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Utilities (Consumer Protection Code) Determination by the ACT Parliamentary Counselalso accessible at Australian Capital Territory Utilities (Consumer Protection Code)
Utilities (Consumer Protection Code) Determination 2012 Disallowable instrument DI2012149
Utilities Act 2000, s 59 (Determined codes) and s 63 (Public access) 1 Name of instrument
This instrument is the Utilities (Consumer Protection Code) Determination 2012.
2 Commencement This instrument commences at the same time as section 6 of the National Energy Retail Law (ACT) Act 2012, A2012-31.
3 Revocation of code The Commission revokes the Utilities (Consumer Protection Code) Determination 2010 (No 2), DI2010-178.
4 Determination of code The Commission determines the attached Consumer Protection Code.
5 Public access to documents Copies of the Consumer Protection Code are available for inspection by members of the public between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday, at the Commissions offices at Level 8, 221 London Circuit, Canberra City ACT and on the Commissions website (www.icrc.act.gov.au). Copies of these documents can be made at the Commissions offices. Electronic copies are available on request. No charge will apply.
Malcolm R Gray Senior Commissioner Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission 28 June 2012
UTILITIES ACT 2000 | INDUSTRY CODE
ICRC Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission
CONSUMER PROTECTION CODE JULY 2012
Consumer Protection Code | July 2012 iii Authorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counselalso accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au
Contents Introduction Error! Bookmark not defined.
1 Introduction 11.1 Industry codes 11.2 Utility / NERL retailers to comply with industry codes 11.3 Effect of inconsistency of industry codes 11.4 Purpose of this Code 1
2 Other rights 2
3 Format and application of this Code 23.1 Parts and applicationutilities 23.2 Applicationconsumers and customers 23.3 Dictionary 33.4 Schedule 1: minimum service standards 3
Part 2 PROTECTION OF CUSTOMERS AND CONSUMERS 3Application 3
Part 2.1 OBLIGATIONS OF THE UTILITY UNDER LAW 4
4 Obligations under licence 44.1 Obligations under licence 44.2 Utilities responsibilities for conduct of agents 4
Part 2.2 PROTECTION OF CUSTOMERS AND CONSUMERS 4
5 Conduct of utilities 4
6 Complaints 66.1 Complaints procedures 66.2 Practices and procedures to comply with Australian Standards 66.3 Addressing complaints 66.4 Utility to keep records 6
7 Provision of information 67.1 Utility to provide information 67.2 Utility may recover costs of providing information 77.3 Disclosure of customer or consumer information by a utility to a third
8 Notice 78.1 Requirements for effective notice to customer or consumer 78.2 Deemed delivery 8
Consumer Protection Code | July 2012
9 Summary of consumer and utility rights 89.1 Utility to prepare summary 89.2 Content and format of summary 89.3 Summary to be available in different languages and formats 99.4 Utility to provide copy of summary 9
10 Special needs 1010.1 Disconnection and interruption to services 1010.2 Cessation of Special Needs 10
11 Obligation to comply with service standards 1111.1 Compliance by utilities with minimum service standards 1111.2 Obligation to pay rebate for non-compliance 1111.3 Method of payment of rebate 1111.4 Rebates to be paid in addition to damages 1211.5 Information to be provided to customers and consumers 12
Part 2.3 PROTECTION OF CUSTOMERS 13
12 Charges 1312.1 Information about charges 1312.2 Variation of charges 13
13 Customer accounts 1313.1 Utility may issue customer accounts 1313.2 Financial liability of a consumer 1313.3 Maximum intervals between the sending of customer accounts 1413.4 Notice 1413.5 Content of customer accounts 1413.6 Historical billing information 1513.7 Payment of customer accounts 1613.8 Review of customer accounts 1613.9 Overcharging 1613.10 Undercharging 1713.11 Final customer account on disconnection or on vacating premises 1713.12 How payments to be applied 1813.13 Territory Government-sponsored rebates 1813.14 Customer difficulties in paying customer account 1813.15 Instalment plan options 18
14 Interest and other charges 1914.1 Interest charges 19
PART 3 PROTECTION OF FRANCHISE CUSTOMERS 19Application 19
Consumer Protection Code | July 2012 v Authorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counselalso accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au
Part 3.1 MATTERS THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED IN STANDARD CUSTOMER CONTRACTS 19
