Terms and Conditions (business)
1. To be eligible for Bill Smoothing:
a. you cannot have more than $500 (GST incl.) of overdue debt with AGL on any of your AGL accounts; and
b. you cannot be on a payment arrangement or hardship plan with AGL.
2. Bill Smoothing is only available to residential and small business customers.
3. You agree to pay your Bill Smoothing payments via Direct Debit unless you have told us you want to pay by another method approved by AGL.
4. You agree to receive your Bill Smoothing review letter by email unless you have told us you want to receive a paper copy by post. A fee may apply for paper bills.
5. AGL may vary these Bill Smoothing terms and conditions at any time. If we vary these Bill Smoothing terms and conditions, we will provide you with reasonable advance notice of the change (unless we reasonably consider that the change will cause you no detriment, in which case we will provide you with written notice of the change as soon as practicable, which may be after the variation takes effect but no later than on your next bill).
Bill Smoothing payment, calculation and review
6. Your Bill Smoothing payments will be based on your usage history where available. Where no usage history is available, AGL will estimate your usage based on information we have available at the time.
7. You agree that Bill Smoothing payments do not represent your actual usage. You will be required to pay for your actual usage if it is more than the amount you have paid for. This will be managed through the Bill Smoothing review process.
8. If you have elected to make your Bill Smoothing payments on a monthly, rather than a fortnightly or weekly basis, your chosen payment date cannot be the 29th, 30th or 31st day of any given month. If one of those dates is selected, your payment date will be deferred to the 1st day of the following month.
9. You can request a payment deferral for up to one month’s worth of payments over the term of your Bill Smoothing arrangement. This, or these, deferred Bill Smoothing payment/s will be pro-rated over the remaining months in the Bill Smoothing term.
10. AGL will review your Bill Smoothing arrangements periodically at regular intervals twice a year in line with your billing cycle and meter reads to assess whether your Bill Smoothing payments are appropriate for the energy being consumed.
11. Each time AGL conducts a review, you will receive a Bill Smoothing review letter with information relevant to your payments.
12. Following a review, if required, your Bill Smoothing payment amount will be adjusted and we will provide you with prior written notice of the changes. Any undercharging or overcharging will be adjusted in accordance with our regulatory obligations – this may mean you are required to make an extra payment to AGL or that AGL will repay you any overpayment.
13. You can choose to increase your Bill Smoothing payments or to make an extra payment at any time.
14. If we cancel your Bill Smoothing payment arrangement, any outstanding amounts owing on your account must be paid in full. Please refer to the section below entitled ‘Cancelling your Bill Smoothing arrangement’, which sets out circumstances in which this may occur including the advance notice we will provide.
Bill Smoothing term
15. Your Bill Smoothing arrangement has a term of approximately 12 months; the exact duration of the term may vary, depending on the timing of your meter reads.
16. At the end of the term, AGL will provide you with an invoice which details the payments and charges for the 12 months and may offer you a further Bill Smoothing arrangement for a further 12 month term.
17. At the end of each term AGL will advise you of any outstanding debits or credits. If your account is in debit you may be required to pay the outstanding amount. If your account is in credit, the amount will be refunded unless you request for the amount to remain on your account to pay future bills.
Cancelling your Bill Smoothing arrangement
18. If you do not make your Bill Smoothing payments in full by the relevant due dates, AGL will send you a reminder notice. The reminder notice will state that if AGL has not received the overdue Bill Smoothing payment/s within 5 business days, AGL will cancel your Bill Smoothing arrangement and the total unpaid amount due on your account at the date of cancellation will become payable. If you still do not pay the overdue Bill Smoothing payment/s, AGL may cancel your Bill Smoothing arrangement 5 business days after sending the reminder notice and the total unpaid amount due on your account at the date of cancellation will become payable.
19. After you notify us you are moving, your Bill Smoothing arrangement will be cancelled when you move out.
20. If you switch to another energy provider, your AGL Bill Smoothing arrangement will be automatically cancelled.
21. If you no longer wish to pay via Bill Smoothing, you will need to contact our Customer Solutions team and give at least three business days’ notice prior to the due date of your next Bill Smoothing payment.
22. AGL reserves the right to, at any time, withdraw this product or stop or change a Bill Smoothing arrangement with 14 days prior notice. In the event that AGL ceases to trade, all Bill Smoothing arrangements will be cancelled immediately and you will be notified.
23. If your Bill Smoothing arrangement is cancelled for any reason, AGL will provide you with an invoice that includes any applicable charges such as any payment processing fee or paper bill fee. If your account is in debit you will be required to pay the outstanding amount. The outstanding amount will be due immediately if AGL has cancelled your Bill Smoothing arrangement pursuant to clause 18 (including after providing you with a reminder specifying when the total unpaid amount due would become payable). You may contact AGL to request another payment arrangement or other assistance, if you require this. If your account is in credit, we will inform you and you may request that the credit amount be refunded to you by AGL. If you do not make such a request, the credit will remain available on your account to pay future bills.
24. Contact AGL Customer Solutions Team on 131 245 for assistance or if you have a dispute about any arrangement details.
Privacy
a. The personal information collected by AGL under these Bill Smoothing terms and conditions is required to set up your AGL Bill Smoothing arrangement. Failure to provide the information will mean AGL is unable to complete your request to set up your AGL Bill Smoothing arrangement.
b. Your personal information will be handled in accordance with AGL's Privacy Policy or otherwise as required or authorised by law, or as consented to by you. All Bill Smoothing details will be held securely by AGL and handled in accordance with AGL's Privacy Policy which includes AGL's Credit Reporting Policy.