Service Quality
Review of GSL Claim Procedures under the Electricity Industry Code
The Queensland Electricity Industry Code (the Code) sets guaranteed service levels that the electricity distributors, Energex and Ergon Energy, must meet in relation to the quality of service received by individual customers.
As foreshadowed in the Authority's Final Decision on its review of minimum service standards (MSS) and guaranteed service levels (GSL) to apply from 1 July 2010 in Queensland, the Authority has amended the process that governs the lodgment and assessment of customer claims for GSL payments, contained in clauses 2.5.11 and 2.5.14 of the Code.
The Authority released its Final Decision on amendments to the GSL claim procedures on 22 October 2009. The Final Decision can be accessed below.
The amendments include:
- a definitive timeframe of one month to be introduced in which distributors must use their best endeavours to process GSL claims lodged by small customers;
- the claim processes be simplified so that:
- for all types of GSL payments, a distributor must use its best endeavours to automatically give a GSL payment to an eligible small customer; and
- for all types of GSL payments, a small customer has a time limit of three months within which to lodge a GSL claim; and
- an amendment to be made to the definition of the interruption frequency GSL in clause 2.5.9 (a)(ii) of the Code, to allow distributors to make a single, annual assessment of every customer’s eligibility for this GSL immediately following the end of each financial year.
The Code amendments required to implement these changes are outlined in Annexure 1 of the Final Decision.
The amendments to the Code were approved by the Minister and published in the Queensland Government Gazette on 20 November 2009. The extract of the Gazette notice containing the Code amendments can also be accessed below.
Final Decision
Submissions in response to Draft Decision
- Ergon Energy - Submission re: Draft Decision on GSL Claim Procedures (Sept, 09) (PDF, 397KB)
- Energex - Submission re: Draft Decision on GSL Claim Procedures (Sept, 09) (PDF, 129KB)
- Financial Counsellor's Association of Queensland- Submission re: Draft Decision on GSL Claim Procedures (Sept, 09) (PDF, 58KB)
- Queensland Council of Social Services - Submission re: Draft Decision on GSL Claim Procedures (Sept, 09) (PDF, 143KB)
- Queensland Consumers Association - Submission re: Draft Decision on GSL Claim Procedures (Sept, 09) (PDF, 48KB)
Draft Decision
Submissions in response to Discussion Paper
Discussion Paper
