Consumer care policy

This is our latest consumer care policy Version 1.1. Updated 19 December 2024

Previous version 24 May 2022

We started this business to do what is right for our customers, and for the planet. We aim to be transparent and fair in everything we do not because we have to be - but because we want to be. That’s why we are fully supportive of the Electricity Authority’s Consumer Care Guidelines.

We provide standard terms and conditions for all our customers. By becoming a customer and using our electricity service, you agree to these terms. Please note that they may be updated periodically and we will notify you any time they are updated. Current and previous versions of these terms and conditions are available on our website.

How we’ll care for you

We know that electricity supply is an essential part of you and your household's wellbeing and, as your electricity retailer, we want to make sure that we:

Medical dependency

If you or someone in your household are medically dependent on electricity we understand that your electricity supply and back-up arrangements are quite literally a lifeline for you.

The health and wellbeing of our customers is our highest priority. If you, or someone in your household, depend on electricity to operate essential medical equipment, you may qualify for Medically Dependent Consumer (MDC) status. This includes devices such as ventilators, oxygen concentrators, and ventricular assistance devices.

If you believe this applies to you or someone in your household, please contact us as soon as possible on 0800 947 867 so we can ensure:

To register, we will need a “Notice of Potential Medically Dependent Consumer Status” from your district health board, private hospital, GP, or healthcare provider. Please send us a copy of this notice via email at hello@octopusenergy.nz or by post to:

Octopus Energy NZ Limited

Private Bag 481

Wellington 6140

From time to time, we may request updated proof of your or your household member’s MDC status, such as a letter from your GP confirming the status is still valid. This information may be retained on a special register; you have the right to check or change the information contained about you.

As a Medically Dependent Consumer, we guarantee that we will never intentionally disconnect your electricity supply. However power outages can still occur due to extreme weather, accidents, or technical issues. We strongly encourage you to have an emergency response plan that you can use in the event of an unplanned outage. This could include keeping battery-powered equipment fully charged, arranging to stay with a friend or family member with power, or, in urgent cases, calling an ambulance for hospital transport.

Payment difficulties

If for any reason you have difficulty paying your account with us, please let us know immediately so we can work to resolve the issue with you. Depending on the amount and reasons for your payment difficulty we can offer various payment options that may work for you.

With your consent we can also link you to one or more support agencies. You can also nominate a support agency and/or advocate to assist you. You will need to advise us who this person or organisation is so that we know they are authorised to talk to us on your behalf.

You can find more information and links to support agencies on our Customer care page.

Ways to pay

We offer the following ways to pay your energy bill:

Communicating with you

If English is not your first language, you have difficulty expressing yourself, or any other communication difficulties, please let us know or have someone advise us so we can communicate with you in a manner you can understand. 

You can ask us to communicate with you through another person if you prefer. This might be a family member, friend, support person or community worker. Please ask this person first. If they agree, give us their name and contact details and we’ll get in touch with them. Once confirmed, we’ll work with your alternative contact to ensure you understand what’s happening with your electricity bills and what payments you need to make.

Privacy

We are committed to handling your information carefully and maintaining your privacy. You are entitled to request and correct any information we hold about you. Our privacy policy details how we handle the information we collect.

Fees

We maintain a list of fees and information on our website. You will incur a fee if you request one of the listed services, for example moving a meter. You will also incur fees if we have to take actions in relation to supplying your property where you have breached the customer terms and conditions. For example you may be charged for disconnecting your supply if you have tampered with equipment on site, or for debt collection services if you have not paid us for your supply. 

These fees are generally just the cost we are charged by the service provider. We will advise you of the cost of any service before it is undertaken on your behalf.

The standard disconnection and reconnection fees as at 1 December 2024* are:

* Current fee amounts and all other fee types can be found in our schedule of fees. 

Bonds

In certain circumstances, if you have failed a credit check, we will require a bond in order to supply electricity to your premises. The bond will be reflective of our estimated cost of up to two months supply of electricity to your property. It will be used to cover any outstanding costs in the event you fail to pay for your supply. We will refund this bond after 12 months if you have paid all your bills by their due date. We will also refund this bond promptly after payment of your final account is made if you terminate your supply.

Declining service

There may be rare occasions when we are unable to continue to provide you with our services. If this occurs we will provide you adequate information as to the reason and make recommendations of other providers. As per our terms and conditions, we will allow sufficient time for any change.

Disconnections & reconnections

We know maintaining an electricity supply to your property is important. However, in certain circumstances, we may disconnect your supply. These are outlined in our terms and conditions.

If you have not paid for your electricity supply and have not worked with us to address any outstanding balances we may disconnect your electricity supply. Before disconnecting your electricity supply we will make reasonable attempts to contact you and provide you advance notice of our intention to disconnect for non-payment.

There are also circumstances where we may need to immediately disconnect your supply for safety reasons, this can happen if the wiring at your premises is considered unsafe or someone has tampered with electrical equipment.

Where we know a household is medically dependent we will not disconnect for non-payment. We will also avoid disconnecting any property for non-payment in circumstances where it would endanger the wellbeing of the consumer e.g. just before nightfall, during severe weather events or if it would be unreasonably difficult for you to make arrangements for reconnection.

Please note that unplanned outages are out of our control and you should be prepared in the event an unplanned outage may affect you.

Our performance

We will disclose how we are stacking up against the Electricity Authorities Consumer Care Guidelines to the Electricity Authority for monitoring. We are also always interested in your feedback so we can improve the way we deal with you and other customers. If you have any suggestions please let us know.If you need assistance at any time please contact us:

Phone: 0800 947 867

Email: hello@octopusenergy.nz

Contact Utilities Disputes any time for free and independent resolution service.

info@udl.co.nz | 0800 223 340

For a free and independent energy price comparison

powerswitch.org.nz