Power bill, really wasn’t expecting that.
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Topic: Power bill, really wasn’t expecting that.
Posted By: BessieBear
Subject: Power bill, really wasn’t expecting that.
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 3:36pm
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Got it on saturday, and actual read for this month $849, if we pay it by 24th Aug it'll only be $764. I burst into tears when I saw it, there's no way we can pay that. It's more than what DH and I get paid in a week. We are with contact and it's 21.660 cents per kWh for anytime. Thats where the biggest amount is used so I'm guessing that during the day. ------------- Sarah Mum to, Boy 07/2008, Girl 03/2010, Boy 05/2012, Angel  07/08/2014
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Replies:
Posted By: HoneybunsMa
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 3:44pm
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go onto the consumer site you can put in your power company and what you use and it will tell you if your with the best company ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 3:44pm
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thats a huge bill! i would be quering that. when did they last do a reading? ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: clover
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 3:46pm
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Wow, that is massive, not to make you feel any worse but mine is nowhere near that amount. I'm with genesis and second checking the consumer website, that is what I did. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: BessieBear
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 3:48pm
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June. every second month they do an actual read. It's cause they estimated last month as like $160 and then when they do an actual they realise that we've used a wee bit more tahn that, so it's basically 2 months in one go. It's not cool. ------------- Sarah Mum to, Boy 07/2008, Girl 03/2010, Boy 05/2012, Angel 07/08/2014
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Posted By: clover
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 3:49pm
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When you get an estimated bill you can go and check the readings, if they are way off you can give the company a call and they'll send you a new bill.
Doesn't help you now though does it!! I hope you manage to figure something out, that is a huge amount of bills to be due all at once  ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: SBM
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 4:02pm
| I'd cry too if I got a bill that big!!! We're with Meridian here in Christchurch and every time we get an unusually large bill we can arrange an extension to pay it off, and we don't lose the prompt-payment discount either. Sounds like you need to change companies! |
Posted By: Kazzle
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 4:04pm
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gensis does that with us too, so now when i get my bill in if its an estimate i go and read the meter and call it in...of course the new reading has about 4 extra days on it but hey better than having a huge bill the following month ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: noodle
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 4:29pm
 that is a hughe bill! hugs chick! I just got ours.....I thought 230 was bad enough!! we are with contact aswell but only get charged 19.248 c per kWh I would of thought it was a standard rate...... ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: BessieBear
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 4:31pm
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Hmm didn't think of that. Thinking maybe we shold switch companies its seems on the consumer site that contact is one of the more exspensive. ------------- Sarah Mum to, Boy 07/2008, Girl 03/2010, Boy 05/2012, Angel 07/08/2014
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Posted By: maysie
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 4:34pm
ouch! our June bill was $380 which I was pretty annoyed at. But I was using the dryer everyday and had the heater on practically all day I know people who pay a set amount all year which means they pay extra in summer but it evens out through winter. Did you talk to them about better plans you could be on? Might be worth it if you haven't already  ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Febgirl
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 4:39pm
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We're with Powershop where you buy power credits online in advance and they have weekly/monthly specials so you can pick and chose which provider you use - they don't cover all areas though, is listed on their website.
DH seems to think it's cheaper for us anyway! ------------- Two little girls under 2! 
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Posted By: MissCandice
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 5:02pm
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I changed to Mercury because its cheaper. I was with Meridian and now we pay $30 a month less in power!
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Posted By: Bobbie
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 5:18pm
OMG it sucks when you get companies who don't do actual readings every month. That's a huuuge bill  I don't think anyone would ever expect a bill like that so don't feel bad.
We're with Mercury which is the cheapest for us (or was last time I checked anyway) but our last two bills have been $310 and $270 respectively which is at least double what they were last winter. And we don't even have a drier! -------------  
 
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Posted By: Natalie_G
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 7:10pm
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Boy our bill was way more than that, there is 5 people in the house and it is used for an at home business aswell.
When we move out I will be checking every bill with the meter so we won't get caught with huge bills. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: mamanee
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 7:23pm
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I'm with Genesis and I do the evenpay system where I have a direct debit of $35 come out each week. I still get readings and letters to say how much I've used but the bottom of them say 'no further action required'. Over summer it evens itself out and if I've paid over I get a credit and if I've paid under they up the weekly payments.
I would look at changing power companies or seeing if they have a different way of paying |
Posted By: hannibal
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 7:26pm
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Ouch, maybe get into the habit of phoning your reading in each month - that's what I do no matter what. I'm not happy at getting a $250 bill - its just rude.
Have any of your other bills ever been like this? Maybe check and make sure that something like the overflow of hot water isn't broken (not sure if that makes sense). |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 7:32pm
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Hi we are with mercury energy they read the meter every month, I use an oil heater every night in dd room , we have a dishwasher and usually the dryer runs two or three times a week in winter our biggest has been $260,
We were with contact and used to pay heaps more !!! |
Posted By: nictoddie
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 7:33pm
| We are with contact and have had two big bills of just under 400 for the past two months, but was expecting them to be big heaters, dryers etc on.... I rang contact and we got put on smooth pay and now pay $61 a week to catch up will take us a while but over summer hopefully we will get in credit |
Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 8:22pm
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We are with contact and pay 23.470c per unit so it is definitely NOT the same throughout the country. Our power is hideously expensive. So bad, that it is not uncommon for people to get 4 figure bills!! The local mayor is calling a meeting this week to discuss it as power has gone up by a huge amount in the last 2 years and people cannot afford it. Imagine getting a bill for $1000 for a month (and that is an actual read). We have had bills in the $400s and we have gas hot water!
It sucks! |
Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 8:43pm
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We are with Contact and do smooth pay. We pay $60 a fortnight and we keep the prompt discount even if it is over that amount. One thing we don't pay for is hot water as we heat it with the chippy (but not at the moment due to CBF'd going on in this house). ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: emz
Date Posted: 17 August 2009 at 10:09pm
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We are with Contact but only pay 17ish cents an hour, but we locked that in for a couple of years a while back when they had an offer going.
I'd be ringing in every month too, that way there's no surprises. |