Complaints Resolution for Exempt Customers
By Anne Wardell, Compliance Quarter. Small customers of authorised retailers and distributors of energy have access to free and independent dispute resolution through their state ombudsman. This is not the case for small customers of exempt energy sellers and exempt network service providers. These can be small customers who live in a caravan park, retirement village or high-rise apartment and receive energy by way of an embedded network which is private. There are numerous classes of deemed, registerable and individual energy sellers and network service providers. Although one of the conditions required for an exemption is an adequate dispute resolution system, this does not allow customers to access the ombudsman service, except in NSW. On 13 June 2017, the AER published an issues paper seeking stakeholders' views on the current…