland. But it is important to note that gas is no longer a transitional fuel." reported the Sydney Morning Herald.
But that is exactly what gas is. A transition fuel. Coal seam gas is a carbon intensive fossil fuel that won't last forever. Extraction through fracking using a cocktail of carcinogenic chemicals risks damage to agricultural land and underground water and acquifers that many farmers and rural communities are dependent upon. Developing gas infrastructure at the expense of developing renewables results in Carbon lock-in: social-technological inertias increasing our addiction to coal-fired energy and the CSG. The earlier we develop 100 percent renewable power generation, the more likely we are to avoid 6 degrees of Global warming this century.
Origin has provided $A3.6 billion to the $US23 billion ($A22.2 billion) Australia Pacific LNG project, of which it is a 37.5 percent stakeholder. The project mines and converts coal seam gas (CSG) to liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Queensland. Rural and Farming communities continue to protest CSG citing environmental damage and impact on the land, the water system and agriculture caused by hydraulic fracturing (fracking).
It is about time businesses like Origin Energy started being energy leaders in strategic investment in non polluting energy. One of the reasons there has been a massive adoption of small scale solar in Australia under the Government's Renewable Energy Target is because business is failing to make the large investments in large scale solar thermal and wind farms, and exploring the possibilities of geothermal and wave technologies, both of which show great potential.
Sources:
http://www.perthnow.com.au/the-human-face-of-energy-companies-greed/story-fn6mhb6v-1226381901627
"Ray had been very sick, so we spent 51 days in Canberra Hospital, not even at home using energy, so I simply wanted to question the $515 bill," Mrs Ryan said. "It was a 51 per cent increase on our last payment."
Mrs Ryan, who paid half the bill until the "dispute" was sorted, was left stunned by a letter from Origin/Integral demanding the remaining $257 or have their power disconnected.
"They are using the fact Ray is on life-support to make us pay," Mrs Ryan said.
A spokeswoman for the Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW (EWON) said legislation bans energy providers from cutting off electricity while a life-support system is in use.
She said customers had a right to request their supplier investigate a bill's accuracy if in dispute and are urged to contact the Ombudsman.
Last week, The Sunday Telegraph revealed that EWON has recorded a 21 per cent spike in complaints from customers denied payment extensions. The utility watchdog has been inundated with complaints about high or disputed bills, with 2708 complaints in the past six months.
Mrs Ryan alleges: "They had a very threatening attitude and sent a woman to examine our house in April. She walked around trying to tell me I had left the power on appliances, which I hadn't.
"Then we showed her Ray's life-support machine. She knew it was there. I told the operator on Monday when I received the final notice about the life-support."
But the energy giant defended their decision to threaten the family with cutting the power, saying Mrs Ryan hadn't informed them of her husband's life support machine - in writing.
"The Ryan's account was not registered with Origin as having a life-support system. It is important that customers who rely on life support contact their retailer directly to register these important details," a spokesman said. "We'll continue to work with the Ryans to help them resolve this matter, and ensure our records reflect their current situation."
The couple's struggle is a far cry from the lives led by the heads of the energy company.
Grant King, managing director of Origin Energy, which took over Integral's electricity retail business in March, 2011, made $4.51 million last year in remuneration and short-term benefits, a 12.5 per cent increase on the previous year.
Origin chairman Kevin McCann, 71, earned $605,000 in remuneration and short-term benefits last year, up 8.7 per cent on the previous year.
http://aussiehomeenergy.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/50k-bill-aussie-electricity-bill.html
When you hear of a householder in Australia receiving a $50,000 electricity bill, the first thing that often comes to mind, is electricity retailer incompetence!
It sure does make you wonder how good the regulations are for electricity billing in Australia. And moreso what system is in place, to make these regulations stick!
Surely a random selection of generated electricity bills are checked for error by humans, within these over sized electricity retailers? Or are the electricity bills computed and just sent out with no sample error checking? The latter could be more wide spread than thought. Based on a recent discussion with an electricity retailer's customer service centre. Where we were told no-one checked the computer generated bills. That task was up to the receiver of the bill! And we know most Aussie householder's do not check the electricity bill 100%.
An error we found during an electricity bill analysis, which we would say was systemic, is on this blog post WHY IT PAYS TO CHECK FOR ELECTRICITY BILL ERRORS.
With the constant rise in complaints across Australian States and our ELECTRICITY AUDITING SERVICE finding more and more errors in electricity billing and metering, something needs to be done fast. To reduce this lack of electricity bill good faith, that is almost now becoming the norm.
Ombudsman's for electricity in most States, are now reporting huge increases in complaints. And it appears commonly these complaints are focused on the three main electricity retailers, Origin Energy, Energy Australia and AGL Sales.
If you have ever tried calling the Customer Service Centre of any large electricity retailer, you will no doubt have come away with nothing more than a sense of disbelief, assuming you could get someone on the other end of the line whom understood your problem in the first case.
We know there are electricity bill errors and if you are reading this, then there is a good chance you have questions about your electricity bill too.
Today Tonight summaries some of the confusion very well, with a VIDEO on the the woman whom received electricity bills in error up to $50,000!
If you have had electricity bill errors, why not leave your story here to inform others.
