It wasn’t the Christmas present Karim Guirguis hoped for. On Dec. 27, the Ajax, Ont., man woke as much as a shock invoice from Enbridge Gasoline for greater than $1,600.
The discover advised him his billing for the earlier eight months had been inaccurate. Enbridge had not checked his fuel meter since April, and had as a substitute been counting on estimates. It seems, these estimates had been method off — a discrepancy that landed Guirguis dealing with what he calls a “whopping invoice.”
Guirguis is a part of a rising variety of Ontarians dealing with frustrations — and even monetary hardship — over rare meter readings, and inaccurate estimates by Enbridge, the nation’s largest pure fuel distribution firm.
In 2021 the province’s vitality regulator launched a assessment of this downside and different customer support issues in response to complaints. The Ontario Power Board (OEB) fined Enbridge $250,000 the next 12 months for failing to fulfill sure requirements, together with meter studying.
Regardless of the penalty and assessment, complaints to the OEB associated to meter studying have greater than doubled: from 42 in 2021, to 87 in 2023.
Enbridge mentioned it’s making strides to enhance compliance, although it additionally not too long ago tried to get the OEB to decrease the requirements it has to fulfill. In the meantime, advocates are calling for extra motion from the corporate, warning there’s a system in place now that places prospects liable to potential invoice shock.
Inaccurate payments can throw funds ‘out of whack’
Guirguis has lived in his home for almost 16 years and says he’s by no means given his Enbridge payments a lot thought, although on reflection he needs he had.
“With regards to utilities, so long as it seems sort of establishment, like the identical because it’s at all times been, we simply pay our payments and transfer on,” he mentioned.
You are feeling such as you’re at fault by some means, such as you’ve finished one thing mistaken.— Ingrid Raudsepp, Enbridge buyer
Final 12 months, he and his spouse added a pool of their yard, together with a locked gate to the yard as required by native bylaws. All through the summer time and fall, he says his Enbridge payments had been in line with earlier years — averaging about $60 to $80 {dollars} a month.
He says it wasn’t till December that Enbridge alerted him that his new gate had prevented the corporate from accessing his fuel meter. Following that discover, he submitted his personal studying on-line, and his catch-up invoice got here later that month.
The couple acknowledges the heater for his or her new pool elevated their fuel use, however mentioned if that they had recognized sooner simply how a lot their consumption had modified, they might have made changes.
“I get it, I owed the cash, I used the service,” mentioned Guirguis, who’s now repaying the payments on a year-long cost plan.
“It’s irritating that they’ve to attend for 2 missed makes an attempt from their reps, which may very well be as much as eight months in my case, earlier than it triggers [an alert].”
Others have confronted even bigger monetary surprises from Enbridge. Ingrid Raudsepp continues to be recovering from the stress of receiving a $7,000-plus catch-up invoice in December of 2022.
“The entire thing made issues much more troublesome, not simply financially, but additionally emotionally and mentally. You are feeling such as you’re at fault by some means, such as you’ve finished one thing mistaken, such as you’re the unhealthy man,” mentioned Raudsepp, who lives in Mississauga, Ont.
Abhilash Kantemneni is a analysis supervisor with Effectivity Canada the place he leads analysis associated to low-income households. He mentioned it’s frequent for individuals to belief their payments with out carefully scrutinizing them. Kantemneni mentioned over the previous 12 months he’s heard rising issues about catch-up payments, which he mentioned is especially regarding for the numerous households which are already chopping again with the intention to pay their important payments.
“It throws the family’s complete budgeting and funds out of whack,” he mentioned.
Enbridge not assembly regulator’s requirements
The OEB says Enbridge can depend on estimates for some payments, however is meant to learn meters at the least each two months. Additional, not more than 0.5 per cent of consumers ought to go 4 or extra consecutive months with out a studying.
Enbridge has not come near that concentrate on since 2019, when it merged with Union Gasoline. In 2021, the corporate reported that about 5 per cent of consumers had gone 4 months or longer with out a studying.
In 2022 Enbridge got here simply shy of getting that quantity all the way down to 4 per cent — an interim goal the OEB agreed to following its assessment. The 2023 numbers aren’t out but.
CBC has realized the variety of complaints to Ontario’s vitality regulator associated to meter readings has soared in the previous couple of years. Advocates say Enbridge’s practices are unfair to prospects.
Enbridge requested in 2022 to completely decrease the usual to permit two per cent of consumers to go 4 months or longer with out a studying, however the OEB denied that request final month.
John Lawford is the manager director and basic counsel with the Public Curiosity Advocacy Centre. The group represented seniors’ and tenants’ advocacy teams, arguing in opposition to the request to decrease the meter studying goal and different customer support requirements.
“There’s nothing unobtainable about these high quality metrics,” he mentioned.
Clients inspired to submit their very own readings
Enbridge declined CBC’s request for an interview, however mentioned in an announcement that it “acknowledges the significance of conducting common meter reads and continued to make strides to enhance our efficiency via 2023.”
The corporate additionally famous it has public outreach campaigns that encourage individuals to submit their very own meter readings on-line.
Lawford, nonetheless, mentioned giving prospects the choice to submit their very own readings isn’t a substitute for Enbridge assembly a “baseline obligation.”
“We attempt to make it straightforward and customary so that customers simply pay their invoice and get on with having the service. Particularly a vital service like warmth,” Lawford mentioned.
The OEB additionally declined CBC’s request for an interview. In an announcement it mentioned it expects Enbridge to supply a plan for the way it will obtain the service requirements.
“We are going to give Enbridge a possibility to share its plan earlier than any new compliance-related steps are taken however we proceed to count on that Enbridge will handle all client complaints.”