It appears that AusNet Services, which is one of the five Victorian power distributors, has lost its moral compass. According to a letter which it mailed to customers, changes to its manual reading process will result in customers with a manually read meter being charged a quarterly fee of $34.80 (excluding GST) from 1 July 2023. The letter states that this fee will increase every financial year and will be added to the customer’s power bill.
This money grab is in stark contrast to AusNet’s position in 2016, when it admitted to government that it offered to remove communication modules from functioning meters in very limited circumstances such as hypersensitivity, in response to a question shown on page 21 of its submission.
Why are vulnerable Victorians now being targeted? According to the 2021 Premises Standards Review of the Disability (Access to Premises – Building) Standards 2010, 22.7% of submissions brought up electromagnetic hypersensitivity. Although this government review was in relation to access to public buildings, surely it is even more important that people living with electromagnetic hypersensitivity are able to enjoy their homes and gardens, without the added insult to their bodies of pulsed microwaves from smart meters? The new fee is akin to demanding that wheelchair users pay to access ramps into buildings or that life support customers are charged for specialised energy protection to maintain equipment. It is not acceptable that customers should have to pay for the privilege of having an electricity meter that confines itself to metering, in order to protect their health.
SSMA has heard a number of distressing stories from our members and supporters in regard to AusNet’s heartlessness in responding to questions about the new fee. It simply isn’t good enough when a business with a monopoly interest seeks to exploit its position and run roughshod over customers raising legitimate concerns and workarounds. Customers are able to shop around when entering a contract with an electricity retailer. There is no such option when dealing with a power distributor.
Electricity consumers in Victoria already suffer from the draconian measures instigated by the Victorian Government in 2006 to facilitate the mandated rollout of smart meters to Victorian households and small businesses. Those Victorians who were fortunate enough to be able to put in place measures to prevent power distributors from swapping over perfectly good analogue meters for electronic devices that not only fail sooner and sometimes lead to significantly higher power bills, but also provide a means of surveillance and cast a blanket of electro-smog over our environment, are now under fresh assault. Unlike customers in NSW, QLD, SA, Tas, the ACT and WA, Victorian customers have no automatic right to request a non-communicating smart meter if their analogue meter is replaced or if there is already a transmitting smart meter in place. Victorian customers also are unable to escape (entirely, according to some reports from interstate) or secure a reduction in the meter reading fee by changing retailers. This places those Victorians who were able to protect their manually read meter in an untenable position if the only means of protecting their meter is to capitulate to AusNet’s demands.
AusNet is the first of the Victorian power distributors to demand a fee for manually reading meters. Does this mean that Jemena, United Energy, CitiPower and Powercor are going to follow suit?
Whilst the Victorian Government’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure Order in Council 2014 laid the groundwork for distributors to charge for manual meter reads, up until now this has not occurred. In fact, when a manual meter read hasn’t been possible for one reason or another, SSMA members and followers have reported that they have been able to negotiate acceptable workarounds with their retailer.
This appears to no longer be the case for AusNet customers. Offers to do self-reads, supported by photos, have been ignored. This stands in contrast to customers living in NSW, QLD, SA, Tas and the ACT, who fall under the umbrella of the National Energy Retail Rules. In these jurisdictions, although retailers are required to use their best endeavours to ensure actual readings are usually carried out every three months and at least once per year, customers can provide their own reading if they want. Although this rule was introduced to reduce the risk of customers being exposed to inaccurately estimated bills where the retailer didn’t obtain a reading, the rule provides clear recognition that customers are capable of doing their own reads.
Due to being a mandated rollout all Victorian customers have contributed, and continue to contribute, towards so-called Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). This applies whether or not a smart meter is in place. This was spelt out in 2014 by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) in a Final Decision, which states, ‘Further, we are satisfied that each distributor has excluded the costs of manual meter reads from its AMI building block costs … Refusal customers therefore bear all the costs of manual meter fees which the Order intends rather than smart meter customers and which the Victorian Minister’s submission supports. Those customers will continue to also pay the AMI meter charge, despite not having one’.
The 2015 Auditor-General’s report on the rollout of AMI in Victoria found that there would be no overall benefit to consumers but instead ‘a likely cost of $319 million’, which he recognised might further blow out. The 2015 review followed an equally scathing review in 2009. Given this situation, doesn’t charging an obligatory manual reading fee every three months amount to double-dipping by AusNet? The fee doesn’t even match the lowest fee that is charged elsewhere in Australia for a special meter read, which suggests further profiteering.
SSMA also finds it interesting that, although the quarterly meter-reading fee is being raised by AusNet, a letter sent to its customers states that the fee ‘will be added to your power bill’. The closing page of AusNet’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure 2015 Charges Revision Application claimed that, ‘If a distributor choses [sic] to levy a manual meter fee, it is required to directly bill customers. That is, the manual meter costs are not passed onto retailers, as per standard industry practice’. Has this situation changed? If so, it places an added burden on those customers who might wish to ‘fight the good fight’ against yet another assault on their rights. Not only will they need to negotiate with AusNet, but it seems they might also have to include their retailer in on the discussions.