This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.
https://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130412193833AALFXHD
(He seemed a bit too excited and so I redrafted it so it read right)
They changed my meter on the 9th of May 2012 after continues complaints about excessively high power bills the meter was saying I was using 20,000KW per year for the last four years. The average home in my area is 7,000KW per year.
Now with my old meter I have used 8,328kw in 11 month but they still are saying there is nothing wrong with the new meter and that I have changed something in my house (Which is a load of crap) I still live in the same house with the same amount of people and still have the same Airconditioner and electrical appliances as previously had with the old meter but my usage even with the hot summer we have had is under half of that. What the old meter was saying. My usage last summer with the old meter was 3047kw for 90 days this year in the same period with the new meter is 6,500kw for 93 days a massive difference.
http://www.energywatch.com.au/news/article/Electricity_and_gas_complaints_on_the_rise_in_Victoria
A separate January- March report exposed an increase of 24 percent for total electricity complaints, while there was a massive 42 percent jump for gas complaints in comparison to the same figures of last year. The disputes related relating to electricity disconnections had also increased; almost doubling in size reaching 376 cases.
The energy spokesman for Vinnie’s, Gavin Dufty stated that the industry had to work very hard to lift its standards. “What this requires is strong regulatory enforcement,” Mr Duffy stated. Strong regulatory enforcement was required in order to bring about the changes.
Essential Services Commission chief David Heeps stated that systemic issues that had reported in relation to the regulator had also been investigated. The protection policies provided to consumers covered the compensation for wrongful disconnections as well as time limits on back billing.
The latest investigations revealed that a retailer had mishandled pay on time discounts for up to 15,000 customers, while smart meters had just been recording power use of around 20 per cent for approximately 1,200 people. Complaints are becoming more severe and almost to the point of being ridiculous, with one pensioner submitting a complaint regarding his energy bill doubling, despite his home tragically burning down in a fire.
Do you have a problem with your bill? Contact the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria on 1800 500 509
Posted: 28 August 2013
http://corpau.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/origin-energy-solar-rebate-fraud.html
The Australian government is pushing the masses to install solar panels on the roofs of their home, in a so called bid to go with ‘green energy’, covering up a more desperate reality, is the privatised utilities did not expand with population growth and demand.
Previously government/public owned utilities have been sold and consequently bastardised, with this fraudulent state of operations only supported by government and not regulated.
http://www.servicerage.com/energy/origin-energy
6% Positive. 94% Negative.
http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/cheat-sheet-how-your-energy-provider-measures-up/story-fnda1bsz-1226561009638
KEEP getting calls from energy companies pestering you to switch your account? Confounded by offers of hefty discounts and deals?
Customers who switch to some of the country's biggest energy companies are finding the promised service doesn't always measure up.
Australia's biggest energy providers, including Origin and AGL, are being slammed by customers online for poor customer service, billing errors, incorrect meter readings and high account fees.
Consumer website ProductReview.com.au looked at over 1300 reviews to tally the number of complaints and positive reviews about providers in a number of categories to give a run-down of the worst performers.
"Typically, people are looking for value for money but many believe they are being over-charged, misled and ripped off," said ProductReview.com.au spokesman Samuel Williamson.
Here is a cheat sheet of the best and worst providers.
Customer service
Origin Energy got the worst rap in the category of customer service, with people complaining of poor reliability and flexibility when arranging meter reading times and being hung up on by customer service staff.
Integral Energy was rated best.
Meter reading
Origin also clocked the most complaints about incorrect meter readings, with one customer reporting being charged for a meter reading almost 200 points higher than the actual figure showing on the meter at her home.
Other customers, especially those in regional areas, report being upset over ‘estimate' readings which lead to bills that are higher than those based on ‘actual' meter figures.
Simply Energy, Red Energy and Click Energy tied for best rating.
A spokesman for Origin Energy declined to comment on specific complaints, but told news.com.au: "Origin is best placed to respond to our customers' questions, issues or complaints when they ring us directly.
"While network businesses are responsible for reading customers' meters, we're happy to work with customers and their local network provider to help resolve any queries or concerns."
http://www.warrackherald.com.au/blog/2012/08/20/those-with-solar-paying-out/
Outraged, the two men have written and spoken to the Victorian Energy and Water Ombudsman and district resident and community justice advocate Di Bell.
One of the men, Ian Fisher, received a bill from Origin Energy with a $702 charge for “meter alterations”, when his meter was changed over to a solar compatible meter.
“How does this make sense. We pay for it with a $25 charge added to our bills each quarter to cover the cost of a smart meter and now a lump sum too, it’s double dipping,” he said.
“I have nothing against smart meters, but this is ridiculous. We pay all this money and we don’t even own the meter.”
Mr Fisher took his complaint to the Ombudsman, who sent him a letter stating they had referred his complaint to a higher level representative at Origin Energy to investigate.
Mr Fisher said he had been contacted on Thursday morning, but was given few answers for the charge and was told he would have to pay.
The other resident, Peter Saunders, has had solar panels for a number of years and they were not only installed when the incident occurred, but there were signs on his meter box stating he had solar panels.
“Whoever installed the meter should have read the sign and taken notice to install the correct meter,” he said.
