Customer Charter Trusted by our customers to deliver today and create a better tomorrow.

Transcription

1 Customer Charter Trusted by our customers to deliver today and create a better tomorrow.

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3 TasNetworks has developed this customer charter to explain what you can expect from us, your entitlements and the obligations that we have to each other. Table of contents p2 p3 p3 p3 p4 p10 p12 p17 About TasNetworks The TasNetworks customer experience Our customer engagement commitments Our customer service commitments Information for distribution customers Information for transmission and telecommunications customers General information for all customers How to contact us Customer Charter

4 About us Our purpose We deliver power and telecommunications network services, creating value for our customers, our owners and our community. About TasNetworks TasNetworks supplies the power from the power station to homes and businesses through a network of transmission lines, substations and powerlines. We also: build, maintain and operate the network establish new connections where infrastructure does not currently exist respond to, and repair, outages and faults operate and maintain a 24-hour fault and emergency line read, replace and repair meters provide education, advice and information about electrical safety deliver nationally accredited training to line worker apprentices, contractors and sub contractors, local councils and civil construction organisations own and operate a telecommunications business that serves customers in the electricity industry and other industries. Please contact your electricity retailer directly regarding: your electricity bill information or advice on your electricity bill your connection or disconnection of electricity when you move house. You may receive a separate customer charter from your electricity retailer, which will refer to your contractual arrangement with them regarding the purchase of electricity. 2 TasNetworks

5 The TasNetworks customer experience At TasNetworks, we value our customers and the relationships we have with them. This customer focus has helped shape our vision and purpose and lays the foundation for ensuring customers are central to everything we do. We will: listen to and understand your needs put ourselves in your shoes deliver what has been promised consult with you on issues or changes that will impact you or your lifestyle undertake our work in a safe manner that is sensitive to the local environment continually review and find ways to improve our service to you. Our customer engagement commitments We will educate, inform and engage with you about our activities and plans for the future and how they will affect you and your local area. We will consult with you about issues such as price, reliability and safety of electricity, the cost and benefits of possible projects and the environmental impacts of our business. Our customer service commitments Every customer is important to us and we will provide you with the highest standard of customer service possible. You can count on us to undertake the following as a minimum level of service. If we make an appointment with you, we aim to be on location at the appointed time. If we are going to be delayed, we will contact you where possible and reschedule the appointment to another time agreed to by you. We value your privacy and will keep information about you confidential in accordance with all relevant laws. TasNetworks will only collect, use and disclose your personal information (including metering data and information that may be sensitive information) to develop products, services and information for our customers, for our business operations and to comply with the law. We may also use your personal information to contact you with important information and services. We will ensure that all our public areas are accessible to people with disabilities. We will provide for the needs of the visually and hearing impaired so they can access our services (please refer to the contact us section on the back cover of this charter for further details). Our guarantee: If we fail to meet our customer service commitments, TasNetworks will pay you $30. Customer Charter

6 Information for distribution customers The following section of this charter details information that is relevant to distribution customers. It should be read in conjunction with your deemed supply contract, which can be found on our website

7 Your power supply Who are distribution customers? A distribution customer is a residential, business or commercial customer who is connected to the distribution system (poles and wires) and receives a bill for electricity via an energy retailer. This applies to most TasNetworks customers. Some commercial and industrial customers are connected directly to TasNetworks transmission system or are telecommunications customers. Those customers should refer to the transmission and telecommunications section of the charter on page 11 for more details. Supply reliability and restoration We aim to provide a safe and reliable supply for all of our customers and timely restoration if your power does go out. Our system cannot notify us of all faults and in some cases we rely on our customers to report supply interruptions. Unfortunately, many circumstances beyond our control can occur, which means that we cannot guarantee 100% reliability. Causes may include: storms or strong winds lightning strikes vegetation touching powerlines bushfire vehicle accidents that cause damage to our infrastructure birds or wildlife coming into contact with our powerlines equipment failure. Our 24-hour fault and emergency line can keep you informed regarding the estimated restoration time. Call us on We keep track of all recorded interruptions, and you may be entitled to a guaranteed service level (GSL) payment if the interruptions exceed the limits for duration and frequency of outages throughout the year. Any qualifying payment will be sent to you automatically. Our aim is to make any payment to you within 12 weeks of the qualifying interruption. Our guarantee: If interruptions to your supply exceed the limits set for duration or frequency, TasNetworks will send you a minimum payment of $80, up to a maximum of $160 depending on the circumstances of the interruption. Further details in relation to our GSL scheme are available on our website at or by calling Customer Charter

