Origin Energy is the Suck

Last month I moved to a new apartment. Part of moving is getting your utilities connected and in this apartment that meant electricity, gas and phone. Two companies to deal with, Origin Energy for the power & gas and Telstra for phone. Now I've moved a lot in my life and I know the procedure. Call up the company, tell them the new address, tell them when you want the old one disconnected. Every other time the transition has gone smoothly, not this time.

It took three separate phone calls to Origin Energy to get them to even connect my power, the first 2 days we were in the house we had no power. The third phone call to them they told me that the other 2 morons I had spoken to hadn't actually booked anyone to go out and connect the power. How the hell could something like that fall through the gaps? I call up to get my power connected and they don't book someone to come and do it, what was I calling for? a Chat ? what the fuck is all I can say.

All while this is going they say my gas should be no problems, till I try and use the stove and it's not working. I call Origin again to ask them what's going on only for them to tell me that my gas account isn't with their company and that I'd have to call a wholesaler to find out who has my account. They give me the number to the wholesaler, who doesn't even service my state so I was at a loss. I had my very nice property manager come and check out the lines and turns out the stove just needed to run for a bit longer, he checks the meter and ensures it's all on. Great the gas is on and working, where the bill is coming from I do not know.

Fast forward to today, my property manager calls me, here is the conversation with him.

"Hey mate, just calling to say thanks!"

"um.. why?"

"Did you look at the address on your gas bill that I put in your letter box?"

"No I didn't, I just saw my name on it and put it on the to be paid pile"

"Well it had my address on it, which I thought was a bit weird but didn't really pay attention to it, till I got a disconnection notice for my apartment because supposedly your moving in!"

"Um, what the fuck?"

"Yes, so thanks for taking over my gas bill!"

"OK, I'll look into this and get back to you"

"Cheers mate, If my gas gets cut off I'm coming to shower at your place!"

Now this would be OK if we were say at the same street number or even similar apartment numbers, but we're not. So how the fuck did Origin get 19 and 58 mixed up? or 42 and 46 for that matter they don't look or sound the same.

While I'm on the phone to my property manager Origin Energy leaves me a voicemail message asking to confirm my unit number. I call them back and confirm my apartment number. I told them that I'm not happy with my experience with the company and that I'd like to speak to a supervisor, she tells me that her supervisor is busy and that they'll call me back. Thats what the last 2 said as well, I never got a call back. This time round she tried to explain the procedure to me like its some big box of voodoo. I know how the process of connecting utilities to a house works. I've been renting for going on 15 years, I still didn't get to talk to a supervisor.

I'm going to wait a week then investigate alternative companies, this is just beyond the joke. I hope I can even though I'm in an apartment complex, otherwise I'm just going to have to deal with yet another incompetent company running key services that I require to live comfortably.

So to Origin Energy, SORT YOUR FUCKING SHIT OUT!