Your rights under the electricity consumer care obligations
There’s a set of rules that power companies must comply with called the ‘consumer care obligations’. These rules clearly lay out the rights electricity consumers have, with the aim of making it easier for New Zealanders to stay connected and manage paying for their power.
Here are some of the things all power companies must do.
Contact you 5 times before cutting off your power
Under the obligations, your power company should only disconnect your power as a last resort.
If your power company decides to disconnect you for non-payment, it needs to make at least five attempts to contact you. These must include an invoice, three contact attempts and a final notice of disconnection, issued no earlier than 28 days after the invoice was issued. It must also offer you a payment support plan.
Disconnections also shouldn’t be made at a time when it’s difficult to get connected again – such as just before a weekend, public holiday or outside normal business hours.
Not cut off medically dependent customers
Your power company must never disconnect you for non-payment if you are, or live with, a medically dependent consumer.
A medically dependent consumer is someone who relies on electricity to live and might suffer serious harm or loss of life if there’s no electricity.
There’s a process to follow to notify your power company that you’re medically dependent. Find out more in our article on your rights if you medically depend on power.
Help you understand their plans so you can choose the best one for you
A power company must tell you about all its products you could sign up for – as well as the associated conditions and fees that come with them.
If you ask your power company if you’re on the best plan, it must tell you if there’s another option that might be better.
Support you if you’re having trouble paying bills
If you are struggling to pay your power bills, it’s important to let your power company know.
That’s because if a power company knows you’re having trouble paying, it must help you and offer payment options to support you.
Tell you why they won’t sign you up
Power companies are not required to take on new customers. However, if a power company refuses to take you on, it has to give you a clear reason why.
It also must tell you about a website – like Powerswitch – where you can compare power plans. And it must give you contact details for a support agency that can help you.
Give you clear information about fees, discounts, bonds and bills
Fees charged for things like disconnecting and reconnecting your power or ending a fixed term early must be reasonable and reflect the cost to the power company and nothing more.
Discounts, for example the type you get if you pay on time or by a certain method, have to be explained clearly.
Bonds charged by power companies must be based on what they think your bills will be and must be refunded once you’ve paid bills consistently for a year.
Make power bills clear and accurate
Power companies must use meter readings rather than estimates whenever possible.
Bills must show current and overdue amounts separately. The due date and payment options also must be stated.
If you’re on a bundled plan, the cost of each individual service should be shown.
Publish their consumer care policies
Your power company should have a consumer care policy. The policy must be easy to access on its website and make it easy to see the rights you have under the consumer care obligations.