15 Standard customer contract provisions 1915.1 Obligations under the Utilities Act 1915.2 Provisions to be contained in standard customer contracts 1915.3 Provisions to be regarded as minimums only 19
16 Connection and Supply 2016.1 Obligation to connect and supply 2016.2 Utility not required to connect or supply 2016.3 Deeming of standard customer contract 20
17 Disconnection of premises from a utility network and restriction of water supply 21
17.1 Utility must not disconnect or restrict utility services 2117.2 When a utility must disconnect premises from a utility network 2117.3 When a utility may disconnect or restrict supply 2217.4 Disconnection or restriction of utility services to residential premises
for failure to pay a customer account 2217.5 Restrictions on water restrictions to residential premises 2317.6 Content and format of notices 23
18 Disconnections and restrictions in emergencies and under restriction schemes 24
19 Interruptions to supply 2419.1 When a utility may interrupt supply of a utility service 2419.2 Planned interruptions to the supply of utility services 2519.3 Unplanned interruptions to the supply of a utility service 2619.4 2619.5 Liability for an interruption 2619.6 Competition and Consumer Act 2010 26
20 Security deposit 2720.1 When a security deposit may be required 2720.2 Maximum amount of security deposit 2720.3 Interest on security deposits 2720.4 Repayment of security deposits 2720.5 Purposes for which security deposits must not be used 27
Part 3.2 STANDARD CUSTOMER CONTRACTS 28
21 Availability of and changes to a standard customer contract 2821.1 Utility to make contract available to customers 2821.2 Additional copies 2821.3 Changes to contracts 28
Part 4 29
Part 6 NEW SUPPLY ARRANGEMENTS 29
Part 6.1 NEW SUPPLY ARRANGEMENTS 29
31 Contract information 29
32A 29
Part 6.2 29
34 Dictionary 30
Schedule 1: Minimum Service Standards 34
Schedule 2: Code Amendment History 37
Consumer Protection Code | July 2012 1 Authorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counselalso accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au
1.1 Industry codes The Consumer Protection Code is an industry code under Part 4 of the Utilities Act 2000 (the Utilities Act) that has been determined by the Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission (the Commission).
Section 55(1) of the Utilities Act provides that an industry code may set out practices, standards and other matters about the provision of a utility service.
Section 56(1) of the Utilities Act states that for this Act, an industry code applies to a utility if it applies to the provision of utility services of a kind that the utility is licensed to provide.
The circumstances under which the Commission may determine an industry code and the processes to be followed are detailed in sections 59 and 60 of the Utilities Act.
1.2 Utility / NERL retailers to comply with industry codes The Utilities Act provides, in section 25(2)(iii) that a utility licence is subject to the condition that the utility comply with each industry code that applies to the utility.
Section 56A of the Utilities Act allows the Commission to determine that an industry code applies to a NERL retailer if the Commission is satisfied on reasonable grounds that it is appropriate for the code to apply to the retailer.
The Commission has determined that clause 11 and schedule 1 of the Consumer Protection Code applies to NERL retailers authorised to supply electricity.
The Utilities Act provides, in section 75H(1)(a) that a NERL retailer commits an offence if the retailer contravenes an industry code that applies to the retailer.
1.3 Effect of inconsistency of industry codes Under section 56(3) of the Utilities Act, an industry code has no effect to the extent of any inconsistency with this Act, a related law or a technical code.
1.4 Purpose of this Code The purpose of this Code is to:
(1) outline the basic rights of a Customer or a Consumer in relation to:
(a) connection to, and disconnection from, a Utilitys Network;
(b) the supply of Utility Services by a Utility; and
(c) access to product and service information;
(2) set out the circumstances in which a Utility can interrupt, restrict or disconnect supply of a Utility Service to a Customer or a Consumer;
(3) outline particular obligations that a Utility must meet in dealing with Customers and Consumers;
(4) [this clause was superseded by the introduction of the National Energy Customer Framework];
(5) set out the provisions that a Utility must give effect to in its Customer Contracts for the provision of Utility Services.
