Complaints Oct-Dec 2024

Complaints this quarter (all industries)

Complaints received (all industries) October-December 2023 to October-December 2024

Complaints in the October to December 2024 quarter decreased by 30.9% compared to the significant spike in complaints EWON received in the July to September 2024 quarter. Complaints decreased by 11.3% compared to the same period the year before.

6,414 is the lowest number of quarterly complaints we’ve seen since April to June 2023, as complaints increased significantly in July to September 2023 and remained high over the following year. It is too early to say whether the reduction in complaints in October to December 2024 is the start of a consistent downward trend.

Embedded network complaints increased by 90.9% compared to the same quarter the year before. Encouragingly, embedded networks consumer protections were a key topic in a number of enquiries and reports in 2024, such as the NSW Government’s NSW Consumer Energy Strategy. This may have helped to increase people’s awareness of embedded network issues. The increase could also be attributed to EWON’s ongoing work with the Australian Energy Regulator and our embedded network members to ensure that customers are aware that EWON can assist with complaints that their providers can’t resolve.

Complaints by industry

Complaints received by industry, October to December 2024

Case subject	Provider type	Oct – Dec 24
Electricity	Exempt retailer	61
Electricity	Network	220
Electricity	Retailer	4,772
Electricity	Not allocated	58
Electricity total		5,111
Gas	Exempt retailer	1
Gas	Network	21
Gas	Retailer	1,004
Gas	Not allocated	19
Gas total		1,045
Water	Network	59
Water	Retailer	117
Water	Not allocated	57
Water total		233
Non-energy/ non-water total		25
Grand total		6,414

Customer complaint issues

High bill disputes reduced by 31.1% compared to the previous quarter, in line with the overall complaint reduction of 30.9%, but remained our most common complaint type. Estimated bills due to problems with meter reads were the second highest complaint type. EWON will closely monitor these complaints as the rollout of remotely read meters accelerates in NSW over the next five years. One of the aims of the accelerated rollout is to help reduce estimated bills by phasing out meters that must be read manually.

Customers also experienced a range of account problems with payments, refunds and concessions, as well as backbills (bills for longer than a normal billing period) and delayed bills.

Top 10 core issues closed October to December 2024, including the previous four quarters

Primary issues	Secondary > tertiary issues	Oct 24 – Dec 24	Jul 24 – Sep 24	Apr 24 – Jun 24	Jan 24 – Mar 24	Oct 23 – Dec 23
Billing	High > disputed	2,349 35.80%	3,407 37.33%	2,440 34.40%	2,486 37.62%	2,946 40.96%
Billing	Estimation > meter access / not read	250 3.81%	356 3.90%	269 3.79%	284 4.30%	283 3.93%
Billing	Error > payment	199 3.03%	250 2.74%	176 2.48%	154 2.33%	168 2.34%
Billing	Refund or credit > delay / error / form	188 2.87%	200 2.19%	202 2.85%	139 2.10%	194 2.70%
Billing	Rebate / concession > error	168 2.56%	288 3.16%	257 3.62%	178 2.69%	192 2.67%
Billing	Account closing > error	162 2.47%	181 1.98%	151 2.13%	140 2.12%	159 2.21%
Billing	Information	159 2.42%	254 2.78%	192 2.71%	275 4.16%	160 2.22%
General	Energy / water	159 2.42%	228 2.50%	209 2.95%	162 2.45%	97 1.35%
Billing	Backbill	142 2.16%	199 2.18%	174 2.45%	158 2.39%	177 2.46%
Billing	Delay	118 1.80%	148 1.62%	103 1.45%	117 1.77%	142 1.97%

*Billing > Information is a renamed issue from Billing > Other

Water complaints

We received 233 water complaints this quarter, a 13.7% decrease compared to the prior quarter.

Top five water core issues closed October to December 2024

Complaint issues	Number
General > water	58
Billing > high > disputed	53
Land > Network / transmission assets > maintenance	9
Provision > new connection > cost	8
Billing > fees & charges > service availability	7

Embedded network complaints

This quarter EWON opened 231 complaints from embedded network customers.

Embedded network complaints by service provider, October to December 2024

Service provider	Complaints by embedded network customers
Electricity > network > exempt	3
Electricity > retail > authorised	147
Electricity > retail > exempt	60
Gas > retail > authorised	20
Gas > retail > exempt	1
Total	231

Top five embedded network core issues closed, October to December 2024

Core complaint issues	Complaints
Billing > high > disputed	68
Billing > fees & charges > service availability	12
Billing > delay	10
Billing > affordability > price increases	9
Billing > tariff > rate	9

Consumer Energy Resources complaints

This quarter 553 complaints that we received came from customers using consumer energy resources (CER). This is 10.8% of EWON’s overall complaints about electricity for the quarter.

Complaints received involving behind the meter products by service provider, October to December 2024

Service provider	Complaints opened involving behind the meter products
Electricity > network > authorised	12
Electricity > not allocated	25
Electricity > retail > authorised	511
Electricity > retail > exempt	5
Total	553

Top five core issues for closed complaints involving consumer energy resources, October to December 2024

Core complaint issue	Total
Billing > high > disputed	246
Billing > tariff > feed-in	40
Digital meter exchange > fault > solar connection	25
Digital meter exchange > delay	22
Billing > refund or credit > delay / error / form	13

Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW