Home›Questions on Notice›QoN 4881

❓ Mr. L'Estrange questions Synergy's policy of closing and reopening accounts upon the death of a spouse for a simple name change, and associated fees. Synergy clarifies the system requires a new contract but confirms no fee is charged in this scenario.

AnsweredQoN 4881Legislative Assembly

Asked

12 March 2019

Member

Mr S.K. L'Estrange

Portfolio

Mines and Petroleum; Energy; Industrial Relations

QuestionView source ↗

(1) Does a name change on a Synergy account, due to the death of a spouse, require the account to be closed and re-opened under the surviving spouse’s name: (a) If yes to (1), why can’t it be a simple name change? (2) With regards to question (1), is there any fee associated with changing the name on a Synergy account: (a) If yes to (2), in which instance would a spouse of a deceased account holder not be required to pay a fee; (b) If yes to (2), please provide a breakdown of the costs that this fee covers; and (c) If yes to (2), please explain why the spouse has to close an account and pay a fee to reopen it when the Synergy service he/she is using does not need to be closed?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered

7 May 2019

Responded by

Minister for Mines and Petroleum; Energy; Industrial Relations

Response time

12 days

(1)                   Yes
(a)                    Synergy’s billing system is designed to establish a new contract upon change of name or customer responsible for the account. Synergy does not enable accounts to be held in joint names to ensure there is a single liability for any outstanding amounts. A change in customer name for an account is treated as an account establishment as Synergy is still required to confirm the correct tariff, concession eligibility, payment method and billing method.
(2)                   No
(a) – (c)           Not applicable

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