Mr Saunders knew smart meters were being installed in Warracknabeal and requested one be installed on his home as soon as possible.
During that week the workers installed the meter, but installed one which was non-solar compatible, so they came back the next day to rectify the mistake.
Mr Saunders then received a bill from his provider Lumo Energy, which had a charge of $280 for the meter installation.
Upon phoning Lumo Energy Mr Saunders received a $50 credit, and soon changed his supplier to to Red Energy.
“A Lumo Energy representative phoned me up asking why I had changed to Red Energy, and when I explained the situation they denied it,” he said.
“I told them I had the bill and so they went to look it up on the computer, and all of a sudden the line dropped dead.”
“The next day a different representative from Lumo Energy called asking the same question, and again upon searching the line dropped dead.”
Mr Saunders said after that incident, no one had phoned him again.
The Herald had contacted Lumo Energy, but at the time of going to press the representative was unable to comment on the situation.
An Origin Energy spokesperson said the “meter alteration” fee was not a retail charge and that it was a direct pass-through cost from the distributor.
“The customer had solar panels installed earlier this year. As part of the installation process, the relevant distributor, in this case Powercor, had to inspect and upgrade the customer’s meter for safety purposes,” they said.
“Prior to the distributor visiting the property to complete this work, Origin contacted the customer on February 22 to advise that the distributor may charge a fee for completion of solar metering and that this fee would appear on their electricity bill once the meter upgrade had been completed.”
“In order for this to be arranged, the customer must advise Origin it accepts that a fee may be incurred. Our records indicate that the customer accepted this fee.”
In a reply to Mr Saunders’ letter, Ms Bell said she had heard of three other people in the area being asked to pay more than $700 for a suitable meter for their solar power.
“I am sure there would be more who have not contacted us,” she said.
If any other district residents have similar issues concerning smart meter charges and changeovers they are urged to contact the Herald.
And the Grand Daddy of complaints
http://www.google.com.au/cse?q=Origin+Energy&sa=Search&cx=partner-pub-7756615239466029%3Aqtlp26cgm3i&ie=ISO-8859-1#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=Origin%20Energy&gsc.page=1
http://www.productreview.com.au/p/origin-energy.html
Origin Energy? Loads of BAD news about them...
http://indymedia.org.au/2012/11/13/origin-energy-under-scrutiny-over-anti-renewables-stance
Origin Energy under scrutiny over anti-renewables stance
Origin Energy, Australia's largest energy retailer, came under intense scrutiny today from shareholders at the Annual General Meeting in Sydney over it's energy portfolio placing great emphasis on development of gas, poor investment in wind and solar power, and a campaign by Managing Director Grant King to destabilise the Renewable Energy Target.At one stage a banner was quickly unfurled infront of the board on the stage which said "Origin: Build wind and solar, not coal and gas". It was just as quickly taken down.
According to Ian Rose on twitter, investors were more interested in reading a flyer talking about lack of solar than the annual report.
Origin Managing Director Grant King blamed the solar renewable energy target scheme for costing the company as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald: "The uncapped nature of the small scale renewable scheme has led to an increased cost of the scheme to customers of about approximately $3.2 billion,’’ he said. “The $3.2 billion cost of the [scheme] would have allowed most Australians to have smart meters installed.”
But shareholders were worried about the miniscule contribution of renewables to the overall generation portfolio. At one stage Grant King talked about how great the work with wind farms is, but neglected to mention it only makes up 1% of Origin's energy product.
MT @iannrose: GrantKing talking about how great work with wind farms, neglects to mention it only makes up 1% of energy product #originAGMSimilarly, Origin's investments in gas, including CSG, was strongly talked up, with no mention of the carbon pollution emission risks or social unrest this is causing in rural farming communities. At one stage the Origin board was challenged on due diligence around CSG. "Please don't make Origin another James Hardie."
— 100% renewable(@100renew) November 11, 2012
“We won’t jeopardise our social licence and we certainly don’t want to be a James Hardie,” chairman Mr Kevin McCann said. “We have a team of environmentalists working with the government under strict regulations in Queensland. But it is important to note that gas is no longer a transitional fuel." reported the Sydney Morning Herald.
But that is exactly what gas is. A transition fuel. Coal seam gas is a carbon intensive fossil fuel that won't last forever. Extraction through fracking using a cocktail of carcinogenic chemicals risks damage to agricultural land and underground water and acquifers that many farmers and rural communities are dependent upon. Developing gas infrastructure at the expense of developing renewables results in Carbon lock-in: social-technological inertias increasing our addiction to coal-fired energy and the CSG. The earlier we develop 100 percent renewable power generation, the more likely we are to avoid 6 degrees of Global warming this century.
Origin has provided $A3.6 billion to the $US23 billion ($A22.2 billion) Australia Pacific LNG project, of which it is a 37.5 percent stakeholder. The project mines and converts coal seam gas (CSG) to liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Queensland. Rural and Farming communities continue to protest CSG citing environmental damage and impact on the land, the water system and agriculture caused by hydraulic fracturing (fracking).
