I have been having an issue with Contact Energy for some time. I live alone in an old farmhouse at a rural location and Contact has been my provider for many years. Because this is an old house, the meter is inside and I have to be home when the meter reader comes. In the past this never seemed to be a problem but recently it has started to become one. I don’t know, but I suspect, this has to do with changes in Contact’s procedures as they become too big and bureaucratic and forget their customers are people. 

Contact’s procedures seem designed to suit its own convenience at the expense of its customers. I feel they are being unreasonable in regard to reading my meters and I would like to know what others think about this before submitting a complaint. I am also wondering what the best way to submit a complaint is in this case.

Contact says it reads the meters every other month, though this hasn’t been the case for me in practice. Whenever I receive an invoice, it also includes an ‘approximate’ date for the next meter read. In my experience the meter reader almost never appears on this date, or any date close to it. On multiple occasions I have made a point of being home on the date and the dates before and after. Rarely does the meter reader appear on any of those days.

If I am not home when the meter reader does appear, I get an email from Contact with a form for the meter reader that only allows extremely limited responses. It comes with a threat to charge me $30 for an unscheduled meter read. There is no way to respond directly to Contact other than filling in the form. It is also generally difficult to reach anyone at Contact. Apparently they mainly use Facebook for communications and I am not on Facebook.

I am willing to ensure I am home for the meter reader on any date Contact chooses. I do not understand why a company of Contact’s size with its resources can not make a specific appointment and stick to it. I am not asking for a specific time, just a specific date. How hard can that be?

I feel that Contact puts its own convenience ahead of its customers, yet they charge me money for the service. Why should I have to jump through hoops to accommodate a service I am paying for? I am willing to be home any day they want me to. I am sick of this stupid ‘approximate’ BS. Am I being unreasonable? Is there another energy provider that would be more accommodating in this regard? I welcome any recommendations.

Apologies for the wall of text. I don’t know how to explain this any more succinctly.