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February 2007
Commissioner celebrates
five years and success of scheme
Last month (January 2007) Electricity and
Gas Complaints Commissioner Judi Jones celebrated five years
in her role with the belief that the scheme has made a significant
difference to the way electricity and gas companies and their
customers interact.
"The success of the scheme can be seen
in the reduced number of complaints reaching investigation,"
Jones says.
"In the past financial year (2005-06)
despite more than 1500 people contacting the office, only
136 files were investigated compared with 304 and 351 in the
two previous years.
"Improved complaint handling and better
systems and processes by members contribute to the declining
number of files needing investigation."
The most unusual complaint the office has
handled was a complaint arising when a cannabis growing room
was disconnected.
One of the more complex involved an apartment
building where not only were meters crossed, but one customer
was being billed on a meter at a different complex down the
road.
"This office is the only place where
this complaint could be sorted out," Jones says. "It
required a lot of investigation and because we are able to
get information from competing companies, we were able in
this instance, to get to the bottom of a complex cross-metering
issue."
The office of the Electricity and Gas Complaints
Commissioner offers an independent dispute resolution service
for consumer complaints about electricity and gas lines and
retail companies in New Zealand. There are 35 member companies.
In the past five years (till the end of December
2006) the office has helped about 10,000 customers. There
have been 3125 enquiries (where advice only is given) and
6832 complaints (referred back to the member company to go
through their internal complaints system). Complaints that
have gone on to investigation (where the customer reaches
deadlock with the company and asks the office to investigate)
total 1162.
Of the complaints investigated 783 settled,
76 were not upheld and 108 required a recommendation from
the commissioner which is binding on the company, if it is
accepted by the complainant.
Billing causes the most complaints, partly
because errors in switching companies or metering will show
first in the billing and that prompts the customer to complain.
Jones says she has learned a lot in the past
five years as she has watched the scheme's jurisdiction change
and grow. While some complaints centre on complex technical
issues, many share the same emotional basis.
"Dispute resolution is about listening
to people, which sounds simple, but often call centres have
quotas or time limits on calls," Jones says.
"Saying sorry early is a sure fire way
to resolve a complaint that is about the way a person has
been dealt with.
"It is interesting to see that many
complainants are not necessarily self interested and their
complaints are often to do with having the system changed
so what happened to them doesn't happen to someone else.
"One complainant didn't want any money
at all; they just wanted to see a system change."
She says more complaints come from Hamilton
than any other place and the smallest amount disputed by a
complainant was $1.40.
Jones believes New Zealand is fortunate to
have an electricity supply that gets delivered reasonably
reliably most of the time.
An emerging issue is the increasing number
of complaints that include an aspect of affordability.
"While we do not have jurisdiction to
deal with ability (or lack of it) to afford electricity or
gas, we recognise that electricity in particular is something
on which all households depend," Jones said.
"In some instances we are able to consider
the complaint. The electricity and gas consumer codes of practice
require suppliers to have policies in place to assist customers
who have difficulty paying their bills. It is appropriate
that we check to ensure that these policies have been made
available to customers when they need them."
Making customers aware of the scheme continues
to be an issue but, Jones says, it is also an issue for other
industry ombudsmen whose schemes have been going more than
10 years.
The complaints scheme was set up in November
2001, initially dealing with electricity complaints only,
and Jones was appointed commissioner in January 2002.
In April 2005 the scheme was amended to include
jurisdiction for complaints about reticulated natural gas
services of member companies. In October 2006 the scheme was
further expanded to include disputes between owners and occupiers
of land and electricity lines companies (including Transpower
New Zealand) and gas distribution companies.
The scheme's funding structure is being reviewed
in 2006-07.
ENDS
For more information contact:
Josie Vidal
Publicity/Communications Officer
Electricity Complaints Commission
(04) 914 4526
0274 757 305
e-mail: j.vidal@egcomplaints.co.nz
For more information on the office
of the Electricity and Gas Complaints Commissioner: www.egcomplaints.co.nz
Judi Jones biography
Electricity and Gas Complaints
Commissioner Judi Jones is both a lawyer and an alternative
dispute resolution practitioner. She has a law degree, a masters
with distinction in dispute resolution and is an associate
member of the mediators' and arbitrators' institute.
Ms Jones was employed to set up the Electricity
Complaints Commissioner's office in January 2002 and now has
a staff of 14. From 1 April 2005 the office has been able
to handle complaints about member reticulated gas companies
and consequently changed its name to the office of the Electricity
and Gas Complaints Commissioner. The office offers a free
and independent dispute resolution service between consumers
and their electricity companies and gas companies.
From 1 October 2006 the office has been able
to offer a service for resolving disputes between owners and
occupiers of land and electricity lines companies (including
Transpower), and gas distribution companies. These may include
the actions of lines and distribution companies' staff and
contractors while on land and access to and use of the land
occupied by lines and distribution equipment.
Ms Jones is a member of the Advertising
Standards Complaints Appeal Board and was a consumers' representative
on the Electricity Industry's Grid Security Committee.
Before taking on this role she had a mediation
practice, which included providing training designed to reduce
workplace disputes.
Ms Jones has practiced law in Taihape, was
a partner in an Auckland law firm, has taught a range of business
papers including mediation and negotiation at tertiary institutions,
and has co-authored two books, the most recent being the NZ
edition of Mediation: Principles, Process, Practice. She is
an experienced manager and was on the Board of Consumers'
Institute for nine years, including two years as Chair.
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