CUSTOMER CHARTER A SUMMARY OF YOUR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

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1 CUSTOMER CHARTER A SUMMARY OF YOUR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

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3 At Queensland Urban Utilities, we are focused on providing accountable, efficient and innovative customer service. As our customers, you can turn on the tap at any time of the day or night at home or at work for safe drinking water. You can have a shower or flush the toilet and the waste disappears. We provide a largely unseen service but one that enhances the quality of our lives. Each year we supply around 132,000 megalitres of tap water, and remove and treat approximately 128,000 megalitres of sewage for our residential and commercial customers. We also supply around 9,700 megalitres of recycled water to 110 businesses. Formed on 1 July 2010, Queensland Urban Utilities' shareholders are Brisbane City Council, Ipswich City Council, Lockyer Valley Regional Council, Scenic Rim Regional Council and Somerset Regional Council. Our vision is to be recognised for our excellence in water and sewerage services that meet the evolving needs of our customers and enhance our communities. This Customer Charter is applicable to all Queensland Urban Utilities' customers. Our water and sewerage services are delivered in alignment with our Customer Service Standards. Some of these standards are referenced in this Customer Charter. For a full copy of our Customer Service Standards, please visit or phone (7am 7pm weekdays). Reliability of water supply Queensland Urban Utilities delivers a safe and reliable water supply to our customers. Maintenance and management of our assets and services The effective maintenance and management of our assets is critical to ensure safe and reliable water and sewerage services are provided to our customers. maintain the water service up to and including the property water meter maintain the sewerage service from the property connection. advising us immediately if damage occurs to any of our assets or services on your property by calling us on (24/7) reporting deliberate damage or suspected criminal activity relating to our assets or services by calling us on (24/7) ensuring all your internal plumbing infrastructure (pipes and drains) is in good working order and is compliant with plumbing regulations engaging a licensed plumber to repair any water leaks occurring on the property side of the water meter, including the fitting that connects the water meter to your pipes. Queensland Urban Utilities Customer Charter 3

4 Interruption to supply While we work hard to ensure your water supply is not interrupted, we may occasionally need to carry out planned maintenance on our assets. In these situations your water services may be interrupted for a short time. Should your supply be interrupted due to planned or unplanned works, our priority is to minimise any inconvenience. provide at least 48 hours advance notice to you when there is any planned interruption to your water and sewerage services endeavour to restore water supply in less than five hours on 90 percent of occasions should an unplanned service interruption occur respond* to urgent incidents in less than one hour in urban areas and less than two hours in rural areas (on 80% of occasions) respond* to non-urgent incidents in less than 24 hours in urban areas and less than 72 hours in rural areas (on 80% of occasions). reporting any service interruptions and emergencies on (24/7). Pressure and flow Queensland Urban Utilities has programs in place to manage water pressure and flow across its network of pipes. deliver water to the property connection at a minimum static pressure of 210 kilopascals in urban areas, and 100 kilopascals in trickle feed areas and services with private pressure booster pumps deliver water to the connection at your property at a minimum flow rate of 25 litres per minute in urban areas and a minimum flow rate of 3.2 litres per minute in trickle feed areas implement effective pressure and leakage management to control leaks in the distribution network, conserve water and assist in minimising pipe failures to ensure customer water supply security assist the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service in the role of community safety by installing and maintaining a fire fighting capability in our network. reporting any significant change in your water pressure or flow by contacting us on (24/7). *Response time is measured from the time of the customer request to the time taken to determine appropriate restoration action. 4 Queensland Urban Utilities Customer Charter

5 New connections We are committed to providing water and sewerage connections to your property in a timely and cost-effective way. Queensland Urban Utilities' standard for new service connections is to commence work within 15 working days of customer payment, 95 percent of the time. Specialist health services Queensland Urban Utilities works with identified home haemodialysis patients to provide priority supply classification for their premises and to ensure adequate water pressure is always a priority. If you or someone living at your house requires water for specialist life saving equipment, please contact us on to ensure we have you listed as an identified patient. Water quality Queensland Urban Utilities delivers drinking water of a very high standard to our customers. We are committed to delivering drinking water which meets the water quality health criteria described in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and complies with the regulations of the Public Health Act We have a rigorous water quality monitoring program to ensure this. supply you with water that is safe to drink monitor and assess the quality of the drinking water supplied publish annual water quality data on our website. ensuring all internal plumbing (pipes and drains) is maintained in good order and in compliance with plumbing regulations reporting any emergencies or issues regarding water quality by contacting us on (24/7) calling us for general enquiries relating to water quality on Metering We understand the importance of ensuring meter readings are accurate and customers are charged correctly. read your meter according to a regular schedule to maintain consistency of reading periods estimate a reading, based on previous consumption levels, when a water meter is not accessible, or cannot be located. ensuring that access to your water meter is not obstructed (for example by a garden bed or barrier) and that your water meter is not tampered with. Testing your water meter provide you with information on how to self check for water leaks provide you with a meter testing service for a prepaid fee allow you to be present during testing if requested provide you with a notice of test results if the water meter is found to be faulty, we will replace the water meter, refund the test charge and review the water consumption charges for the property. taking regular readings of your water meter to promptly detect any unusual increases in consumption to minimise water loss due to leaks. Visit for more information requesting a water meter test if you believe your water meter is not registering accurately, and you have ruled out the possibility of a leak. Download a meter test application form from watermetertest. A prepaid fee applies for this service, but is refundable if the water meter is found to be faulty. Queensland Urban Utilities Customer Charter 5

