02 June 2021
A recent meter reading error by Goulburn Valley Water is currently impacting a number of customers in Broadford and Kilmore.
GVW Managing Director, Dr Steve Capewell, apologised to affected customers for the confusion, saying a billing error made in January has been corrected in the current billing cycle.
“In January a contracted meter reader was found to be misreading customer meters in some towns in the south west region,” Dr Capewell said.
“This human error resulted in a number of customers being undercharged in January.
“The error has been corrected in the most recent bill, creating a perceived increase in water usage, and therefore consumption cost.”
The error coincides with the recent installation of intelligent meters, which is not related to the billing error.
Dr Capewell said the current bills were issued using reads from the mechanical meters, prior to installation of the Intelligent meters – and as a result, customers can be assured that billing/usage amounts on the most recently issued bill are not related to the recent Meter Exchange trial.
“The recent installation of new Intelligent Meters is expected to address issues such as human error in future, however GVW can confirm that installation of these meters was not related to this error,” he said.
At this stage GVW is only aware of the incorrect reads occurring for a small percentage of bills in Broadford and Kilmore, but encourages customers to call to discuss their bill if they notice a higher or lower than normal usage reading or cost.
Customers are also encouraged to call us on 1300 360 007 between 8.30am and 4.30pm to discuss the correction, or any assistance or support options that may be available if their recent increased bill creates any financial concerns or pressure.
