All parties benefit from a permanent solution to supply problems (G/2005/332)

For 18 months, Mrs K had been experiencing problems with her gas supply, more commonly during and after heavy rain. She believed the problem was the result of water seeping into the gas pipes at or near her property. When the problem occurred during business hours, Mrs K’s retailer would liaise with the distributor for her area and it would be attended to. However, when it happened outside of business hours, she had to wait until the next business day for assistance, because the distributor wasn’t able to undertake the works without a request from the retailer. Mrs K was concerned about the underlying cause of the problem and her inability to obtain out-of-hours assistance.

A site inspection by the distributor found no corrosion at the connection point of Mrs K’s service to the property line and the gas mains. Nevertheless, to make sure the problem was addressed effectively, it replaced the service to property line with a non-corrosive gas line at no cost to her.

In response to Mrs K’s concerns about out-of-hours assistance, the distributor also undertook training of its customer service staff, reminding them of their obligation to take and respond to calls (such as that from Mrs K) which they received outside of retailers’ business hours.

While the distributor responded positively to resolve Mrs K’s concerns in its initial response to EWOV’s investigation, this case highlights the importance of providing customers with permanent solutions to problems, rather than short term fixes.