ActewAGL has been pulled into another billing drama after it turned a family's gas off and billed them $3000 over a mistake the power company made.
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The company has now backflipped, but not until after an injured woman was forced to couch surf for a week because there was no heating in her family's apartment.
Deanna Emms, 20, was supposed to be resting her injured leg at home last week, while her parents were overseas.
Instead, ActewAGL disconnected the gas, which ran all the heating in the Mawson apartment, because of an almost year-long dispute over $3000.
It started in October 2013, when the family said it received three letters on the same day from ActewAGL: one said they had a gas supply without an account, the second welcomed them as a new customer and the final letter was a $3308 bill.
It turned out there had beena "crossed meter", meaning the family had been receiving cheaper power bills since as early as 2009, because the company was matching a meter to the wrong home.
The family refused to pay and complained of bill shock, but last week ActewAGL disconnected the gas, which forced Miss Emms to stay with friends.
ActewAGL reversed its decision after being contacted by The Canberra Times.
"After reviewing this matter, ActewAGL has agreed to remove the disputed amount and all associated fees," ActewAGL general manager retail Ayesha Razzaq said on Tuesday.
"We have been in contact with the customer and have apologised for the inconvenience this issue has caused and the time it has taken to resolve this matter.
"ActewAGL prides itself on delivering quality customer service.
"On this occasion, an error was made.
"This issue was as a result of associating meters to the wrong residence due to incorrect information being provided when the meter was installed."
After hearing the news on Tuesday, Miss Emms said she was looking forward to returning home.
"I'm extremely happy," she said.
"It's not good we had to go to the media to make something happen.
"It's quite terrible for a monopoly company in Canberra."
It is not the first time ActewAGL has drawn the ire of customers and prompted questions about accurate billing.
A Canberra man disputing a $17,000 bill for six months' electricity at his O'Malley home says not even a heart attack can stop him lobbying for more competition in the ACT energy market.
Territory GP Yarub Jamiel made headlines last year when he revealed he had received the $17,000 power bill covering six months and had accumulated $25,000 worth of electricity costs in a year.
Hearing his case, the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal raised concerns there was no independent body testing the accuracy of meters in the ACT, but it ordered Dr Jamiel to pay some of the money.
A sum of $17,000 is still in dispute.