6 Effective transport of sewage Our extensive network is designed to provide sewerage services that ensure public health and environmental protection. Putting the wrong things down sinks, pipes and toilets can leave property owners with an expensive plumbing bill to unblock pipes. It can also lead to sewage overflows and problems in other parts of our sewerage network. maintain and operate the sewerage service from the property connection point remove the sewage from your property and treat it to a high quality, to protect public health and the environment monitor the quality of our treated sewage before it passes back to the environment. disposing of any waste responsibly cooking oil, paints, pesticides, cleaning products and pool chemicals should never be poured down the sink, gutter or any other drain maintaining the sewerage pipes on your property, making sure they are free from cracks and blockages planting carefully always check for pipes before planting, and choose trees with root systems that are less likely to enter pipes and cause blockages ensuring stormwater drainage is not connected to the sewerage system. For more information on how you can help us achieve a healthier sewerage network and cleaner environment visit Billing and payment Issuing accounts We issue residential water and sewerage accounts quarterly to all properties where water and sewerage services are provided. Business accounts are issued either monthly or quarterly. Accounts will be sent to the owner of the property at the last notified postal address. Your account will include information such as your water usage charges including the State Government bulk water component, sewerage charges, the period of the account, the total charge, how to pay your account, as well as any subsidies or remissions applied. Your account will also visually display your current water usage with comparisons to the usage on: your previous account your account for the same period last year other customers in your area (residential accounts only). Charges Queensland Urban Utilities' charges include fixed charges for water and sewerage access, as well as consumption charges based on the amount of water you use each quarter. Some of these charges are billed in arrears and some are billed in advance, as noted on your account. Refer to our website ( for charges applicable to your region. An access charge for each available service (water and sewerage) may be applied to properties within Queensland Urban Utilities' service/ connection area. Consumption charges are: the State Government Bulk Water charge this is a State Government charge for the cost of treated water a tiered charge per kilolitre tiered pricing uses water consumption thresholds to encourage customers to use water efficiently. 6 Queensland Urban Utilities Customer Charter

7 Businesses and industries that generate trade waste are charged based on the type of trade waste that is generated by the business. These trade waste charges are based on the treatment of additional loads of concentrated nutrients and pollutants generated by the business. Trade waste charges are based on a user pays system and are set according to the volume and type of discharge your business generates. Paying your account Queensland Urban Utilities offers a range of options for you to pay your account. You can pay your account: by Direct Debit. Apply online at or call through our website using MasterCard or Visa through your financial institution using BPAY by phone using your MasterCard or Visa by mail to Queensland Urban Utilities Locked Bag 3315, Brisbane QLD 4001 in person with cash or cheque at any branch of the Commonwealth Bank or any Australia Post outlet or retailer displaying BPOINT logo. Account payments by credit card over the phone or internet will incur a 0.72% surcharge to cover the costs associated with credit card transactions. This surcharge is calculated on the total amount paid. Our payment terms provide 30 days to pay your water and sewerage account. Pay your account in full by the due date to avoid interest charges. Queensland Urban Utilities reserves the right to charge interest of 11% per annum, compounding daily, where the account is overdue or where the terms of an agreed payment plan are not met. Customer assistance We understand that from time to time some of our customers face circumstances that make it difficult for them to manage their water and sewerage accounts. treat you with respect, sensitivity and confidentiality have your case considered individually by a trained Queensland Urban Utilities representative offer realistic and affordable flexible payment options provide relief from legal action and additional debt recovery costs as well as halting the application of interest to the arrears amount provided that you meet the terms of any agreed payment plan with us provide you with information to assist in reducing water and sewerage costs provide you with information about appropriate government concession programs and financial counselling services. Queensland Urban Utilities Customer Charter 7

