Lines company criticises retailer over billing problem

By NZPA

Monday 16th December 2002

Nelson-based electricity lines company Network Tasman has criticised electricity retailer Contact Energy for a customer billing glitch.

Chief executive Wayne Mackey said Contact had taken too long to fix the problem, which has affected up to 700 consumers in the region.

He denied the error was due to a communication breakdown between Network Tasman and Contact, as Contact's marketing manager Bill Boyd has maintained.

Mr Mackey said Network Tasman had "absolutely nothing to do with the billing error", and Mr Boyd was "simply trying to deflect responsibility from himself and his company".

But Mr Boyd said today he stood by his explanation, that a "communication difference" between the two companies was responsible for the problem.

Mr Boyd said the error stemmed from a price change in May, when consumers were charged the wrong tariffs -- residential instead of business or vice-versa.

But Mr Mackey said he believed the mistake occurred five months earlier, in January, and Network Tasman had told Contact about it soon after.

"Almost a year later the matter is still to be properly addressed by Contact," he said.

Mr Mackey said Network Tasman had been flooded with calls from irate customers since Contact had advised them of the error, because Contact call centre staff had been unable to answer their questions.

He advised consumers to go to the Electricity Complaints Commissioner if their problems remained unresolved.

Mr Boyd declined to respond to Mr Mackey's criticisms, saying as far as he was concerned the matter was over because the glitch had been dealt with.

He said the affected consumers would learn how much they owed or would be refunded in power bills going out this month. Most would owe money, he said.

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