Grant King speaking at #originAGM emphasizing Gas as their core energy source. He didn't mention environmental costs of this. #originAGMLindsay Soutar, National Coordinator of 100% Renewable lobby group made a statement prior to the AGM which said:
— Nicola Moir (@NicolaMoirArt) November 11, 2012
“We know that Origin has been hard at work lobbying MPs to cut the renewable energy target. But Origin’s anti-renewables stance has more to do with defending its poor investment decisions in coal and gas than with the cost of the target.
“While the world is embracing renewable energy with $271 billion invested globally last year – more than that invested in coal and gas - less than 5% of Origin’s energy generation comes from renewables sources. It’s increasingly looking like Origin has backed the wrong horse.
“While Origin’s public advertising is trying to maintain an image of being renewable energy leaders, behind the scenes they are major renewable energy blockers, trying to change the rules of the game to suit their own investments.
“Origin has over 500,000 Greenpower customers who actively support renewable energy. They would be very disturbed if they realised the lengths Mr King has been going to destabilise the Renewable Energy Target” said Ms Soutar.
"A recent poll of 1800 Origin customers showed that 90% of them would consider switching to a retailer who genuinely supported renewable energy.
“Grant King is completely out of step with the community in his attempts to stifle renewable energy. Today we are calling on Origin to stop blocking and start backing renewable energy.
“If Mr King really cared about rising energy prices, he’d do well to focus less on his own bonus, and more on investing in the only source of power whose costs are falling – wind and solar” said Ms Soutar.
Shareholder at Origin AGM speaks to tv cameras. Calls for CEO bonus to not be approved over RET position twitter.com/100renew/statu…Last week, Origin Energy shares dropped to the lowest level since 2008 after it issued a profit downgrade. A PriceWaterhouseCoopers (UK) report - PwC Low Carbon Index 2012 (PDF) - last week warned that business-as-usual is not an option "More carbon intensive sectors need to anticipate more invasive regulation and the possibility of stranded assets." warned the report.
— 100% renewable(@100renew) November 11, 2012
It is about time businesses like Origin Energy started being energy leaders in strategic investment in non polluting energy. One of the reasons there has been a massive adoption of small scale solar in Australia under the Government's Renewable Energy Target is because business is failing to make the large investments in large scale solar thermal and wind farms, and exploring the possibilities of geothermal and wave technologies, both of which show great potential.
Sources:
- 100% Renewables media release 18 November, 2012 - Origin chief feels heat over anti-renewables stance
- Su-Lin Tan, Sydney Morning Herald, 12 November 2012 - Renewable energy scheme cost $3.2 billion: Origin
- Image of banner unfurled at AGM Courtesy 100% Renewable: Facebook photos: Origin AGM shareholder action
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http://www.perthnow.com.au/the-human-face-of-energy-companies-greed/story-fn6mhb6v-1226381901627
The human face of energy companies' greed - Origin/Integral threaten to cut off elderly man on life-support machine
Ray and Muriel Ryan, at home in Bowral this week, are being threatened with losing their power over a $257 bill, despite Ray being on a life-support machine. Picture: Anthony Reginato Source: The Sunday Telegraph
The oxygen machine Ray Ryan uses at his Bowral home. Source: The Daily Telegraph
POWER provider Origin/Integral has been branded "heartless and greedy" after an 85-year-old on a life-support machine was told electricity to his home would be cut if he didn't pay his bill.
Cancer sufferer Ray Ryan, who relies on tanked oxygen to survive, and his wife, Muriel, 64, says Origin/Integral made the threat after they challenged an "abnormally high" power bill."Ray had been very sick, so we spent 51 days in Canberra Hospital, not even at home using energy, so I simply wanted to question the $515 bill," Mrs Ryan said. "It was a 51 per cent increase on our last payment."
Mrs Ryan, who paid half the bill until the "dispute" was sorted, was left stunned by a letter from Origin/Integral demanding the remaining $257 or have their power disconnected.
"They are using the fact Ray is on life-support to make us pay," Mrs Ryan said.
A spokeswoman for the Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW (EWON) said legislation bans energy providers from cutting off electricity while a life-support system is in use.
She said customers had a right to request their supplier investigate a bill's accuracy if in dispute and are urged to contact the Ombudsman.
Last week, The Sunday Telegraph revealed that EWON has recorded a 21 per cent spike in complaints from customers denied payment extensions. The utility watchdog has been inundated with complaints about high or disputed bills, with 2708 complaints in the past six months.
Mrs Ryan alleges: "They had a very threatening attitude and sent a woman to examine our house in April. She walked around trying to tell me I had left the power on appliances, which I hadn't.
"Then we showed her Ray's life-support machine. She knew it was there. I told the operator on Monday when I received the final notice about the life-support."
But the energy giant defended their decision to threaten the family with cutting the power, saying Mrs Ryan hadn't informed them of her husband's life support machine - in writing.
"The Ryan's account was not registered with Origin as having a life-support system. It is important that customers who rely on life support contact their retailer directly to register these important details," a spokesman said. "We'll continue to work with the Ryans to help them resolve this matter, and ensure our records reflect their current situation."
The couple's struggle is a far cry from the lives led by the heads of the energy company.
Grant King, managing director of Origin Energy, which took over Integral's electricity retail business in March, 2011, made $4.51 million last year in remuneration and short-term benefits, a 12.5 per cent increase on the previous year.
