Today these get fixed one case at a time, by councillors, ratepayer groups and the Public Protector. Many follow patterns we can spot on the bill itself.
01
Estimated meter readings
WATER READING
(E) estimated
not read
When nobody reads your meter, the municipality bills a guess. A guess can run far above what you really use, month after month.
What we do: spot the "E" on your bill, compare the estimate with your real usage, and ask for a dated photo of your meter as proof.
02
Wrong tariff category
TARIFF CATEGORY
Business
should be: Residential
A residential property billed as a business pays more for the same water and electricity, every month, until someone notices.
What we do: check your tariff against your property type, then claim back what you overpaid and get the lower rate applied from now on.
03
Charges during outages
SUPPLY OFF
billed in full
If the water or the power was off, you shouldn't be billed as if you used it.
What we do: match your billing period against outages reported in your suburb, and ask you to confirm the dates before we claim.
04
Spikes against your history
A bill far above your usual can mean a faulty meter, a misread or a leak on your side.
What we do: compare the bill with your own past usage, and ask you what changed before we call it an error.