A customer contacts EWOV after the correct feed-in tariff was not applied to his account (August 2012)
The Issue
Mr G had solar installed at his property around mid-2011 and the electricity company confirmed that he was eligible for the Premium Feed-in Tariff (PFiT). He received regular electricity bills up until January 2012, however they did not show any credits for solar generation with the exception of the last bill received in January 2012, which had the Standard Feed-in Tariff (SFiT) applied. He believed that all of the required steps in the solar application process had been completed, including his meter configuration and all paperwork. He unsuccessfully tried to contact the company’s solar department on several occasions.
The Investigation
Mr G contacted EWOV and an Assisted Referral was raised. However, the company failed to call him back within the required time frame. An EWOV Investigation was raised and the company amended the billing system issues, which had caused the billing delays and the incorrect application of the SFiT instead of the PFiT. Mr G’s account was re-billed to include backdated PFiT credits, a financial credit of $125 was applied in recognition of the inconvenience experienced and a credit of $100 was applied to ensure the account was billed in line with the Energy Retail Code.
The Outcome
At the conclusion of EWOV's Investigation Mr G’s account balance was $1,031 in credit. This Investigation demonstrated how a customer’s confusion about eligibility for PFiT was increased due to billing delays, billing errors and an inability to speak with a relevant department or higher level contact about the issues.
