Complaints Jan-Mar 2025

Complaints this quarter

Complaints received in the January to March 2025 quarter reduced slightly by 4.0% compared to October to December 2024. This continues a downward trend we started to see in that quarter, when complaint numbers reduced after a sharp spike in the July to September 2024 quarter. Complaints numbers in January to March 2025 were 9.8% lower than January to March 2024. It remains to be seen if the downward trend continues, because there is often an increase in complaints as we start to enter the cooler months and see the impact of seasonal energy usage on people’s bills.

Despite a lowering of overall complaint numbers, complaints in the water sector rose. We received 283 water complaints this quarter, a 21.5% increase compared to the prior quarter and an increase of 22.5% from the January to March 2024 period. The October to December 2024 Insights report explored the water complaint issues and trends which could be driving the increase.

January-March 2024 to January-March 2025

Complaints by industry

Complaints received by industry, January to March 2025

Case subject	Provider type	Jan – Mar 25
Electricity	Exempt retailer	65
Electricity	Network	356
Electricity	Retailer	4,409
Electricity	Not allocated	83
Electricity total		4,913
Gas	Exempt retailer	0
Gas	Network	27
Gas	Retailer	860
Gas	Not allocated	21
Gas total		908
Water	Network	84
Water	Retailer	148
Water	Not allocated	51
Water total		283
Non-energy/ Non-water total		52
Grand total		6,156

Customer complaint issues

The majority of the top 10 issues decreased this quarter compared to October to December 2024, following the overall downward trend for complaint numbers. However, the 53.7% increase in complaints about difficulty paying a bill/debt indicates that cost of living pressures continue to impact people and drive complaints.

Top 10 core issues closed, January to March 2025, including the previous four quarters

Primary issue	Secondary issue > tertiary issues	Jan – Mar 25	Oct – Dec 24	Jul – Sep 24	Apr – Jun 24	Jan – Mar 24
Billing	High > disputed	1,911 (30.43%)	2,349 (35.80%)	3,407 (37.33%)	2,440 (34.40%)	2,486 (37.62%)
Billing	Estimation > meter access / not read	248 (3.95%)	250 (3.81%)	356 (3.90%)	269 (3.79%)	284 (4.30%)
Billing	Error / payment	217 (3.46%)	199 (3.03%)	250 (2.74%)	176 (2.48%)	154 (2.33%)
Billing	Refund or credit > delay / error / form	158 (2.52%)	188 (2.87%)	200 (2.19%)	202 (2.85%)	139 (2.10%)
Billing	Information	149 (2.37%)	159 (2.42%)	254 (2.78%)	192 (2.71%)	275 (4.16%)
Billing	Account closing > error	144 (2.29%)	162 (2.47%)	181 (1.98%)	151 (2.13%)	140 (2.12%)
General	Energy / water	130 (2.07%)	159 (2.42%)	228 (2.50%)	209 (2.95%)	162 (2.45%)
Credit	Payment difficulties > current / arrears	126 (2.01%)	82 (1.25%)	139 (1.52%)	99 (1.40%)	128 (1.94%)
Billing	Rebate / concession > error	124 (1.97%)	168 (2.56%)	288 (3.16%)	257 (3.62%)	178 (2.69%)
Billing	Backbill	119 (1.90%)	142 (2.16%)	199 (2.18%)	174 (2.45%)	158 (2.39%)

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

Water complaints

Top five water core issues, January to March 2025

Complaint issues	Number
Billing > high > disputed	61
General > water	51
Land > property damage / restoration	17
Land > network / transmission assets > maintenance	9
Supply > sewer overflow / blockage	9

Embedded network complaints

This quarter EWON opened 180 complaints from embedded network customers. Embedded network complaints spiked to 272 in the July to September 2024 quarter, then reduced to 231 in the October to December 2024 quarter. This quarter they decreased a further 22.1% and are now back down to a similar level as January to March 2024 (179 complaints).

Embedded network complaints by service provider, January to March 2025

Service provider	Complaints by embedded network customers
Electricity > network > exempt	5
Electricity > retail > authorised	104
Electricity > retail > exempt	62
Electricity > not allocated	1
Gas > retail > authorised	8
Total	180

Top five embedded network core issues closed, January to March 2025

Core complaint issues	Complaints
Billing > high > disputed	43
Billing > fees and charges > service availability	10
Billing > rebate / concession > error	10
Billing > rebate / concession > information	9
Billing > delay	7

Consumer energy resources complaints

This quarter 538 complaints came from customers using consumer energy resources (CER), a slight reduction of 2.7% compared to the previous quarter. Complaints from customers using CER made up 11.0% of EWON’s overall complaints about electricity for the quarter.

Complaints received involving behind the meter products by service provider, January to March 2025

Service provider	Complaints opened involving behind the meter products
Electricity > network > authorised	18
Electricity > network > exempt	2
Electricity > not allocated	60
Electricity > retail > authorised	447
Electricity > retail > exempt	11
Total	583

Top five core issues for closed complaints involving consumer energy resources, January to March 2025

Core complaint issues	Total
Billing > high > disputed	198
Billing > tariff > feed-in	44
Consumer energy resource > system performance > fault	29
Digital meter exchange > fault > solar connection	22
Digital meter exchange > delay	16