8 Planned interruptions Planned interruptions are scheduled so that we can undertake maintenance on our infrastructure; in most cases improving reliability and the security of power supplies. Except in the case of an emergency interruption, if we plan an interruption to your supply and have not made specific arrangements with you, we will give you at least 4 business days written notice (or at least 5 business days if we have to use radio announcements, press advertisements or similar means). Please be aware that we do not supply generators to individual customers during planned interruptions. We recommend that if you or your business is dependent upon a continuous supply of power, you should consider installing an uninterruptible power supply device. Your electrical contractor should be able to advise on the most suitable option for a continuous supply of electricity during times of planned and unplanned interruptions. Our guarantee: If we fail to notify you of a planned interruption, TasNetworks will pay you $30. Life support customers If you let us or your electricity retailer know that a person at your address is dependent on a life support machine, we will give you at least 4 business days written or personal notice of a planned interruption to your power supply. It is important to remember that we cannot guarantee 100% reliability and you should have a contingency plan in place if an unplanned interruption occurs. Call us on for more information regarding life support customers. Further information regarding life support arrangements can also be found on our website at Connection of supply If you need a new connection or your current connection requires alterations that involve changes or extensions to the electricity network, you will need to submit an application form to TasNetworks. Before we can connect power to your premises we must make sure that electricity infrastructure exists at your property boundary and that the existing equipment is able to supply sufficient power to meet your needs. We recommend that you get in touch with us when you start the planning process to avoid delays. It s important to keep in mind that some types of connections can take a considerable amount of time if new infrastructure needs to be built. Our guarantee: If we don t make the connection to your home or business on the agreed day, TasNetworks will pay you $30 for every business day we are late, up to a maximum of $150. Disconnection of supply In some situations, TasNetworks has the authorisation to disconnect the power supply. These situations include: when we are instructed to do so by your electricity retailer, by the police or other authority in cases where your electricity supply poses a safety risk situations where we are otherwise permitted by law to disconnect the premises. Our guarantee: If we disconnect power to your premises, we will provide you with information telling you why we had to disconnect. If we disconnect power to your premises and it is determined that we did not have the right to do so, we will reconnect your premises as soon as reasonably possible at no cost. 6 TasNetworks

9 Your property Access TasNetworks (and our contractors) require unhindered access to our electrical infrastructure at all times and we may need to access your property to undertake work. This may include: to read, test or replace electricity meters to undertake tests, inspections or repairs to our equipment to connect or disconnect your supply to inspect, cut or remove vegetation that is too close to our equipment to undertake other work requested by you. Special TasNetworks locks are available through a number of locksmiths around the State. These locks allow us to access any locked gate on your property. TasNetworks will use master keys to gain access when required. Please contact us on to find out more about TasNetworks-approved locks. When accessing your property, we will carry official identification and produce it for your inspection on request. We will also leave your property in the condition we found it (excluding any changes we have to make to the electrical equipment to ensure a safe and reliable supply). Our guarantee: If we do not leave your property in the condition we found it, TasNetworks will pay you $30. Meters and meter reading TasNetworks owns all meters on your property and as a result safe and unhindered access must be provided at all times to maintain, read, test or remove metering equipment. You must notify your retailer if you have a dog on your property. If there is a dog at your property and we cannot visually determine that it is restrained, we reserve the right to refrain from entering and you will be issued with an estimation of electricity consumption. For more information on our dog policy and the options available to you, please call us on Customer Charter