8 The following options provide assistance to customers. Flexible payment options If you do not have the capacity to pay your water and sewerage account on time and in full, we offer flexible payment plans consistent with your capacity to pay. Please contact us on as soon as possible to discuss payment plan options. Hardship policy We have a hardship policy, available on our website, that provides the framework to support residential customers who are experiencing financial hardship and difficulty in paying their water and sewerage accounts. Non-payment of accounts We are committed to providing our customers with all reasonable opportunities to rectify their outstanding service charges. In situations where a customer has not taken advantage of those opportunities and continues to use services without paying for them, we reserve the right to register a charge over their property, send the account to a collection agency, commence legal action or restrict the water supply to the property. Flow restriction will only be imposed after other collection actions have not resolved the account, and the restriction will be limited to a rate which meets a customer's minimum health and hygiene requirements. If we issue you with a Flow Restriction Notice, you will be given 30 days' notice. Subsidies Queensland Urban Utilities administers the Queensland Government Pensioner Water Subsidy. For more information, visit or phone us on Tenant Water Advice Queensland Urban Utilities will provide a separate Water Advice to tenants in residential properties that have an individual water meter and where Queensland Urban Utilities is informed that the property is tenanted. This advice provides the tenant with information to monitor their water consumption. This advice is not an account and no payment is required by the residential tenant. 8 Queensland Urban Utilities Customer Charter

9 Customer service Enquiries, feedback and complaints At Queensland Urban Utilities we are committed to delivering proactive and accessible customer service. We encourage you to let us know what we are doing well and where we can improve. You can contact us in a number of ways: For small business or residential customers If you are a business using less then 100 kilolitres per annum, or a residential customer and are not satisfied with the outcome of your enquiry or complaint, you have the right to take your concern to the Energy and Water Ombudsman Queensland who can be contacted via: Online Via our website's enquiry form customerservice@urbanutilities.com.au Phone For general enquiries contact us from 7am to 7pm weekdays on For faults and emergencies contact us on (24/7). In writing Queensland Urban Utilities GPO Box 2765 Brisbane Qld 4001 In person Level 2 15 Green Square Close Fortitude Valley Qld 4006 How we manage complaints We recognise you may need to make a complaint if a service, product, decision or action fails to meet your expectations or our standards. Complaints are accepted and managed with a view to improving our services, products, decisions and actions in an effort to increase satisfaction for our customers. Receipt of your enquiry or complaint will be acknowledged within two working days and a response (or an update on the progress if the investigation is complex) will be provided within 20 working days. Our response will provide reasons for our decision and provide a contact person to notify if you are not satisfied and would like the decision to be reviewed further. Phone Post PO Box 3640, South Brisbane BC Qld complaints@ewoq.com.au Web The Energy and Water Ombudsman Queensland will assist in cases where the customer was first provided Queensland Urban Utilities the opportunity to resolve the matter. For all other customers If you are a business using greater than 100 kilolitres per annum and are not satisfied with the outcome of your enquiry or complaint, you have the right to take your concern to the Queensland Ombudsman. You can contact the Queensland Ombudsman via: Phone or Post GPO Box 3314, Brisbane Qld ombudsman@ombudsman.qld.gov.au Web The Queensland Ombudsman will assist in cases where the customer was first provided Queensland Urban Utilities the opportunity to resolve the matter. Queensland Urban Utilities Customer Charter 9

10 Customer Water and Wastewater Code The Queensland Government's Water and Wastewater Code outlines service standards and responsibilities applying to South East Queensland service providers and their business customers. The code provides additional safeguards around the standards and conditions of service and supply for residential and small business customers, as well as outlining the Energy and Water Ombudsman's dispute resolution role. More information on the code is at Privacy of your information Queensland Urban Utilities is committed to protecting the privacy of our customers, employees and agents. Queensland Urban Utilities: recognises and respects the importance of keeping individuals' personal information private protects and maintains the security of individuals' personal information only uses individuals' personal information for the purpose for which it was collected or as otherwise authorised. You can view our Information Privacy Policy on our website Accessing and amending your information You can access and/or amend any inaccurate, incomplete, out of date or misleading personal information in accordance with your rights under the Information Privacy Act To find out more about making an access application or amending your personal information, or if you have a privacy concern or complaint, please contact us. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint, you may refer your complaint to the Office of the Information Commissioner Queensland Urban Utilities' Right to Information and Information Privacy Officer Phone Post Right to Information and Information Privacy Officer Queensland Urban Utilities GPO Box 2765 Brisbane Qld information@urbanutilities.com.au Web Online enquiry form at 10 Queensland Urban Utilities Customer Charter

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12 General Enquiries am to 7pm weekdays Faults and Emergencies (24/7) GPO Box 2765, Brisbane Qld Interpreter service Q Queensland Urban Utilities 2014.