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Approval method of a consumer complaints resolution scheme

Approved scheme

On 10 December 2009, pursuant to section 158G of the Electricity Act, the Commission notified that it had approved the complaints resolution system called the Electricity and Gas Complaints Commissioner Scheme, established under the document entitled Constitution for the Electricity and Gas Complaints Commissioner Scheme dated the 30th day of October 2009.  The approval has effect from 1 April 2010.

A copy of the constitution and other documents that comprise The Electricity and Gas Complaints Commissioner Scheme are available from the website http://www.egcomplaints.co.nz/scheme.htm.

The Commission has worked closely with the Gas Industry Co to co-ordinate approaches to approval and governance of an electricity and gas consumer complaints scheme.  The Gas Industry Co made a recommendation to the Associate Minister of Energy and Resources to approve the same scheme section 43E of the Gas Act.  The Associate Minister accepted that recommendation and also notified approval of the complaints resolution system called the Electricity and Gas Complaints Commissioner Scheme, on 10 December 2009. 

From 1 April 2010, every retailer and distributor (including Transpower) must participate in the approved scheme.  This means that if complaints are unable to first be resolved by the relevant retailer or distributor, all electricity and gas consumers will be able to refer their complaint to a single, independent, free, disputes resolution service.

Consultation on proposal to approve a joint electricity and gas complaints resolution scheme

In March 2009, the Electricity Commission and Gas Industry Co have jointly agreed to select, for the purposes of consultation, the Electricity and Gas Complaints Commission scheme (EGCC scheme) as their preferred provider of a gas and electricity industry consumer complaints resolution system.

This followed assessment of all the applications that were received in December 2008 in response to the request for applications issued in September 2008 (see below). 

The Commission and GIC published a consultation paper  in March 2009 that assesses the industry-based scheme that would be provided by the EGCC against other practicable options for an energy-based complaints scheme. 

Request for Applications

In September 2008, the Electricity Commission and Gas Industry Co sought applications from persons who wished to be selected as the preferred candidate for approval as a complaints resolution scheme under the Electricity Act and the Gas Act 1992.

The request for applications (RFA) provided background information, outlined the timetable and process for applications, set out the criteria that an application would be assessed against, and outlined the timetable for establishing the complaints resolution scheme once approved.

Preferred provider

A number of applications were received in response and a joint panel from the Electricity Commission and Gas Industry Co evaluated the applications received.  The Electricity Commission and Gas Industry Co agreed a preferred applicant in late February 2009.  The details of the preferred applicant’s scheme are outlined in the March 2009 consultation paper “Proposal to approve a joint electricity and gas complaints resolution scheme”

Proposed achievement standards

In March 2008, the Electricity Commission and Gas Industry Co issued a consultation paper on Approval of a Joint Gas and Electricity Complaints Resolution Scheme. The consultation paper outlined a reasonably detailed set of proposed achievement standards that a scheme would be considered against for approval.  

In September 2008, the Commission published an analysis of submissions received in response to the proposed achievement standards

 

Archive

 

Background information on the process to date is available at
Last update on 24 February 2010 11:49 AM