10 Trees and vegetation TasNetworks is responsible for maintaining a minimum safety clearance for vegetation near our electrical infrastructure. This may include trees overhanging our powerlines in the street or on your property. As a result, we (or our contractors) may need to trim trees under our powerlines on your property or in the road reserve. For your own safety and the safety of the community, you are responsible for maintaining a safe distance between vegetation on your property and the line servicing your house, as well as any private powerlines. Any vegetation clearance work should always be undertaken by a suitably qualified vegetation contractor. Trees should never be planted near our powerlines unless they are a suitable species. Your local nursery can provide you with advice, or call TasNetworks for a copy of our Safe Growing brochure on Planting shrubs and trees away from powerlines will protect your home and surrounding assets from the dangers of bushfire and prevent power supply interruptions. Our guarantee: Unless it is an emergency situation, we will notify you prior to cutting vegetation on your property. When carrying out vegetation clearing work, we will leave your property in the condition we found it (excluding any works we are required to carry out to ensure a safe and reliable supply). If we fail to meet this promise, TasNetworks will pay you $30. Private powerlines and poles on your property A private powerline usually starts at, and includes, the first low voltage pole on private property. If your property is supplied by a high voltage powerline and a transformer off a public road, it may be a private line and advice should be sought from TasNetworks regarding the responsibility for maintenance and repair. There are around 65,000 poles in Tasmania that are privately owned. A privately owned pole will normally have a yellow Private Pole tag attached. This means that the pole is the responsibility of the owner; however, please note that not all private poles will be identified with this tag. If you have a private powerline, it s your responsibility to maintain it in safe working order, fix any defects and keep trees or branches clear. This is to ensure reliable power supply, reduce the risk of electrocution or bushfires and keep your powerlines safe. TasNetworks provides a free courtesy inspection of customer assets up to the customer metering point as part of our routine pole testing cycle. If there are any safety issues you will be notified by WorkSafe Tasmania and it will be your responsibility to rectify any defects. Any testing beyond the customer metering point is your responsibility. For pole ownership enquiries please call TasNetworks on Streetlighting We operate and maintain the streetlighting system throughout Tasmania on behalf of councils and other government road authorities. Therefore, requests for additional lights or other lighting arrangements should be made to them directly. All streetlighting outages should be reported to us on Once we have been advised of a defective streetlight in your street, we will aim to replace it within 7 business days of notification of the fault. Our guarantee: If you are the first person to report a streetlighting outage in your street and it is not rectified in 7 business days, TasNetworks will pay you $30. 8 TasNetworks

11 We want to hear from you Complaints and feedback We are committed to providing you with the best service we can. If you have a query or complaint we encourage you to contact us so that we can investigate. If we cannot provide you with a response immediately, we will acknowledge your enquiry within 3 business days and either return your call or send a written reply within 10 business days. If the matter is not resolved with us, you have the right to refer any complaint to the Tasmanian Energy Ombudsman on The Ombudsman provides a free, independent complaints resolution service. Claims for loss or damage If you suffer loss or damage to your property as a result of an event affecting your electricity supply, you may be eligible to make a claim. Claims can be made by filling out a claim form on our website or by calling us on We will aim to acknowledge your claim within 3 business days of its receipt by the Customer Advocacy team. We will then investigate the circumstances of your situation and provide you with a written response once the investigation has been completed. Upon request, we are also able to create a letter for your insurance company confirming the electricity event. Our guarantee: If we do not acknowledge your claim within 3 business days of receipt, TasNetworks will pay you $30. Our goal is to provide first contact resolution. Customer Charter

12 Information for transmission and telecommunications customers only The following section of this charter details information relevant to transmission and telecommunications customers only.

13 Transmission and telecommunications customers TasNetworks owns and operates Tasmania s electricity transmission system and a telecommunications network. We understand that our networks are vital to your operations. Our commitment to you is to provide safe, reliable and secure electricity transmission and telecommunications services in an efficient and cost-effective way. For details on our mutual obligations please refer to your individual connection agreement or contract. For any questions regarding your agreement, please contact us on We go out of our way to innovate and advocate for customers. Customer Charter

14 General information for all customers

15 What to do if we haven t met our obligations We ll make every effort Exceptional circumstances may prevent us from meeting your service request. These include when we cannot obtain access to your home or premises, storms, emergencies, major disruption to supplies, action by third parties (such as vandalism) or risks to safety. If any situation occurs that is outside our control, we will make every effort to give you the best possible service. Any payments made in relation to our customer service standards are made without any admission of legal liability. Any fees normally paid by you (for example, connection fees) will still be payable. Making a claim under the Charter We take our customer service standards seriously. If you feel we have not complied with our guaranteed service standards found in this document and wish to request a Charter payment please call us on We will investigate your claim and aim to send you a reply within 10 business days. Our guarantee: If we don t respond to your claim within 10 business days, TasNetworks will pay you $30 in addition to other payments that may be due to you. Customer Charter

