Chennai woman receives ₹30,000 refund for faulty meter

Chennai: C Rukkumani, a resident of Anna Nagar, faced an unusual problem with her electricity meter. It recorded double the amount of electricity she actually used. After a year of investigations, she successfully proved that she had been overbilled by 30,000 rupees by the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (TNPDCL). Rukkumani first noticed the issue in May 2023 when she received a surprisingly large electricity bill. She quickly raised her concern with the local discom officials. Despite their tests at the meter relay testing lab that declared her meter was fine, her bills continued to be high. Frustrated, she took her complaint to the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum (CGRF). The meter was tested again but still deemed operational. Following a suggestion from TNPDCL staff, Rukkumani sought a third-party evaluation from the Electrical Standards Laboratory in Guindy. The test, completed in July 2024, revealed that the meter was indeed faulty. Though TNPDCL replaced the meter promptly after the results, they initially did not offer any reimbursement. Rukkumani escalated her issue by filing another petition with the CGRF. Consequently, she was instructed to receive 19,000 rupees over five billing cycles, along with a refund of 5,000 rupees for the third-party lab test. Seeking full justice, Rukkumani filed yet another petition with the ombudsman, arguing for reimbursement from the date of her first complaint. On Tuesday, the ombudsman ordered TNPDCL to calculate refunds for the remaining billing cycles, which could total up to 30,000 rupees.