Why this is important
As business activity comes back to normal and there is a renewed focus on debt collections and disconnections, it’s important we’re all working together to make sure the full suite of protections are provided to customers and that they know their rights including to access EDR.
Promotion of EDR is necessary to build confidence and trust in the sector. Raising consumer awareness of Energy and Water Ombudsman services (EWOs) will result in empowering customers and it demonstrates confidence in internal dispute resolution as well as members' commitment to consumer protections.
Why we’ve done this
Over the past few years, we’ve identified that information for customers about complaints and their right to contact EWOs is not always clear and accessible and fewer customers are telling us their provider advised them of their right to come to us. This trend is occurring across all our schemes and represents an important opportunity for us to jointly work with members to address this.
This brochure provides a guide for members to review their commitment to the current regulatory requirements. It is also an opportunity to pursue a higher standard of service for customers.
Our resource aligns with the recently released AS 10002:2022 Guidelines for complaint management in organizations (ISO 10002:2018, NEQ). The review of the Guidelines was undertaken by Standards Committee QR-015 - Jane Pires, EWOQ, Energy & Water Ombudsman Queensland chairs this committee. By adopting our resource, members will be achieving alignment with the Guidelines from an EDR perspective.
We will work with members to implement changes or enhance current processes to ensure customers are aware of their right to access EDR. Additionally, we will be reviewing progress against these requirements over the next 12 months.