RESIDENTIAL CONSUMER CARE
Guideline

Introduction

As your retailer we understand the role electricity plays in our customers’ lives. We are committed to helping you manage your energy costs, and staying connected.

This Consumer Care Policy sets out our service promises to you. It is not a legally binding document, but one which guides how we operate.

Our Consumer Care Policy is aligned to The Electricity Authority’s Consumer Care Guidelines here.

Our service promises

As your electricity retailer, we want to make sure we:

• Listen and respond to your needs and concerns with respect
• Work with you collaboratively and constructively to solve problems
• Are proactive in offering assistance to meet your needs
• Communicate with you in a timely and clear way
• Make sure you have every opportunity to choose the best pricing plan to meet your needs
• Make sure all our customers have access to support regardless of language, ethnicity, educational achievement, culture, gender, physical and intellectual ability, age, health, income, and wealth
• Work with you to resolve payment difficulties and, with your permission, can link you to one or more support agencies or social agencies to assist you
• Should your pre-paid power run out (account in arrears -$0) disconnection will be scheduled, however we can work with you to make an arrangement to keep the electricity connected and/or arrange reconnection of power.

If you use electricity from us, we will try to communicate with you clearly about your rights and the choices you can make, even if you have not signed a contract with us yet.

We offer all our consumers a variety of advice and support, ranging from helping with decisions on the best pricing plans for their consumption and connection type through to payment plans.

While we might not always get it right, we are committed to learning continually from our experiences to improve the support we offer our customers.

Your personal information

In providing you with electricity and related services, we need some information from you. We will ensure this information is stored securely and only used for its intended purpose.

We ask that you ensure your details are correct and let us know if anything changes.

You can find out more about how we manage your personal information in our General Terms and Conditions and our Privacy Policy on our website.

Joining Wise Prepay

Our current electricity plans and payment options are available online, or you can contact us to go through which plan, and payment option meet your needs.

Before you become a customer, we may ask you questions about yourself and your situation. We will also get your permission to do a credit check and consider this along with all other information provided.

If we do not accept you as a customer, we will tell you why. If you are having a hard time finding an electricity retailer, we can refer you to a financial mentor or give you advice on what you can do.

If you would like a place to check energy prices, you can go to the Powerswitch website.

Choosing the right electricity plan

We offer a range of electricity plans designed to suit different households, usage levels and to provide extra services you might like to receive.

To help you decide which electricity plan might suit you best, you should tell us about how you usually use energy in your household and your past electricity consumption.

All ours plans include a daily fixed charge and variable electricity usage charge, which are based on your meter type and your network's pricing category.

Self-service – The Wise Mobile App

You can manage your account anytime via our handy Mobile App, which can be downloaded directly from Google Play or Apple's App Store.

It lets you keep an eye on your usage, make payments, and update your communication details.

Alternate contacts and Authorised persons

You can ask us to communicate with you using an authorised person. They could be a family member, friend, support person, or community worker.

Before you do so, make sure you ask this person first. Then, if they agree, let us know their name and contact details.

Please note:

• Your authorised person has an authority to inquire about your account but is unable to make any changes, apply for new services, or close your account.

We may contact the Authorised Person when you can’t get hold of you.

Speaking your language

If you would like to speak to us in a language other than English, we will try to help.

You can use an alternative contact or authorised person to talk with us instead.

Another option is to use a different communication method that suits you. For example, you could receive information from us in writing.

If you have payment difficulties

We will get in touch with you through your preferred contact methods when we see your bill is overdue. It’s important we work together to help you manage your payments, particularly if you are having difficulties.

Here are some ways we can help:

• We can check to see you are on the best plan for your usage.
• If you are a beneficiary with Work and Income NZ, we can send you a support letter to forward to WINZ requesting assistance with your electricity supply.
• We can look at making a ‘one off’ special arrangement that suits. Should you require assistance, call us to discuss.
• We can put you in touch with social agencies and free budgeting advice agencies.

Linking you with financial mentoring and support organisations

If you are struggling to keep up with your bill payments, with your consent, we can connect you with support agencies, who will help you with things like paying your bill.

Once contact is made, we will give you some time to talk to these agencies and receive help without disconnecting your electricity supply.

We will work with you and your support organisation as a partnership, making sure we all use agreed ways of communicating with each other.

The following organisations may also be able to help with financial assistance and/or free budgeting advice:

Protecting the health of Medically Dependent Consumers

The health and wellbeing of our customers is very important to us.

If you or someone living with you (even for a short period) depend on electricity to run critical medical support equipment, then you are considered a "Medically Dependent Consumer" ("MDC"). Examples of critical medical equipment include ventilators, renal dialysis machines, oxygen concentrators, and ventricular assistance devices, as well as other non-medical equipment which may be needed for critical medical support (e.g., a microwave oven to heat fluids for renal dialysis).

We strongly recommend you do not use Wise Prepay if you or any other member of your household is (or becomes) a Medically Dependent Consumer (i.e., dependent on electricity for critical medical support).

However, if you or someone living at your property is medically dependant, or if you think that you or someone in your household, may be, or become medically dependent on electricity, you should get in touch with us to let us know as soon as possible.

Once you have let us know all we will register this status on your account. We will also share this information with certain third-party providers, for example, your network and metering companies and our field services staff, so they are aware if they are working at your property (e.g., checking or upgrading your electricity meter).

The medical dependency will need to be verified by a qualified Health Practitioner (e.g., your doctor, District Health Board, Private Hospital) at your own cost unless we ask for a re-verification. We may ask you to get your doctor to return a completed form that confirms your Notice of Potential MDC status, or potential MDC still applies.

If we do not receive the required verification from you, or your Health Practitioner by the date we’ve outlined, we may remove you from our Medical Dependency Register and change your account status accordingly.

Disconnection for non-payment of your electricity bill

Disconnections and reconnections are automated with Wise Prepay, based on the amount of credit you have in your account.

In the event of disconnection, you will need to top up your account via our website, Mobile App, or using your top up card at a participating retailer. Your power will be reconnected automatically within 30 minutes of the arrears being cleared.

If a communication fault occurs, a serviceman will attend. In this case it may take up to four hours to reconnect.

Service fees

As a customer you are responsible for paying all charges and fees from the date your property gets switched to us, or from when you first used electricity or services we provide.

Your electricity plan’s pricing charges are included in the plan information on our Mobile App.

Our schedule of service fees is available on our website here.

This schedule includes charges for additional services. If you ask us or require an additional service, we will tell you the amount or provide an estimate so you can decide if you want to go ahead with it.

Feedback and complaints

You can contact us at any time to talk about your situation, ask questions about this policy, or to give us feedback.

If you have any concerns about the service you have received from us or if we haven’t lived up to our commitments to you, please let us know.

We have a free comprehensive complaint process in place to ensure such issues or concerns are thoroughly reviewed.

You can raise a complaint by contacting our Customer Care Team on 0800 00 9473, by emailing enquiries@wiseprepay.co.nz, or by writing to:

Wise Prepay
PO Box 305 292
Triton Plaza, Albany
Auckland 0632

We will try to resolve your complaint as quickly as possible and will acknowledge your complaint within 2 working days of receiving it.

If we have not resolved your complaint, we will respond to you within 7 working days to let you know the steps that have been taken or are/will be taken to try and resolve your complaint. We will attempt to resolve your complaint within 20 working days after receiving it.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint, or at any point, you can contact Utilities Disputes for free independent advice on 0800 22 33 40 or by sending an email to info@utilitiesdisputes.co.nz.