Presentation to Chronic Illness Alliance

1
Presentation toChronic Illness Alliance VCOSS
forum

• Thursday 19 October 2006
• Melbourne
• Stephen Gatford, Manager Public Affairs and
  Policy
• Meredith Camov, Conciliator

2
EWOVs mission

• to provide independent advice, information
  and referral regarding energy and water services
• to receive, investigate and facilitate the
  resolution of complaints involving consumers
  and energy and water service providers in
  Victoria
• to identify and where appropriate redress,
  systemic issues and refer these to energy and
  water providers and regulators
• to work with customer groups and industry to
  achieve customer service excellence

3
EWOVs aims

• to resolve disputes equitably, confidentially
  and on an individual basis
• fair, just and independent
• informal rather than legislative
• consideration of wider context
• - what is fair and reasonable?
• what constitutes good industry practice?
• what lies within current law?

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An industry-based scheme

• industry-based, not statutory
• 66 providers participating in the EWOV scheme at
  October 2006 (listed on www.ewov.com.au)
• industry pays for failure to resolve customer
  complaints, not the taxpayer
• case costs charged to energy and water providers
  based on numbers of complaints against them

5
What EWOV deals with

• the provision and supply of a service
  (e.g. connection issues, outages, energy
  marketing)
• billing (e.g. high bills, delayed bills)
• credit and payment services
• disconnection/restriction
• land (e.g. vegetation near powerlines)
• complaints referred from the Essential Services
  Commission
• complaints referred by an energy or water provider

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What EWOV cant deal with

• the setting of prices tariffs
• commercial activities outside licence/core
  business
• government policies
• court tribunal matters
• matters required by legislation
• customer contributions to cost of capital works
• events beyond a providers reasonable control,
  bearing in mind current law and good industry
  practice
• actions taken due to a compulsory direction

7
Who can complain?

• electricity, gas (natural and LPG) and water
  customers, residential and business
• third parties directly affected
• authorised representatives (e.g. financial
  counsellors)

8
How are complaints resolved?

• independent investigation
• 89 of investigated complaints are conciliated -
  with the customer and provider reaching an
  agreement
• Binding Decision where no agreement can be
  reached (only 36 to date)

9
Ombudsmans powers

• 1. Make a Binding Decision if required, by
  ordering a provider to
• pay compensation
• provide a service
• amend or waive a charge/fee
• supply goods/services or do corrective work
• correct, delete from or add to a customers
  record
• attach a complainants correction, deletion or
  addition, or
• do, not do or stop doing an act
• 2. Dismiss the complaint
• binding on the provider, not the customer

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Limits on Binding Decisions
Ombudsman can make orders to 20,000 or to
50,000 with the consent of both parties
11
Some EWOV statistics

• Just over 100,000 cases to Sept 2006
• 93 from residential customers
• 25 from regional/rural customers
• 94 via phone (no written complaint needed)
• Main issues (January June 2006)Electricity and
  gas Billing, Credit and Retail
  competitionWaterBilling, Land and Supply

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January June 2006 cases

• Reflects data run at 24 July 2006.Percentages
  are rounded to the nearest whole number. An
  enquiry is a request from a customer for general
  information (for example, about relevant codes or
  guidelines) or a matter that 's referred to
  another agency (for example, if it's outside
  EWOV's jurisdiction).
• A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction
  regarding a policy, practice or customer service
  performance of an energy or water provider which
  is part of the EWOV scheme, where a response or
  resolution is explicitly or implicitly expected.
  If a customer has not yet spoken with the energy
  or water provider about their complaint, EWOV
  generally refers them back to the provider's
  contact centre. If the customer has spoken once
  with someone at the contact centre about their
  complaint but it remains unresolved, EWOV usually
  refers them to a higher-level contact at the
  provider. EWOV fully investigates complaints
  which remain unresolved following two or more
  contacts between the customer and the energy or
  water provider.

13
Recent case trends
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Disconnection (Electricity and Gas)Restriction
(Water)

• Imminent Disconnection/Restriction
• Not been to provider yet?
• we refer you to contact centre
• disconnection/restriction allowed
• Been to contact centre once?
• we refer you to higher level contact
• disconnection/restriction allowed
• Been to contact centre more than once or to a
  supervisor?
• we register as complaint for full investigation
• disconnection/restriction prevented.

15
Disconnection/Restriction (contd)

• Actual Disconnection/Restriction
• Not been to provider yet?
• we refer you to higher level contact
• reconnection/restriction lifted at discretion of
  provider
• Been to contact centre once?
• we refer you to higher level contact
• reconnection/restriction lifted at discretion of
  provider
• Been to contact centre more than once or to a
  supervisor?
• we register as complaint for full investigation
• disconnection/restriction reversed, no
  reconnection fee.

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Issues watch

• Wrongful disconnection payment
• Victorian Government initiative of December 2004
• payment by energy retailers where supply is
  disconnected contrary to the terms and conditions
  of the customers contract with the retailer
• LPG (liquefied petroleum/bottled gas)
• dealing with LPG cases since 1 July 2005
• 5 LPG retailers in the EWOV scheme at March 2006
  Elgas, Kleenheat, Supagas, Powergas, Origin
  Energy
• cases show billing and credit issues
• Utility connection services
• 8 known to be operating (e.g. Connect Now,
  Utility One)
• cases show connection and transfer delays, and
  issues around choice of retailer and contracts

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EWOV publications

• Resolution and Resolution Bulletin
• Annual Report
• EWOV Connect
• Fact sheets
• Weve accepted your complaint for investigation
  what happens next?
• Choosing an energy retailer
• High electricity, natural gas or water bills
• EWOV and LPG
• General brochure
• Brochure in fourteen languages

18
Contacting EWOV

• Freecall 1800 500 509
• Calls from restricted phone services
• ring 12550 (Telstra reverse charges) and quote
  9649 7599
• EWOV will accept the reverse charges and the
  call cost
• Calls from mobile phones may attract charges
• we can ring you back
• Freefax 1800 500 549
• Interpreter service 131 450
• National Relay Service 133 677
• Email ewovinfo_at_ewov.com.au
• Website www.ewov.com.au