Origin chairman Kevin McCann, 71, earned $605,000 in remuneration and short-term benefits last year, up 8.7 per cent on the previous year.
http://aussiehomeenergy.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/50k-bill-aussie-electricity-bill.html
Friday, January 31, 2014
$50K Bill? Aussie Electricity Bill Complaints Increase
 |
| Electricity Bill Errors On The Rise |
It sure does make you wonder how good the regulations are for electricity billing in Australia. And moreso what system is in place, to make these regulations stick!
Surely a random selection of generated electricity bills are checked for error by humans, within these over sized electricity retailers? Or are the electricity bills computed and just sent out with no sample error checking? The latter could be more wide spread than thought. Based on a recent discussion with an electricity retailer's customer service centre. Where we were told no-one checked the computer generated bills. That task was up to the receiver of the bill! And we know most Aussie householder's do not check the electricity bill 100%.
An error we found during an electricity bill analysis, which we would say was systemic, is on this blog post WHY IT PAYS TO CHECK FOR ELECTRICITY BILL ERRORS.
With the constant rise in complaints across Australian States and our ELECTRICITY AUDITING SERVICE finding more and more errors in electricity billing and metering, something needs to be done fast. To reduce this lack of electricity bill good faith, that is almost now becoming the norm.
Ombudsman's for electricity in most States, are now reporting huge increases in complaints. And it appears commonly these complaints are focused on the three main electricity retailers, Origin Energy, Energy Australia and AGL Sales.
If you have ever tried calling the Customer Service Centre of any large electricity retailer, you will no doubt have come away with nothing more than a sense of disbelief, assuming you could get someone on the other end of the line whom understood your problem in the first case.
We know there are electricity bill errors and if you are reading this, then there is a good chance you have questions about your electricity bill too.
Today Tonight summaries some of the confusion very well, with a VIDEO on the the woman whom received electricity bills in error up to $50,000!
If you have had electricity bill errors, why not leave your story here to inform others.
This blog post and podcast brought to you by Aussie Home Energy, a major player in the HOME ELECTRICITY REDUCTION SERVICE industry in Australia.
https://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130412193833AALFXHD
(He seemed a bit too excited and so I redrafted it so it read right)
Have your been riiped off by ORIGIN ENERGY?
To all my friends please change your provider from origin energy as they have ripped me of to the tune off $10,000 - $12,000 and will not except any responsibility neither will etsa which is now SA power network.
They changed my meter on the 9th of May 2012 after continues complaints about excessively high power bills the meter was saying I was using 20,000KW per year for the last four years. The average home in my area is 7,000KW per year.
Now with my old meter I have used 8,328kw in 11 month but they still are saying there is nothing wrong with the new meter and that I have changed something in my house (Which is a load of crap) I still live in the same house with the same amount of people and still have the same Airconditioner and electrical appliances as previously had with the old meter but my usage even with the hot summer we have had is under half of that. What the old meter was saying. My usage last summer with the old meter was 3047kw for 90 days this year in the same period with the new meter is 6,500kw for 93 days a massive difference.
THIS IS CRAP AND I WILL NOW MAKE IT MY LIFE AMBITION TO GET AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO CHANGE THERE ACCOUNTS AWAY FROM ORIGIN ENERGY. AT LEAST IT WILL COST THEM MORE THAN ME IN THE LONG RUN.
AND WHEN THEY RING AND ASK WHY YOU HAVE CHANGED PLEASE TELL THEM ITS BECAUSE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO JASON BUNTING AND HIS FAMILY.
PLEASE SHARE THIS TO ALL YOUR FRIEND AND LETS GET THIS VIRAL ALL AROUND AUSTRALIA.
I WANT THIS TO HURT THEM WHERE IT HAS HURT ME THE MOST IN THE POCKET........
P.S. NEXT IS ALL THE NEWS CREWS, TODAY TONIGHT, ACCURRENT AFFAIRS, ABC NEWS ALL THE RADIO STATIONS ECT ECT ECT ECT.
AND WHEN THEY RING AND ASK WHY YOU HAVE CHANGED PLEASE TELL THEM ITS BECAUSE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO JASON BUNTING AND HIS FAMILY.
PLEASE SHARE THIS TO ALL YOUR FRIEND AND LETS GET THIS VIRAL ALL AROUND AUSTRALIA.
I WANT THIS TO HURT THEM WHERE IT HAS HURT ME THE MOST IN THE POCKET........
P.S. NEXT IS ALL THE NEWS CREWS, TODAY TONIGHT, ACCURRENT AFFAIRS, ABC NEWS ALL THE RADIO STATIONS ECT ECT ECT ECT.
Best Answer
I'm sorry that you have to go through such a thing with Origin Energy. I know a friend who have experienced the same thing, but with a different provider. Your best move now is to switch energy companies. All the best!
http://www.energywatch.com.au/news/article/Electricity_and_gas_complaints_on_the_rise_in_Victoria
Electricity and gas complaints on the rise in Victoria
The Victorian energy and water ombudsman is on the receiving end of over 100 electricity and gas complaints per day, totalling 16,891 electricity and 3,928 gas billing complaints and queries within the first half of this year. Billing issues accounted for more than half of all Energy and Water Ombudsman cases. “We are working with retailers to help them better manage consumer complaints and communicate about payment options and hardship,” stated Ombudsman Cynthia Gebert.A separate January- March report exposed an increase of 24 percent for total electricity complaints, while there was a massive 42 percent jump for gas complaints in comparison to the same figures of last year. The disputes related relating to electricity disconnections had also increased; almost doubling in size reaching 376 cases.