Previous SSMA submission covering manual meter read fees:
Previous posts on manual meter read fees:
https://stopsmartmeters.com.au/2015/01/01/smart-meter-rebels-enjoy-a-reprieve-from-fines-herald-sun/
https://stopsmartmeters.com.au/2014/10/21/manual-meter-reading-fees/
Stop Smart Meters Australia 
I receive this letter today as well :
Update to our electricity meter reading services
Dear Customer
We’d like to update you on the changes to our meter reading services,
outlined in the letter we sent you in December 2022.
No fee for manual meter reading
After much consideration, we have decided not to charge a fee for
manually reading your meter.
Please disregard our previous letter.
We apologise for any confusion or inconvenience this may have caused.
Smart meter upgrade
If you asked us to upgrade you to a smart meter, we’ll contact you in a
few months to arrange your meter upgrade, free of charge.
Visit ausnetservices.com.au/smartmeters to learn more about the
benefits of smart meters.
New delivery partner
We have a new delivery partner performing manual meter reads. They’ll
carry ID and provide the same high standard of service. You don’t need
to be home, but they’ll need clear and safe accessto your meter.
Regards
Customer Communications Team
AusNet Electricity Services Pty Ltd ABN 91 064 651 118
Letter from Ausnet (undated) received 09/05/23. They decided not to charge for manual meter reading. Happy dance!
Received letter from Ausnet today to update their meter reading services. NO FEE FOR MANUAL METER READING! After “much consideration” they have decided not to charge a fee for manually reading the meter. Seems to me a ploy to panic people into installing a “smart” meter. Hope no one has been affected and has installed a digital meter.
Another issue for people like myself, that have managed to keep our old meter, are paying peak rates for our electricity consumed 24 hours a day, to the retailer.
To enjoy off peak rates offered by a retailer, we need a new meter.
As I live in an old house that still has the old rubber insulated mains cable to our old meter, the old rubber insulated mains cable needs to replaced before a new “free, even though I’ve already paid for it” meter is installed to avoid a new potential house fire.
The cost of replacing the old rubber insulated mains cable is a minimum $2,500.00.
Why, the electriction’s cost is low, but AusNet’s fee to remove and replace a fuse on the power pole is so high.
So I’m stuck with higher costs of the supply of electricity until I find $2,500+ plus the costs of protecting my family from the new meter.
It just isn’t “Fair”.
In Vic there is the new Department of Families, Fairness and Housing.
Ausnet entered our property in March 2021, ostensibly on a scheduled meter reading day, and without prior notice altered the functionality of our existing meter so that can now only be read by a probe and not by us.
Given this later development of charges for meter reading, we regard this as
(a) removing out ability to self-read and therefore to counter-offer
(b) coercion to accept a product or service, i.e. we now apparently have to pay to have our meter read.
We believe this is worth taking to VCAT and testing the question whether it is unconscionable conduct under consumer law.
We have had a two month long wrangle with the retailer who says
(i) they will indeed pass on the meter reading fee from Ausnet as per their terms and conditions
(ii) Ausnet’s meter reading fee will not impact the Service to Property Charge (i.e. will not cause a reduction in that)
(iii) that they will not itemise the service to property charge
Which means that we will potentially be charged twice for meter reading, they will not give us transparency over that and we will have no scrutiny of that.
We raised a case with EWOV – who seem ineffectual – and this did not produce a resolution from the Retailer.
Now we are attempting to get response from ESC and AER.
The potential for double billing seems a clear breach of consumer law??
Is it a double bill or are they also trying to fine us for declining a smartmeter??
Thoughts and comments welcomed.
Hi Bev, how did Ausnet do this? Did they have to physically adjust the meter, or was it done wirelessly by the meter reader. I would like to know how to stop this happening in my situation.. The meter reader comes to the door and I unlock the meter box for him.
Regarding the OP ” The closing page of AusNet’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure 2015 Charges Revision Application claimed that, ‘If a distributor choses [sic] to levy a manual meter fee, it is required to directly bill customers. That is, the manual meter costs are not passed onto retailers, as per standard industry practice’. Has this situation changed? If so, it places an added burden on those customers who might wish to ‘fight the good fight’ against yet another assault on their rights. Not only will they need to negotiate with AusNet, but it seems they might also have to include their retailer in on the discussions.”
Our Retailer (Red Energy) has explicitly stated that they will be accepting any ancillary charges from Ausnet and will be passing on such charges to the non-smart-metered customer.
