Almost 200 Greater Western Water customers are in danger of having their identities stolen, after the company mistakenly sent bills to old addresses or email addresses.
Greater Western Water’s botched $100 million-plus upgrade of its billing system has also led to delays in issuing customer bills, incorrect and inflated bills, and a flood of customer complaints to the company and the state’s ombudsman.
Ann Cunningham received a water bill for her entire apartment block.Credit: Wayne Taylor
The bungle has delayed the settlement of property and prompted individuals to complain they have been billed for their apartment block’s total water usage.
The Allan government has ordered an independent review of Greater Western Water’s billing and payment issues, after customers lodged about a thousand complaints to the state’s Energy and Water Ombudsman about the government-owned business.
Ombudsman Catherine Wolthuizen said customers were concerned about missing statements needed for property sales, a lack of concessions on bills, and extended wait times for telephone assistance.
Greater Western Water is now warning customers that it sent bills to old addresses or email addresses, putting them at risk of identity theft. It has reported 183 potential cases to the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner.
Greater Western Water has more than 630,000 customers in inner Melbourne and regional Victoria, including in Footscray, Werribee, Sunbury, Melton, Bacchus Marsh and Macedon. People cannot choose their water company.
It’s been a year since customer Ann Cunningham received a correct bill. In October last year, she received a bill about 3.5 times higher than her usual amount – she believes she was charged for her apartment’s block total usage. In January, the water company said it could not provide an adjusted invoice and the correct amount would appear on her next bill. “I’m not going to pay it until I see the correct amounts on a bit of paper,” she said. “They’ve obviously got problems.”
