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For immediate release
2 October, 2002
Commissioner role a
perfect fit
The role of Electricity Complaints Commissioner
presented an opportunity too good to be true for Judi Jones
to use all her accumulated skills in law, disputes resolution,
consumer advocacy, teaching and management.
"It was also the first time in 10 years
that I had just one job! I felt electricity was an area that
desperately needed a commission and that I could make a difference,"
she says.
Though funded by electricity lines and retail
companies, the commissioner’s decisions are free to consumers,
independent of the industry and binding on commission members.
Ms Jones started as commissioner in the second
week of January this year using "my cellphone and my
dining table initially".
The setup of the commissioner’s offices
from scratch has been a challenge, she says. While she was
finding premises, furnishing them and recruiting staff, the
commission was live for complaints, which have come in greater
volume than initially predicted.
Ms Jones felt the commissioner role was perfect
for her given her varied background and specialisation in
mediation and disputes resolution.
Born and bred in Auckland, Ms Jones attended
Auckland University where she earned a law degree. She practiced
law in Auckland before moving to Taihape, where she got involved
in community organisations, as well as running a law firm.
Moving on to Wellington, she earned a MBS
with distinction in dispute resolution from Massey University.
She has taught dispute resolution at Massey University and
business law at CIT, now Weltec, where she was head of the
Business and Education Centre.
Ms Jones has served as a consumer representative
on the Advertising Standards Complaints Board, National Animal
Welfare Advisory Committee (looking at standards for animal
welfare) and Grid Security Committee, her first foray into
the electricity industry.
She is one of three authors of the book Mediation
Principles, Process, Practice, by Boulle, Jones and Goldblatt.
"The role of electricity complaints
commissioner has brought all the parts of my life together,
which is great," Ms Jones says.
She is authorised to deal with complaints
up to $10,000 – though can go above that if all parties
agree – and says one has been close to that mark.
"The lowest has been 15 cents and you
might say, ‘why bother?’, but often people feel
that 15 cents across all the customers of a company can add
up to a significant amount, so it is worth their while drawing
it to our attention."
ENDS
For more information or for electronic
images of Judi Jones please contact:
Josie Vidal
Communications/Publicity Officer
Electricity Complaints Commission.
Tel (04) 914-4526
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