Concession card holder misses out on full Cost of Living Rebate

Norma* met all the eligibility criteria for the $700 2023-24 Cost of Living rebate as a Pensioner Concession card holder. When her energy provider only credited $550 to her account, Norma was confused as she knew this was the amount for customers without an eligible concession. Norma spoke to her energy provider but was denied the $700 rebate. She asked us for assistance.

Here’s how EWOQ helped

We started an investigation with Norma’s energy provider – an embedded network operator. Initially they advised that Norma had only provided her concession details to them in October 2023 – a few months after the rebate start date of 1 July. However, Norma had held an eligible concession for several years and assumed it had been added to the account when she joined. When she moved into her rental property, her energy account set-up was handled by a real estate agent since it was an embedded network, who did not request any concession details.

Outcome

As a result of our investigation, the provider recognised they had not asked for the concession details or provided Norma with details on how to do this and offered Norma the remaining credit of $150 onto her account. Norma accepted this offer as she had only wanted to receive what she was entitled to. She was very grateful for EWOQ’s assistance.

What can you do?

When moving energy providers, it’s important to provide your concession details directly to your energy provider when setting up an account. This will help avoid confusion in the future and also ensure you’re receiving your full entitlements to concessions and rebates on every bill.

*name changed to protect privacy.