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G/2008/8200
At the end of 2007, Ms D’s house burned down. Even though she told the retailer she couldn’t live in the house, she continued to receive bills, which were clearly estimated as the house was unlivable.
Ms D had several contacts with the retailer, each time being told someone would investigate and place a hold on her account. 10 months after the fire, she was still being told a block would be
placed on the account.
11 months after the fire, Ms D was called by a collection agency working on behalf of her retailer. She said not being able to resolve the billing issue with the retailer added to the distress she was already in. Once we became involved, the retailer apologised to Ms D and credited her account with $111.15 — $100 in recognition of customer service issues and a final bill of $11.15.
It cancelled the gas bills and removed charges of $719.24 from her account.
Failure to follow through on agreed actions — multiple times — is simply very poor customer service. In this case, it not only added to customer distress, it led to an EWOV investigation and unnecessary costs for the retailer concerned.
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