00:00It might be WA's largest electricity generator, but government-owned Synergy has slipped up in its customer billing.
00:10The Economic Regulation Authority finding vulnerable customers have been overcharged after using Centipay for their power bills.
00:17The utility taking from customers' Centrelink payments after they'd closed their Synergy accounts and were no longer receiving electricity, with some owed more than $500.
00:27The breaches dating back to 2009 and totalling over $2.2 million.
00:35Synergy's promised to reimburse all impacted customers with small additional payments to compensate for the inconvenience and time it's held money for.
00:44But social services say given who was impacted, it's not good enough.
00:49These are the people on the lowest incomes. These are people who are on income support.
00:53So they will be your pensioners, your single parents, people who are unemployed, those people who could not in any way, shape or form afford to be overcharged.
01:02Well, Synergy needs to reassure the entire community that this is now fixed.
01:07I mean, it took a vulnerable group of people and made their situation worse.
01:11And that can never be allowed to happen again.
01:13Energy Minister Amber Jade Sanderson wasn't available for an interview, but said in a statement she's instigated an independent review of all systems and processes relating to customer billing, in addition to Synergy's own review.
01:29The watchdog says the utility has been contacting affected customers since April, with around 30% of the money owed paid back so far.
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