16 Electrical safety Broken neutrals A broken neutral is a relatively common but potentially life-threatening electrical fault that can affect households and businesses. Power flows in and out of customers premises from the TasNetworks distribution network, entering via the active cable and leaving via the neutral cable. Customers also have within their premises an earth connection. If there is a break in the neutral return path, electricity can still exit the premises via the customer s earth connection. If there are problems with the neutral and earth, electricity may then travel by a different path. This may be via water pipes, stoves and metal taps or any other conductor of electricity. This situation can be very dangerous and customers may suffer serious electric shocks if they touch something where electricity may be present. Call TasNetworks immediately on if: any taps, appliances or power tools give electric shocks or tingles lights vary in brightness appliances or power tools give electric shocks. These are signs that your life may be in danger. The TasNetworks fault and emergency line can be contacted on hours a day. Cable PI device TasNetworks urges all Tasmanian householders to make sure that the CablePI safety sensor in their home is plugged in, and working. The CablePI is a small device that plugs into any power point in your home and emits a highsounding beep if it detects a problem with your wiring. Keep your CablePI plugged in and switched on at all times to ensure it can keep you safe. When the CablePI is working correctly it will show a solid green light. An alarm, a flashing amber light, a red light or no light at all indicates a problem. Please contact TasNetworks immediately on For more information about CablePI, go to We will work in a safe manner and be sensitive to the local environment. 14 TasNetworks

17 When to call your electrical contractor Call your electrical contractor without delay if: power points or light fittings are damaged there is excessive noise or sparking from switches or power points fuses constantly blow or circuit breakers trip electrical appliances are working slowly earth wires are disturbed there is evidence of vermin damage or exposed copper water has seeped into electrical fittings and fixtures. Fallen powerlines Storms, strong winds, falling trees and vehicle accidents can bring overhead powerlines crashing to the ground. Fallen powerlines are dangerous and should not be touched or approached under any circumstances. Always assume that wires are live and capable of killing people. If you find powerlines on the ground: keep people well clear phone TasNetworks fault and emergency line on or emergency services on 000 for help immediately. Be aware that any object in contact with powerlines could be live. The area is more dangerous in wet conditions as water is an excellent conductor. And remember: any metallic objects, including fences, will be electrified if they touch or are even close to a live, fallen powerline. Even a tree branch can be a potential conductor of electricity if it is in contact with a live wire. Look Up Look Out Powerlines are so much a part of the landscape it can be easy to forget they re there. But contact with overhead wires can result in injury or even death. In fact, machinery, vehicles or loads do not even have to touch a powerline for fatal results. Irrigation pipes, plant or machinery or other conductive materials capable of contacting overhead powerlines should never be stored or located under powerlines. In an emergency involving TasNetworks assets, call our fault and emergency line immediately on For more information on any of these or our other safety campaigns, visit or call us on Customer Charter

18 General information What should I do if there is a power interruption? If you lose supply but notice that your neighbours still have power, check your fuses or circuit breakers. If everything seems to be in order, call TasNetworks 24-hour fault and emergency line on , which will also provide up-to-date information on power interruptions. We will do everything possible to safely restore your supply quickly. Current power outages can also be found on our website and on TasNetworks twitter feed. Emergencies and widespread interruptions In major emergencies or widespread interruptions, we are unable to restore power to everyone at the same time. We will always prioritise the restoration effort to ensure the safety of our crews and the public. When there is no longer a danger to the public (i.e. fallen powerlines) we will need to repair power in a sequential order. Unfortunately this means that some customers may experience longer outages than others if we have many people off at the same time. This is often the case in rural areas. We will do everything we can to restore customers as quickly as possible and we will broadcast public information on ABC local radio, on our website and on TasNetworks twitter feed. 16 TasNetworks

19 How to contact us Contacting us Report a fault or electrical emergency (24 hours, 7 days a week) General enquiries (9am-5pm Mon-Fri) Corporate switchboard Feedback and complaints Write to us TasNetworks Pty Ltd PO Box 606 Moonah Tas 7009 Website enquiries enquiries customerenquiries@tasnetworks.com.au Follow us on Hearing and interpreter services If you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment, contact us through the National Relay Service. For more information visit or call If you require the assistance of an interpreter, please contact TIS National on and ask to be connected to any TasNetworks contact number. Keeping your contact details up to date To provide you with the best possible customer service we need to ensure we have up-to-date contact details for you. Please contact your electricity retailer if your details change, including information regarding life support requirements. Getting a copy of our charter If you would like a large print or hard-copy version of this document, visit our website at or call us on Tasmanian Networks Pty Ltd ABN Current at 1 July 2014 Customer Charter

20 Tasmanian Networks Pty Ltd 0559