Fantastic sales team - but the utility provider is a complete rip-off! BE VERY CAREFUL before you sign that OTP!

I was so excited when I bought my apartment at The Huntsman in May 2024. I'd lived in a Balwin apartment at De Velde before this, and was very happy with the development. Boy was I in for a surprise after the sale was concluded and I moved in.

Balwin has a utilities contract with a company called NetVendor. The system, at first glance, looked pretty slick. Everything was managed from the Balwin app, and one could op up one's electricity/water from within the app. Everything was fine until the billing started. The first month was fine - pretty much the same type of consumption as I used at De Velde (same apartment size, so this was expected), but obviously at the new Eskom tariffs.

Come June, my account doubles. No additional usage. Nothing has changed. I take this up with NetVendor. I have a call with Lisa who explains how the billing system works. It still doesn't explain my high billing but she suggests I get an electrician out. I start skimping everywhere I can, even to the point of having lukewarm showers (running the geyser for 90 minutes a day). Using the stove/oven was only for weekends. No heaters. But the bill keeps climbing.

By July, my daily consumption jumps from a few cents to over R150.00 - A DAY! I query this with NetVendor. They send me copies of my usage and tell me the technical team has picked up an issue and that I will receive a small credit of R118.00. The next day, my bill is over R360.00.

I live on my own in a two-bedroom apartment. There is no way on earth that I'm using this kind of electricity. The homeowner's association, while trying to be helpful, basically told me it's not their problem and to contact NetVendor to resolve things. There is no option to install a council-approved pre-paid meter. We are stuck with NetVendor while they bleed us dry.

I am angry, frustrated, disillusioned, and have never felt so ********** in my life. I am not the only person complaining. Balwin should seriously rethink their contract with this utility provider.