An Australian grandfather has blamed his eye-watering power bills for the breakdown of his long-term marriage as his battle with one of Australia’s largest electricity providers wages on.
Fifty-five-year-old Bryn Lawson has accused AGL of using incorrect power meter numbers at his northwest Sydney home, with his latest bill coming in at more than $833.
AGL has apologized to him for the issue and offered credit, but the mistakes keep happening.
“Fix it AGL. Get your s–t together and fix it mate,” an enraged Lawson told A Current Affair.
“I’m watching you AGL … stop f—-ing me around.”
But the issue has cost him more than just money, with Lawson saying it helped lead to the downfall of his 35-year-old marriage.
“It is a part of the decimation of my marriage to my wife of 35 years,” he said.
“Because I’d come home and the lights would be on, the power would be on and the power bills are high. I’d be saying ‘what have you got the lights on for, what’s this on for, why’s the heater on’?”
But even after his wife left, leaving Lawson as the only occupant of the home, his power bills still remain high, ranging anywhere from $625 to $833.
It led to him taking the extraordinary step of getting rid of his fridge, while he shivers at night because he does not want to use his heater.
Lawson takes a picture of his power meter every month and sends the information to AGL three days before his bill is due, but he is still being overcharged just a few days later.
Lawson, who said he is “sick to his stomach” and “scared” of his electricity bills, is ready to cut the power off.
“I’m just banging my head up against a brick wall with these guys,” he said.
“All I’m gonna get is a bad debt and a big bill I gotta pay off.
“I have no problem at all putting my swag out there, putting my solar panels, my battery and running that fridge out there and living out there.”
An AGL spokesperson told A Current Affair they apologized to Lawson for his experiences and work be working with him to resolve his concerns.