Proposed Consumer Care Obligations

Upcoming Open Closed Decision

View submissions Submissions closed 10 September 2024

Consultation

We would like to thank all those who engaged with this consultation - we are carefully considering your feedback.

This consultation sought feedback on a proposed amendment to the Electricity Industry Participation Code 2010. This amendment aims to mandate the Consumer Care Guidelines from 1 January 2025, ensuring that consumers receive the care and protection they need from their electricity retailer.

In this consultation, we proposed to rename the 'Consumer Care Guidelines' to ‘Consumer Care Obligations’ to reflect their proposed mandatory status. Additionally, we suggest introducing a new Part in the Code, Part 11A, to include the Consumer Care Obligations as a Schedule.

We also proposed operational improvements to provide retailers and distributors with clearer obligations on their consumer care responsibilities. These improvements are designed to make it easier for them to achieve the protections set out in the Consumer Care Obligations by improving practicality and providing more operational flexibility.

The proposed Code amendment will ensure:

enhanced protection for residential consumers, especially for medically dependent consumers or for those facing hardship
clear, practical, and enforceable obligations on retailers, improving transparency and accountability.

Consultation paper