Terry Flanagan has slammed an electricity supplier for its "abysmal" customer service after a year of trying to sort out his inexplicably exorbitant bills.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Flanagan was left shocked after his electricity bills surged from $75 to a staggering $13,000 the following quarter, despite his NSW Riverina property being unoccupied and the power turned off.
He said the stress and anxiety was "the last thing he needed" as he battled a serious autoimmune disease that put him in an intensive care unit for more than a week.
The Wagga Wagga man bought a property in Gumly Gumly a few years ago, but no one has been residing there for more than 12 months.
Then a year-long headache kicked off when Mr Flanagan received a $98 electricity bill from Origin Energy.
"I am not going to pay money I don't owe, when they are obviously reading the meter wrong.
"Then there was no more contact but I had turned off the meter so there was no power being used. Then I get a bill for $75. So I called up again, and they still didn't get back to me."
IN OTHER NEWS:
Then Mr Flanagan was admitted to the ICU at Wagga Base Hospital after contracting a serious autoimmune disease which meant he would need to learn to walk again.
And, it was there he got the "shock of his life" when a bill for $13,017.36 hit his email.
"I just did not need that at that time," Mr Flanagan said.
"Then I waited until I got out of hospital, and I rang on June 4, 24, 29. Nothing. Zero response. Eventually I got a phone call a month later on July 29, from a lady who advised me she was my case manager, and away we go again."
At the end of July, Mr Flanagan was told an Essential Energy worker, who are the providers, would be out to check the meter in five working days. But they only arrived on the Thursday of this week.
"Now I have no problems with Essential Energy, the particular gentleman from yesterday was great," Mr Flanagan said.
"Origin's customer service is abysmal, it's absolutely appalling. I am extremely angry about this because I still have a $13,000 bill hanging over my head, and then, I got another for $1500 a couple of days ago."
Mr Flanagan said Origin should have a system that registers "exorbitant" bills, and that despite a year of queries, he still had no answer.
The Daily Advertiser reached out to Origin on Friday morning about Mr Flanagan's case, and a spokesperson for the company said they were sorry that they didn't resolve his concerns sooner.
"We have apologised to him, cancelled the incorrect high bills that were the result of incorrect meter readings, and have offered him compensation for the inconvenience caused," they said.
Mr Flanagan said it was a huge relief to finally have the matter resolved.