This Code supplements and shall not limit any rights a Customer or a Consumer may have under the Utilities Act 2000 (ACT), the Fair Trading (Australian Consumer Law) Act 1992 (ACT), Do Not Call Register Act 2006 (Cth), Telemarketing and Research Industry Standard 2007 (Cth), Fax Marketing Industry Standard 2011 (Cth) or any other Law.
3 Format and application of this Code
3.1 Parts and applicationutilities This Code is divided into six parts:
(1) Part 1 outlines formal matters about the Code.
(2) Part 2 applies to Utilities and where expressly provided for, to NERL retailers and electricity and gas distributors. This part outlines matters that relate to the protection of Customers and Consumers and that Utilities and others must comply with in providing Utility Services to Customers and Consumers.
(3) Part 3 applies to Utilities. This part specifies matters that must be addressed in the Standard Customer Contracts of Franchise Customers. In addition it outlines Utilities obligations with respect to distributing and varying Standard Customer Contracts.
(4) [Part 4 was superseded by the introduction of the National Energy Customer Framework].
(5) [Part 5 was superseded by the introduction of the National Energy Customer Framework].
(6) Part 6 applies to Utilities and deals with new supply arrangements.
3.2 Applicationconsumers and customers For the purposes of this Code:
(1) Consumer has the meaning given by the Utilities Act.1
1 Utilities Act 2000 Dictionary: consumer, in relation to a utility service, means
(a) a customer for the services; or (b) an occupier of a customers premises to which the service is provided;
Consumer Protection Code | July 2012 3 Authorised by the ACT Parliamentary Counselalso accessible at www.legislation.act.gov.au
(2) Customer has the meaning given by the Utilities Act.2
Note: Usually the Customer of a Utility Service is also the Consumer of the Utility Service and the terms are interchangeable. However, in some instances a Consumer of the Utility Service is not the Customer. For example:
In the case of a rented property the landlord is usually the Customer of water and sewerage services but not the Consumer. In this instance the landlord is the Person contracted with the Utility to receive the Utility Service but it is the tenant who is the Consumer.
A Customer may not be the only occupant of the Premises supplied under the Customer Contract. For example, in a household of four people, there may be one Customer and four Consumers one of whom is a Customer.
(3) For the avoidance of doubt the Code has been structured to make it clear which provisions apply to both Customers and Consumers, and which provisions apply only to Customers.
3.3 Dictionary Terms shown in bold typeface are defined. Definitions are specified in the Dictionary, and are part of this Code.
3.4 Schedule 1: minimum service standards Minimum Service Standards are specified in Schedule 1, and are part of this Code.
PART 2 PROTECTION OF CUSTOMERS AND CONSUMERS
Application This Part applies to all Utilities, to Franchise Customers and where expressly provided for, to NERL retailers and electricity and gas distributors.
and includes an invitee of the customer or occupier. 2 Utilities Act 2000 s 17(1): customer for a utility service, means
(a) a person for whom the service is provided under a customer contract; or (b) a person who has applied, orally or in writing, to the relevant utility for the service to be provided under a customer contract.. For the purposes of the application of this Code to a NERL retailer, section 75B(1)(d) of the Utilities Act provides that a reference to a Customer under a relevant part of that Act is to be taken to be a reference to a customer under the National Energy Retail Law (ACT)
Part 2.1 OBLIGATIONS OF THE UTILITY UNDER LAW
4 Obligations under licence
4.1 Obligations under licence (1) A Utility is required under its licence to comply with all Laws in force in
the Territory and applicable to any services provided by the Utility in the Territory.
(2) Without limiting the generality of clause 4.1(1), in providing a Utility Service a Utility must comply with:
(d) any requirement of the Utilities Act;
(e) relevant Industry Codes;
(f) relevant Technical Codes; and
(g) any direction, including guidelines, given to the Utili...
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