News
Westernport Water shines in statewide tally
The annual scorecard among Victoria’s regional water authorities for customer complaints ranks Westernport Water second-lowest.
The annual report from the Energy and Water Ombudsman (Victoria) (EWOV) found the regional water, gas and wastewater corporation received the second-fewest complaints among Victoria’s 13 regional urban water providers.EWOV investigates and resolves disputes between Victorian consumers and their electricity, gas and water companies. Westernport Water recorded 16 cases.
This result was a 43% reduction in complaints from 2006/07 (28 cases).
Only six of the 13 regional urban water providers had a reduction in complaints this past financial year.
Managing director Mr Murray Jackson said: “We thank our customers for their understanding over the past 18 months. It has been a time of great turn-around in our water supply and they have responded marvellously.
“The drop in the number of EWOV complaints is also testament to the staff of Westernport Water – particularly our outdoor and customer service employees. They are our front-line workers, the people who have the greatest customer contact. And being locals, they know the lie of the land.”
Mr Jackson added: “Resolving issues before they reach reporting stage saves time and – importantly – money, so everyone benefits.”
One of those people taking phone calls at Westernport Water is Elaine Cree. “We understand that people have issues when they phone us … that’s why they’re calling. So we owe it to them to respond as well as we can and – hopefully – with a speedy resolution,” she said.
“No one’s perfect, but we never stop trying,” she said. “I’m really pleased with the latest EWOV figures. It’s good to know it’s all worthwhile!”