AGL say they couldn't access the unit's gas meter. Credit:John Woudstra The first bill, covering March 28 to May 29, was for $2863. The second, which took them up to July 27, added new charges of nearly $1900, leaving them with a total bill of $4762. "I was shocked," said Mrs Jacobs. "What can I say, I thought I had to go and get my eyes checked. From previous bills it's never been like that." She says they may have used the gas heater for about four nights, but little else.

Jenny and Wally Jacobs looking at gas bills from their Melbourne unit. Credit:Glenn Hunt "For the whole year, our whole gas bill in all honesty should be less than $10," Mr Jacobs said, noting they always turn the mains off when returning to Brisbane. "What do we use the gas for? Probably boiling some water on the stove. We don't cook any meals there. "It's totally bloody ridiculous." Mystified, Mrs Jacobs rang their provider, AGL, who told her they had experienced troubles accessing the meter at the Hawthorn East unit, and had based the previous bills on an estimate.

Mrs Jacobs says their gate, which allows access to the meter, had been unlocked since March. "They said 'don't worry we'll send someone down to read the meter'. But when the next bill comes down and it's an estimate too, it's all too much for the brain," Mrs Jacobs said. A third bill, also an estimate, added new charges of $677 for the period of July 28 to September 22, leaving them with a staggering bill of $5440 for a total of 179 days. An AGL spokeswoman said they would investigate why the distributor had not been able to read the Jacobs' meter.

"In this case, it appears the customer has received estimated bills for an extended period of time, and further investigation is required to understand and validate the readings provided," an AGL spokeswoman said. The couple are disputing their bills with AGL but there has been no outcome yet. Each gas distributor in Victoria is responsible for obtaining a meter reading every two months. If the distributor is unable to obtain a reading, they create an estimate which is forwarded to a retailer such as AGL. The Victorian Energy and Water Ombudsman has received 406 complaints so far this year in relation to estimated gas bills.

Cynthia Gebert, Victoria's Energy and Water Ombudsman, said many people were unaware the onus was on them to provide access, including unlocking gates and chaining up pets, to their meters for readings. "There's almost this dual responsibility, we'll call it, to make sure the meter can actually be read. Customers do not always know it is not being read," Ms Gebert said. "It's fair to say that it is really confusing for customers when they get an estimation because in this day and age they assume their meters will be read and based on actual data," Ms Gebert said. In May this year, AGL launched Supreme Court proceedings against gas distributor Jemena for allegedly failing to provide timely meter readings over the past two years for customers across NSW. Ms Gerbert said gas companies needed to communicate better with their customers when bills were estimated.

Mr Jacobs said he believed it may be a wider problem than just their bill. Loading "I believe this is a really systemic problem, I think it's not isolated." "As a consumer you sign a contract with AGL. The gas usage is determined by reading a meter but where in the contract does it say the consumer is billed by estimate only?" he said.