The energy spokesman for Vinnie’s, Gavin Dufty stated that the industry had to work very hard to lift its standards. “What this requires is strong regulatory enforcement,” Mr Duffy stated. Strong regulatory enforcement was required in order to bring about the changes.
Essential Services Commission chief David Heeps stated that systemic issues that had reported in relation to the regulator had also been investigated. The protection policies provided to consumers covered the compensation for wrongful disconnections as well as time limits on back billing.
The latest investigations revealed that a retailer had mishandled pay on time discounts for up to 15,000 customers, while smart meters had just been recording power use of around 20 per cent for approximately 1,200 people. Complaints are becoming more severe and almost to the point of being ridiculous, with one pensioner submitting a complaint regarding his energy bill doubling, despite his home tragically burning down in a fire.
Do you have a problem with your bill? Contact the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria on 1800 500 509
Posted: 28 August 2013
http://corpau.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/origin-energy-solar-rebate-fraud.html
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Origin Energy solar rebate fraud
Origin Energy has been caught out in defrauding customers thousands of dollars each in a solar rebate fraud.
The Australian government is pushing the masses to install solar panels on the roofs of their home, in a so called bid to go with ‘green energy’, covering up a more desperate reality, is the privatised utilities did not expand with population growth and demand.What the general population also are not aware of is the resources required and the energy needed to produce the so called ‘green energy’ solar cells far outweighs their ‘free energy’ benefit.
Once ‘switching’ over to Origin Energy, customers who have solar on their roofs are told by Origin that heir panels are not producing any electricity, and therefore are not entitled to a rebate.
Once questioned or put up against a wall with information and proof of fraud, Origin, back peddles and says that the customer does not owe anything when it comes to paying their electricity bill.
This is analogous to a person shoplifting, but once caught by police they apologise, and wish to return the stolen product, without any criminal convictions, which in real life does not work.
Corporations are allowed, by the authorities, to steal monies from the masses without any consequences.
Previously government/public owned utilities have been sold and consequently bastardised, with this fraudulent state of operations only supported by government and not regulated.
http://www.servicerage.com/energy/origin-energy
1.5 out of 5 stars
10th of 14 companies in energy
Origin's rating is based on the 3845 social media comments made since we began tracking their consumer complaints and customer service feedback over 1 year ago. Of these, we classified 2253 as relevant — either negative or positive. Our process rates companies by comparing their split of positive to negative comments against their competitors in Energy:
6% Positive. 94% Negative.
http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/cheat-sheet-how-your-energy-provider-measures-up/story-fnda1bsz-1226561009638
Cheat sheet: How your energy provider rates
KEEP getting calls from energy companies pestering you to switch your account? Confounded by offers of hefty discounts and deals?
Customers who switch to some of the country's biggest energy companies are finding the promised service doesn't always measure up.
Australia's biggest energy providers, including Origin and AGL, are being slammed by customers online for poor customer service, billing errors, incorrect meter readings and high account fees.
Consumer website ProductReview.com.au looked at over 1300 reviews to tally the number of complaints and positive reviews about providers in a number of categories to give a run-down of the worst performers.
"Typically, people are looking for value for money but many believe they are being over-charged, misled and ripped off," said ProductReview.com.au spokesman Samuel Williamson.
Here is a cheat sheet of the best and worst providers.
Customer service
Origin Energy got the worst rap in the category of customer service, with people complaining of poor reliability and flexibility when arranging meter reading times and being hung up on by customer service staff.
Integral Energy was rated best.
Meter reading
Origin also clocked the most complaints about incorrect meter readings, with one customer reporting being charged for a meter reading almost 200 points higher than the actual figure showing on the meter at her home.
Other customers, especially those in regional areas, report being upset over ‘estimate' readings which lead to bills that are higher than those based on ‘actual' meter figures.
Simply Energy, Red Energy and Click Energy tied for best rating.
A spokesman for Origin Energy declined to comment on specific complaints, but told news.com.au: "Origin is best placed to respond to our customers' questions, issues or complaints when they ring us directly.
"While network businesses are responsible for reading customers' meters, we're happy to work with customers and their local network provider to help resolve any queries or concerns."
http://www.warrackherald.com.au/blog/2012/08/20/those-with-solar-paying-out/
Those with solar paying out
TWO ANGRY Warracknabeal residents recently contacted the Warracknabeal Herald after they were asked to fork out lump sum payments for meter changes.Outraged, the two men have written and spoken to the Victorian Energy and Water Ombudsman and district resident and community justice advocate Di Bell.
One of the men, Ian Fisher, received a bill from Origin Energy with a $702 charge for “meter alterations”, when his meter was changed over to a solar compatible meter.
“How does this make sense. We pay for it with a $25 charge added to our bills each quarter to cover the cost of a smart meter and now a lump sum too, it’s double dipping,” he said.
