Solar credits for panel-less Harry

FRESHWATER Creek’s Harry Cook was left stunned after phoning his power company about a late bill only to find it was never sent.
Mr Cook said Origin staff told him not to expect a bill because he was $800 in credit.
“They said ‘Your solar panels must be feeding back into the grid, so we’re crediting you’. I said ‘That’s just wonderful but I haven’t got solar panels!’”
After waiting out the laughter from everyone he told, Mr Cook was worried the company would hit him with a large bill when it realised its mistake.
“I’m a nervous wreck – surely I’ll have to pay someday. This month I rang again and they said ‘No, you don’t have to pay anything because your account’s in credit by $1400 now’.”
Mr Cook phoned Powercor, receiving a similar response without a solution.
“Some different guys that work for Powercor laughed and said ‘Good on you’.”
An Origin spokesperson said the company “clearly could have done a better job of explaining” to Mr Cook the details of his installation and billing arrangements.
“Mr Cook’s account was subject to a new metering arrangement and estimated meter read from his network provider and a billing delay from Origin to make sure his bill was accurate and complete.
“The combination of these factors added a level of complexity, which we clearly could have done a better job of explaining to Mr Cook.”
Origin contacted Mr Cook to rectify the situation after a call from the Independent this week.