I replied just a few minutes ago to the Ausnet proposal to charge a fee to manually read meters. I forgot to make a point that the power corporations are not government department, nor are their employees, officers of the Crown, hence can be sued and also sue under Commonwealth laws. Do your own research and check this out. Political parties or rather the factions within the party have highjacked government. Ask your local MP are they prepared to be accountable to their electorate or to the political party they are aligned. The electorate is only necessary to get your vote, thereafter allegiance is to the party, otherwise they can say goodbye to their chances of re-election.
I have organised with Energy Australia to send in my meter reading at the appropriate time. However my meter reader continues to visit. It appears that Ausnet have formed a separate company, to which my meter reader now belongs, being made redundant from Ausnet. Just another ploy to force people onto digital meters.
So how many millions has it now cost us for Victoria’s smart meter rollout?? Why isn’t the Auditor General doing another audit? I suppose the Andrews government and the power companies would just like the whole thing swept under the carpet.
This is disgusting behaviour but not surprising of a Canadian owned corporation. Serving their shareholders rather than customers. Unfortunately, privatisation has allowed in corporate self serving interests and further eroding our sovereignties.
And WHY charge us? Its not our power meters that are causing health problems, home fires, excess wrong readings, constant replacement meters, all the problems on the network which was made for these meters not the cancer meters.
They are charging the wrong people.
And how about the companies that allow people to take a photo of their meter and send that in as proof of the reading, are they also going to get excessive fees too?
This is just stupid. Punishing people for staying healthy and helping the enviroment.
Hi, Haven’t read all of this yet…I’ve recently gone all electric and getting my gas meter either removeds or capped has been a drama…they wanted to charge nearly 1000$ and dig up part f garden to remove pipe…talked them down to $60 to just cap the meter…now they won’t get back to me…have had final read by Red Energy and no gas bills but meter sitting there….so now I’m just quiet and letting them deal with it if ever….I’ve heard they’re being investigated for price gouging on this but maybe electricity meters too? Chris
Whilst the system is working at eradicating the Fee Simple title and inherited law of property ownership, this has not been fully completed.
I understand Fee Simple title ownership allows the owner to determine who may enter their property, so perhaps same could advise the electricity retailer that future entry for meter readers is only allowable on payment of a similar fee as they are now demanding.
An offer to resolve billing by emailing a digital photocopy of the readings to the retailer could perhaps result?
I have had the letter from Ausnet regarding the charge for them to read the meter.
I have been taking my own reads and sending to the provider for the last year or more.
I will be sending them a letter to this effect.
Is anyone familiar with contract law?
Is there anything within contract law that covers non-consent to changed terms and conditions?
We have a supplier of a product changing the conditions of user A, simply because user B is easier to service and has done what they wanted them to do.
Or anything to do with time of service and changed conditions.
Ausnet have been supplying power to me for 13 years at this address under current conditions – surely this argues in itself that new conditions are not required for the service to continue successfully being delivered?
I believe that these power corporation come under the Commonwealth laws, especially contract law and the consumer and competition laws, i.e. unconscionable conduct. I would be worth have a good lawyer have a close look at this. The corporations would also come under the corporation Act.
The contract law requires agreement between both parties. some of the points are 1: the offer. 2: counteroffer. 3: agreement. 4 a hard copy with a wet signature, although there is some debate on this due to the coming of electronics. I still support a wet copy as anyone could agree and how can you prove agreement was not between the company and me. Another point is the ability to enter into a contract. Most people believe this applies only to children or mentally handicapped. I believe it would also apply to many people who came to this country; English is not their first language, and they speak and understand very basic English. My understanding, based on my experience as a volunteer community advocate is that the companies must provide copies of all documents in their home language and/or provide a translator to assist them. How can people with the very basic level of English be able to understand the legalistic English document are mostly written in. This is my personal view and anyone considering taking some of these issues up, should get legal advice, especially with lawyers specializing in both State and Commonwealth laws. I am not a lawyer and my knowledge and experience is based what I have learnt as a volunteer advocate and also as a student of our Commonwealth Constitution and associated laws. Many laws have been brought about through political and vested interests and not by the people, yet have been manipulated in such a way that the public have been brainwashed into accepting a view ” oh it the government, what can you do?” It is this attitude that has allowed them to get away with corrupt actions. Remember, the people are the highest authority, and the government/parliament is the servant, not the other way. These default government have breached the Constitution, e.g., not receiving the people’s approval via a referendum; attempting to bring in new laws alleging they have the authority to do so under administrative laws of the Constitution. Hypothetically, I would argue that any changes to laws that effect the Commonwealth Constitution 1900-1901. The Australia Act 1986 did not go through the referendum to receive the consent of the people. Do not take my word for it. Do your own research and demand that your rights be protected!
I pay $150 for that!
great Chez”The ultimate ignorance is the rejection of something you know nothing about, yet refuse to investigate.”-Wayne Dyer