“I have nothing against smart meters, but this is ridiculous. We pay all this money and we don’t even own the meter.”
Mr Fisher took his complaint to the Ombudsman, who sent him a letter stating they had referred his complaint to a higher level representative at Origin Energy to investigate.
Mr Fisher said he had been contacted on Thursday morning, but was given few answers for the charge and was told he would have to pay.
The other resident, Peter Saunders, has had solar panels for a number of years and they were not only installed when the incident occurred, but there were signs on his meter box stating he had solar panels.
“Whoever installed the meter should have read the sign and taken notice to install the correct meter,” he said.
Mr Saunders knew smart meters were being installed in Warracknabeal and requested one be installed on his home as soon as possible.
During that week the workers installed the meter, but installed one which was non-solar compatible, so they came back the next day to rectify the mistake.
Mr Saunders then received a bill from his provider Lumo Energy, which had a charge of $280 for the meter installation.
Upon phoning Lumo Energy Mr Saunders received a $50 credit, and soon changed his supplier to to Red Energy.
“A Lumo Energy representative phoned me up asking why I had changed to Red Energy, and when I explained the situation they denied it,” he said.
“I told them I had the bill and so they went to look it up on the computer, and all of a sudden the line dropped dead.”
“The next day a different representative from Lumo Energy called asking the same question, and again upon searching the line dropped dead.”
Mr Saunders said after that incident, no one had phoned him again.
The Herald had contacted Lumo Energy, but at the time of going to press the representative was unable to comment on the situation.
An Origin Energy spokesperson said the “meter alteration” fee was not a retail charge and that it was a direct pass-through cost from the distributor.
“The customer had solar panels installed earlier this year. As part of the installation process, the relevant distributor, in this case Powercor, had to inspect and upgrade the customer’s meter for safety purposes,” they said.
“Prior to the distributor visiting the property to complete this work, Origin contacted the customer on February 22 to advise that the distributor may charge a fee for completion of solar metering and that this fee would appear on their electricity bill once the meter upgrade had been completed.”
“In order for this to be arranged, the customer must advise Origin it accepts that a fee may be incurred. Our records indicate that the customer accepted this fee.”
In a reply to Mr Saunders’ letter, Ms Bell said she had heard of three other people in the area being asked to pay more than $700 for a suitable meter for their solar power.
“I am sure there would be more who have not contacted us,” she said.
If any other district residents have similar issues concerning smart meter charges and changeovers they are urged to contact the Herald.
• UPSET: Warracknabeal residents Ian Fisher (left) and Peter Saunders are fuming with bills from electricity companies Origin and Lumo, who charged them $700 and $280 respectively for their meter to be changed for solar-compatible smart meters.
http://www.google.com.au/cse?q=Origin+Energy&sa=Search&cx=partner-pub-7756615239466029%3Aqtlp26cgm3i&ie=ISO-8859-1#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=Origin%20Energy&gsc.page=1
http://www.productreview.com.au/p/origin-energy.html
Lied to our faces
James T posted this on Apr 09, 2014
Absolutely appalling service on so many levels. Completely incompetent and unable to sort out any of our problems. Didn't seem to be able to access our meter box, despite previous providers having no problem. When we sent our key to them, they claimed to have lost it, but we then spoke to a meter reader who was accessing our meter box. They then claimed no read had been performed.
- Flat-out lied. Appalling coordination.
Don't go near Origin - ever
Kathryn posted this on Apr 08, 2014
I had to go with Origin last year because it was the only supplier in the country town where I was temporarily living and working. At the end of my contract I contacted Origin for a final reading and was told there would be a $100 fee to read the meter and in other fees. Not happy but what do you do? Origin never sent a bill to my forwarding address and I heard nothing until I was pestered by a debt collector. Each time I asked them to tell Origin to send me a bill but Origin never did. Finally I contacted the Energy Ombudsman and it was resolved. Origin had no record of me asking for a final reading and a subsequent tenant was using gas in my name. A friend also got caught by Origin because its accounts manager didn't know that "CR" means credit, and "DR" means debit (she was in credit, but Origin can't tell the difference). She also had to call in the Ombudsman after several months of wrangling. Origin - totally incompetent. Don't even go near them.
- Incompetent. Would recommend to someone I hated..
Origin Energy is rubbish, rubbish, rubbish
Danielle posted this on Apr 08, 2014
We've just finished renovation and city power asked us to contact Origin Energy to install the electricity. This started 4 weeks ago and they have been delaying and pushing back for all kinds of stupid reasons. Even when we tried to leave our contact numbers for their whatever handymen to call, the call centre girl simply told us their staff do not take their own instructions. So I guess we have to sit at home from 9am to 5pm waiting for their men to come through the widely opened door which leads them to the meter directly. How convenient for Origin Energy! Customer service is the key to success of businees and apparently it's nothing to Origin Energy! Do not use them cause you won't get what you paid for.
- Stupid, arrogant, can't care less of the customers
Outraged
L Janjic posted this on Apr 07, 2014
As a small business owner of a Bakery and a combined electricity bill of $9000/ Quarter I was appalled at the customer service provided in regards to offering a discount or keeping me as a customer. I was offered a dicount less than offered by other company's and was told it was my folt I didnt call origin regarding a discount even though they provide it they obviously wont to rip off there customer's as much as they can. After talking to the customer service person I asked to talk to the manager but was told there was none available pretty funny considering I was giving them the chance to keep me as a customer. Really not happy......
