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Last updated: 09 Mar 2023

Acting on behalf of someone with an EWOV complaint

This fact sheet explains how authorised representatives can act on behalf of customers with energy and water complaints.

EWOV is an informal dispute resolution service which means that customers can bring complaints to our office without the need of a representative. However, we understand that sometimes customers prefer to appoint someone else to act on their behalf when dealing with EWOV. EWOV is a free service for energy and water customers—you do not have to pay someone to represent you.

When you give authority to another person or organisation, you authorise them to act on your behalf with our office. This means that EWOV can:

  • seek information about you from that person or organisation
  • give personal information about you to that person or organisation
  • deal with that person or organisation as if they were you.

EWOV handles customers’ personal information in line with our Privacy Policy (ewov.com.au/privacy-policy). This ensures that EWOV does not give your personal information to another person, or arrange changes to your energy or water account, without your permission.

If you want someone to act on your behalf, or if you want EWOV to provide information about your complaint to someone else, you need to authorise this. Generally, we will accept verbal authority if you want to authorise a family member or friend. If you want to authorise a financial counsellor, solicitor, accountant or other paid advocate, we usually need you to complete and sign EWOV’s Authority to Act form (ewov.com.au/uploads/main/authority-to-act-individuals.pdf). However, we do accept most financial counsellors’ authority forms.

Also, you can choose to have an organisation act on your behalf by including its name in the ‘authorise’ field of EWOV’s Authority to Act from (ewov.com.au/uploads/main/authority-to-act-individuals.pdf). This means that anyone from that organisation can represent you.

What if we want to talk directly to a customer instead of their representative?

Even when you have authorised someone to act on your behalf, we may still need to contact you as part of the process of resolving your complaint. We may also decide to contact you directly when a fee-charging representative is involved.

I represent a business; do I need to complete an Authority to Act form?

Yes. Only a person with authority to make decisions for the business can sign an Authority to Act form. This could be a director, company secretary, owner, partner, senior manager, chief executive officer, chief financial officer or senior counsel. This person can authorise themself or someone else in the business and will need to complete the written Authority to Act form for a business: ewov.com.au/uploads/main/authority-to-act-businesses.pdf.

What if I am acting on behalf of a deceased estate and there is a will?

If probate has been granted and you are named as the executor:

  • EWOV needs a copy of the probate and the will.

If probate has been granted and someone else is named as the executor:

  • EWOV needs a copy of the probate, the will and the executor of the will needs to complete an Authority to Act form for an individual which authorises you to act on behalf of the estate.

If probate has not been granted but you are named as the executor:

  • EWOV needs a copy of the will and the death certificate.

If probate has not been granted and someone else is named as the executor:

  • EWOV needs a copy of the will, the death certificate and the executor of the will needs to complete a written Authority to Act form for an individual authorising you to act on behalf of the estate.

What if there is no will?

If letters of administration have been granted and you are named as the administrator:

  • EWOV needs a copy of the letters of administration.

If letters of administration have been granted but you are not named as the administrator:

  • EWOV needs a copy of the letters of administration and the administrator needs to complete a written Authority to Act form for an individual authorising you to act on behalf of the estate.

If letters of administration have not been granted:

  • EWOV needs a copy of the death certificate and will need to discuss with you what other documentation may be required.

What if I am acting on behalf of a trust?

If you (as an individual) are the trustee:

  • EWOV will need you to complete an Authority to Act form to authorise yourself or someone else to act on behalf of the trust. You will need to advise us of the name of the trust and if it is trading as a business, the name of the business.

If the trustee is a company:

  • The person with the appropriate authority within the company (see earlier for Businesses) will need to complete an Authority to Act form for a business to authorise the nominated person to act on behalf of the trust.

They will also need to advise us of the name of the trust and if it is trading as a business, the name of the business. We may need a copy of the trust deed and any deeds of variation to confirm the information provided in the Authority to Act form.

Duration of authority

You can elect to have a written Authority to Act remain valid for either a specific case or permanently.

On EWOV’s Authority to Act form there is a box at the bottom that must be ticked if it is preferred for the authority to only be valid for a particular case. If the box is not ticked, the authority is automatically valid permanently.

Where an Authority to Act is obtained verbally, it will only be valid for that particular case and cannot be permanent.

Can an authority to act be revoked?

An authority can be cancelled at any time by any person with authority to sign an Authority to Act form. This request does not need to be in writing, so please call EWOV if you would like to revoke an authority.