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Electricity provider Origin has been fined almost $300,000 for referring customers affected by family violence to debt collectors without considering the potential impacts.
Origin Energy referred six customers experiencing family violence to a debt collection agency.
The supplier has paid $295,872 in fines for eight breaches of Victoria’s energy laws after reporting the breaches.
The law requires energy retailers to consider the impact of debt recovery on affected customers before attempting to recover missed payments.
Origin Energy has been fined $300,000 after sending debt collectors to customers who were caught in family violence situations.
The company failed to provide the protection that should have been offered to vulnerable customers under the Energy Retail Code of Practice, the Essential Services Commission said.
Businesses are strongly urged to have robust processes in place to meet their obligations to protect customers, Commissioner Sitesh Bhojani said.
“Customers affected by family violence have the right to safe, supportive and flexible support from a retailer in managing their personal and financial security,” Mr Bhojani said.
Affected customers have had all their outstanding debts forgiven and the company has apologized, an Origin spokesperson said.
“They were the result of human error and we have updated processes for our staff to eliminate the risk of the same error occurring again,” the spokesperson said.
In December 2023, the commission initiated civil legal proceedings against Origin for allegedly failing to meet its life support and payment assistance obligations.
The commission also took the energy provider to court in February 2024 for alleged failures related to billing and disconnections.
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