Faulty meter: Consumer reclaims Rs30,000 from TNPDCL
C Rukkumani, a resident of Anna Nagar, first noticed that her electricity consumption nearly doubled in just two months in May 2023, and she complained to the local TNPDCL section office.;
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CHENNAI: A determined city resident reclaimed Rs 30,000 from the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (TNPDCL) after proving that her electricity consumption had been wrongly assessed due to a faulty meter for nearly a year. Her victory came after she engaged a third-party lab, which exposed inaccuracies in the power discom's internal testing process.
C Rukkumani, a resident of Anna Nagar, first noticed that her electricity consumption nearly doubled in just two months in May 2023, and she complained to the local TNPDCL section office. The Meter Relay Testing (MRT) lab examined the meter and certified it as functioning correctly. However, even after two more billing cycles, her electricity bills remained abnormally high.
Unconvinced, Rukkumani escalated the issue to the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum (CGRF), which ordered another test at the MRT lab. Yet again, the lab declared the meter to be in good condition. As per the TNPDCL official suggestion, she engaged technicians to check her home's wiring and appliances; they were found to be good. Frustrated but persistent, she then opted for a third-party test, at a cost of Rs 5000, to challenge the MRT lab's findings.
The faulty meter was sent to the Government Electrical Standards Laboratory in Guindy on June 25, 2024, and it found the meter to be faulty, recording the consumption twice than normal. The next day, the utility worker installed a new energy meter in her house. When she approached the CGRF again, it directed the TNPDCL to reimburse Rs 19,000 for five billing cycles -- from September 21, 2023, to June 26, 2024, along with Rs 5,000 paid for the third-party test.
Aggrieved over ignoring her request to consider a refund for eight assessment periods -- from May 2023 to June 2024 -- she appealed to the electricity ombudsman against the CGRF order. After hearing the appeal, the ombudsman ruled in her favour, ordering TNPDCL to calculate and refund the remaining amount for the three earlier billing cycles.