Juggling Privatised Services Ain't A Gas Gas Gas

Juggling Privatised Services Ain't A Gas Gas Gas

Newcastle Herald

Wednesday July 9, 2008

Frances Thompson

PEOPLE are treated badly by corporatisation, privatisation and deregulation of essential services and consumers need to stand their ground.

When Hunter Water damaged a main in my street, the gas was cut off.

That was done by the distributor that used to be Agility and is now Alinta.

It left a card and when I called, an automated service told me to talk to my retailer, AGL.

AGL told me the water heater would need to be reignited and I would have to do it myself or I could talk to AGL Assist, an external, franchised service and officially nothing to do with my retailer.

Pay a plumber, AGL Assist said, because there were no technicians in my area and if it fixed it, I would have to pay anyway.

I had no hot water for more than two days, so instead, I rang the Alinta emergency line and waited for someone to answer, ignoring the automated instructions and feeling a bit guilty.

No worries. I was the first job next morning, it said and queried why AGL didn't tell me to call it.

The Alinta men were what I will affectionately call the old boys, some of whom used to work for the gas company before the business was AGL and bits of it broken up and hived off in a procession of entities with silly names like Agility.

I don't have a clue how to relight a gas heater and it was a good thing I didn't try.

It took my skilled old boy at least half an hour to do it, rolling around on the ground to get to the right part.

He saved me between $130 and $200, the plumber's quote I obtained when I was told I was responsible for the job.

What if I was an aged pensioner or a disabled householder living alone?

It is feasible that vulnerable people could go without hot water in the middle of winter, daunted by the complexity and cost and combativeness that I experienced.

My retailer, AGL has apologised.

"Every customer should be treated with respect," AGL's Branded Dealers manager Russell Cocks said.

Hear, Hear.

Mr Cocks said deregulation was confusing for customers and he would talk to the franchise staff and the call centre.

You bet and thanks, but how is it the retailer that wouldn't help me because my problem wasn't its responsibility can suddenly start telling all the "franchised" and "external" workers to lift their game?

The only mob who knew its job was the old boys' network.

AGL failed to deal with a simple problem like mine, so it's hard to understand how the company will handle the massive challenges facing the energy sector as the carbon revolution unfolds.

Maybe they should ask the old boys.

fthompson@theherald.com.au