The Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW ('EWON') offers free, independent dispute resolution services for NSW gas and electricity customers, and some water customers. EWON aims to achieve fair and reasonable outcomes for all complaints. They are neutral and do not represent consumers or the industry. If you have a complaint about your energy or water service, you can contact EWON for assistance.
What types of complaints can you make?
EWON provides an independent way to resolve complaints about energy and water service providers in New South Wales. If you're encountering issues with your provider, EWON can assist with a range of complaints, including, but not limited to:
- Billing: EWON can assist with complaints related to billing errors or overestimation of bills.
- Credit: You can contact EWON about payment difficulties and the actions providers take to address unpaid bills, including assistance programs, rebates or credit schemes.
- Transfer: You can contact EWON if you are facing problems associated with switching to a new energy provider, including where accounts are transferred in error.
- Common hot water: EWON can help with issues related to billing for common hot water systems in strata blocks.
- Customer service: You can complain to EWON about the level of service you receive, including problems with contacting providers i.e. long on-hold times and lack of readily available contact information.
- Digital meter exchange: You can complaint to EWON if you face delays, faults and other problems with smart meter installations or follow-on issues including tariffs or billing.
- Supply: You can make a complaint to EWON about the delivery and quality of energy and water, including outages and protection for customers on life support equipment.
- Land: You can contact EWON if you have a concern about the impact of the provider’s assets, maintenance and activity on a your property or environment.
- Provision: You can contact EWON if you have problems with new or existing connections to energy and water networks.
- Marketing: You can contact EWON if you have issues with the marketing and sales conduct by providers, via door to door, online, phone or other channels
- Solar Energy: You can contact EWON if you are having problems with solar energy.
- Privacy: You can contact EWON if you have issues with a provider’s collection and use of your personal details including issues relating to the Consumer Data Right.
Jurisdiction:
EWON has the power to act where the supply address is in NSW.
Time Limitations:
EWON may not be able to investigate complaints that are lodged more than 12 months after you first became aware of the issue unless EWON considers it reasonable to accept the complaint after that time.
EWON will not deal with complaints about:
- EWON cannot handle complaints about private contractors, LPG gas, landlords, or energy prices.
- EWON cannot handle complaints about non-member entities.
- Complaints that should be dealt with in another forum, are substantially the same as a previous complaint, or have been subject to proceedings in another body are excluded.
- Complaints about government policies, legislation, or pricing are not within EWON's jurisdiction.
Who can you make a complaint against?
You can make a complaint against:
- Body/Organisation: EWON handles complaints related to water, gas, and electricity providers that are members of EWON.
- Embedded Networks: All embedded network operators and exempt sellers in NSW serving residential customers must be EWON members. They can investigate issues if the electricity supply is individually metered. Consumers in embedded networks have similar rights as other consumers.
- EWON will not deal with complaints about:
- Private contractors (electricians, plumbers, gas fitters) engaged by individuals or competitive quotations, directing these to Fair Trading NSW.
- Landlord disputes, directing these to Fair Trading NSW or Tenants NSW.
- LPG (bottled gas) providers, directing these to Fair Trading NSW.
- Additional Information: Electricity prices are set by retailers, and EWON has no role in price setting or investigating price increases. They can review if charges and tariffs are correctly applied to an account. If there's a billing issue, and the retailer’s explanation is unsatisfactory, EWON can assist.
Are you eligible to make a complaint?
Who can make a complaint?
All residential and small business energy account holders and some water account holders in NSW. Advocates making a complaint on someone’s behalf.
Before you lodge a complaint:
You must contact the provider first and let them know that they have an issue. If the complaint to the provider remains unresolved, or the response is not satisfactory, you can contact EWON.
Can complaints be made on behalf of someone?
Complaints can be made on behalf of another person. If you contact EWON on someone else's behalf, they will need verbal or written authority from the person making the complaint or you can complete an Authority to Act Form and have it signed by the person you're making the complaint for.
EWON will not deal with complaints about:
Where the supply address is outside NSW, you have known about the complaint for more than 12 months, non-account holders/advocates and large businesses cannot make a complaint to EWON. EWON cannot take complaints from employees or contractors of energy and water providers, where the complaint is about their employee/contractor relationship.
What can this body do to help?
EWON may provide:
- Referral: If your complaint is outside of EWON's jurisdiction, it may be sent to other organisations like Fair Trading or another Ombudsman. If you haven’t contacted your provider first, EWON may direct you to their contact centre to ensure fairness.
- Refer to higher level ('RHL'): If you have tried but failed to resolve a complaint with your energy or water provider’s contact centre, EWON can refer you to the provider’s specialist dispute resolution team, with your agreement.
- Investigations: EWON investigates complaints that you and your provider can’t resolve. These investigations are ranked as level 1, 2, or 3 based on how long they take to resolve.
- Facilitated resolution: For non-complex complaints that need investigation, an EWON Conciliator will gather information from both you and your provider. The conciliator helps both sides find solutions and agree on a fair outcome.
- Negotiated resolution: For complex complaints, an EWON Investigations Officer collects all relevant information, sometimes seeking expert advice. Both parties are involved in negotiating a fair outcome, considering laws, industry practices, and the specifics of the complaint.
- No further Investigation: If EWON finds that the provider’s resolution is fair and reasonable and addresses all aspects of your complaint, they will finalise the complaint with no further investigation.
- Binding decision: If a complaint remains unresolved and the Dispute Resolution Manager believes the provider’s offer does not fully address the complaint, it will be escalated to the Ombudsman for a binding decision.
How to prepare your complaint
Format:
Complaints can be lodged via the online form, by phone, in person or by post. Interpreter or translator assistance is available.
Personal Details:
You can choose to lodge your complaint anonymously. However, this may stop EWON being able to respond to you or being able to look into your concerns. They will ask for your name, contact number and email or postal address.
Respondent’s Details:
Include the provider’s name, an outline of the complaint, and the outcome sought.
Relevant Facts:
Describe the main events leading to the complaint, provide necessary documentation, and ensure all relevant information is included.
What NOT to Include:
Personal information not relevant to the complaint.
Lodging your complaint and next steps:
Where to lodge a complaint:
- Online Form: EWON Complaint Form
- Telephone: 1800 246 545 (Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm)
- Post: Reply Paid 86550, Sydney South NSW 1234
- In Person: Book an appointment at Level 11, 133 Castlereagh Street, Sydney (10:00 AM to 4:00 PM from Tuesday to Thursday; call 1800 246 545 to book an appointment)
Next Steps:
- Complaint acknowledged within five working days if lodged online or in writing.
- Triage to determine if within jurisdiction.
- Out of jurisdiction complaints redirected to appropriate forum.
- In jurisdiction complaints reviewed and actioned, including referral, investigation, and resolution processes.
Assessment & Investigation:
EWON investigates complaints that cannot be resolved between you and your energy or water provider. These are categorised as level 1, 2 and 3 based on the time taken for EWON to resolve the complaint.
- Level 1: simple cases, usually resolved in 4-6 weeks through discussion.
- Level 2: more detailed cases, requiring thorough information and might include things like billing details or evidence of damage, aiming for a fair agreement.
- Level 3: the most complex cases, could need expert advice and can take up to 12 months to resolve, possibly involving high-level consultation to reach a decision.
Additional Information:
- Keep a copy of the complaint for reference.
- Provide all relevant information at the outset to avoid delays.
- Update EWON with any changes that impact the complaint.
More information:
Refer to the factsheet provided below for more information.
