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Consumerism

To Origin Energy

Dear Origin energy,

I’m not interested in switching electricity companies. Not that it would really be a switch, since the power coming down the lines to my house wouldn’t change at all. No, all I’d be switching is who sends me power bills. And unless you’re about to tell me that your bills are so incredibly aesthetically pleasing that they’ve won major design awards and this will somehow be of advantage to me, I’m not even tempted.

In fact I’m about to sign up for your rival AGL’s green energy plan. It may not be the ultimate in clean power, but given the government’s reluctance to replace the filthly brown coal power stations with something a little cleaner, I figure they need all the encouragement they can get. Roll on with the wind farms, I reckon.

So don’t send poorly paid young men around to my house to knock on the door precisely when I’m in the middle of things and not expecting visitors. Real visitors ring first. Oh, but don’t ring me up either. If you must bug me, do it by mail – electronic or paper, I don’t really care, as long as I can ignore your offers with the least effort possible.

Oh, unless you can solve my conundrum over the kitchen fluorescent light, and its mysterious non-universal starter. If you can fix that for me, I’ll sign up for your bills, no problems.

By Daniel Bowen

Transport blogger / campaigner and spokesperson for the Public Transport Users Association / professional geek.
Bunurong land, Melbourne, Australia.
Opinions on this blog are all mine.

5 replies on “To Origin Energy”

In my head, my own bill to Origin energy went something like …

Dear Origin Energy,

I find it rather appalling that you wish to charge me $20-something dollars simply to change the name on the electricity bill, when I have been a tenant at this property for 15 months and was listed as such with the bill in the name of my now previous housemate. I find this particularly frustrating when you did not need to charge me a reconnection fee to change the bill for Origin Gas into my name.

After receiving a quotation from Red Energy that offers a total amount payable significantly lower than the last amount Origin Energy billed us for, coupled with the fact that Red Energy will give us a $50 credit on our first bill, 5% discount on every bill paid on time, and the promise to enter us into regular prize draws (a tempter, I know, but still more than what Origin Energy offers us), we have decided to end the arrangement that we have with Origin Energy. From our point of view we will still receive the same power and the same, if not better, service, and be paying a lot less each quarter.

So, “thanks, but no thanks” Origin Energy. You’ve had your chance and we’re not impressed by you any longer.

Sincerely … blah, blah.

Did these letters go to them? ‘Cause if they didn’t, then aren’t you just sort of preaching to the choir?

Now now. Origin are one of the better electricity companies. I just signed up for 12 months with them.

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