Origin Energy has paid two infringement notices totalling $135,600 issued by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) for alleged breaches of overcharging rules.
The AER alleges Origin did not have adequate policies and procedures in place to detect and mitigate failures during a major IT upgrade to its customer management system.
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The AER has issued infringement notices alleging that Origin failed to notify two of its customers, within 10 business days, that it had overcharged them $4,317 and $2,885, respectively, in breach of rule 31(1) of the National Energy Retail Rules (Rules).
AER deputy chair Justin Oliver said that the Rules provide important protections for consumers by ensuring customers are notified and reimbursed in a timely manner if overcharging occurs.
“The AER issued these infringement notices in response to Origin’s failure to act quickly to minimise consumer harm.
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“We understand retailers periodically need to undertake major IT upgrades and that mistakes can and do happen, however, retailers need to have a plan and sufficient resources in place to protect their customers by ensuring they detect, remedy and self-report mistakes as soon as they can.
“With ongoing cost-of-living pressures impacting many households, the AER is firmly focused on protecting consumers and ensuring bills accurately reflect the energy consumed,” Oliver said.