Poor service
Mahatma Coat posted this on Apr 04, 2014
Poor customer service, rude and uncompromising. I really don't know how to put it into more than fifty words as per review policy other than what's already been said. Go elsewhere, do not use Origin, find somewhere with reliable customer service and reasonable rates. This is not a company that I would recommend to anyone!
- harassing when a bill is outstanding, regardless of the account being paid weekly and is more often than not up-to-date.
Question about Origin Energy
Have been with origin power since end of June 2011. Have phoned countless times requesting a bill, yet here we are 8 months passed by & no bill!!!! I keep getting told that they are updating there billing system. Going to contact the ombudsman
Ursula Hall asked on Feb 22, 2012
Answers
It is apparent that since companies have become so big we are forced to endure the transfers from department to department repeating our predicaments & concerns without actually being fully understood or anyone taking any responsibility or ownership of resolving the issues we face. It is frustrating & unproductive at best & it would be in all these companies best interest to bring back proper customer service who will genuinely deal with a concern at point of call.
Jan_Pleass replied on Feb 23, 2012
I've had the exact same thing with my gas bill now since September 2011. I'm going to do the same. Every consultant tells you a different story why they can't do it, and that it should be be there in two weeks. Hopefully we get success by contacting the ombudsman!
morphs replied on Feb 24, 2012
We have had an issue where we requested a bill and were advised we were in credit given we had solar installed, well guess what, we got a bill for $1200 becuase there was an error in the billing system......when calling to discuss with Origin the attitude implied was 'not my problem its the systems!
Lisa38 replied on Apr 20, 2012
I had a similar issue, they weren't sending me any bills, I called to request them and always got the same answer, 'it's on its way', and they never arrived. I eventually switched to another company and finally 6 months after I switched, I received a letter and calls from a debt collector saying I hadn't been paying my bills with Origin!! Fair enough I had to pay the bills but as they never arrived I had no idea how much I owed and they kept telling me the bills were on their way! So I paid the debt collector nearly $500 dollars which would have been about 5 months of energy. Now a month ago ( 1 year since I switched companies) I received a call from Origin saying I owed them a further $700!! I said how do I know I owe you that if I haven't received a bill for more than a year and a half??? They said they would send me a full account of all they bills they had missed, and now this week I got a debt collector calling me and telling me I owe $700!! And of course I still haven't got any bills to prove my accounts!! This is the worst company I have had to deal with. Anyone know what I can do or any advice?
mgos3824 replied on May 29, 2013
if you are in NSW can I recommend you contact EWON http://www.ewon.com.au
The government ombudsman who are very helpful and fast acting.
As of today I've now rejected Origin's proposed settlement which I only accepted out of frustration and to get re-connected,
I now want every single penny I am entitled re : government mandated subsidies plus compensation for a fridge full of ruined food . EWON are assisting in this process
The only way to hold these companies to account is via their wallet.
The government ombudsman who are very helpful and fast acting.
As of today I've now rejected Origin's proposed settlement which I only accepted out of frustration and to get re-connected,
I now want every single penny I am entitled re : government mandated subsidies plus compensation for a fridge full of ruined food . EWON are assisting in this process
The only way to hold these companies to account is via their wallet.
mick2013 replied on Aug 13, 2013
Don't stress yourself out with this company. Once you hear the wrong response from them about your complaint, don't bother talking further. They will belittle you right into a corner. Go straight to the Ombudsman. The frontline Origin officer you speak with should know their job. Asking for a manager is pointless. They simply stand by the first officer's response. The only way you will have a return phone call from a "proper" manager from Origin is to ring the ombudsman. The issue then usually gets resolved.
adelaide4me replied on Jan 16, 2014 
Origin and large 'Network Passthrough' fee.
ReplyDeleteI have just changed from Origin Energy to Powershop as Powershop are more supportive of renewables. I have been hit with a $362.91 'Network passthrough fee' on my final elec bill. Does anyone know what the hell this fee is? I feel like it's a 'punishment' fee.
I have no idea what the "network pass through fee" is, I have never head of it before, and you have all of the resources that I have, to find out what it is - because I don't have the time to look up things for other people, when they can do it themselves.
DeleteHaving said that - I'd be asking the people in the Powershop, what sort of an issue is it - because it sounds to me like another fucking scam from the shits who operate Origin energy - and then perhaps make a call to the Electrical and Water Ombudsman of Victoria - and lodge a complaint.
And get 3 hours of your personal wages time, knocked off the bill, in the form of compensation - like $180 for starters, for all the shit they cause you and all the time you need to spend in nailing them for their bullshit.
DeleteThanks for the quick reply. I'm not expecting anyone to look up stuff for me, I'm doing alot of that. I was just wondering if anyone else had been hit with this. I suspect it's a new, devious charge. I rang the Ombudsman here and they haven't heard of it. I have now contacted the Essential Services Commission Vic and asked what this term means. I will contact Origin and see what they say. Stay tuned.....wish I didn't have to waste my time though on this type of rubbish.
ReplyDelete