In certain circumstances, we may provide credit to customers in connection with the provision of our services or goods. This occurs where we supply our services and goods to customers on a deferred payment basis.
Ausgrid may collect, use and disclose our customers’ personal credit information for the purpose of processing applications for credit in relation to our services or goods. We collect and handle this information in accordance with the Privacy Act and the Credit Reporting Code of Practice.
The kinds of credit information that we may collect include:
We collect this information directly from our customers when they complete an application form for our services or goods. We also collect credit information about our customers from credit reporting bodies, such as Veda Advantage and Dun and Bradstreet. This information assists us in assessing a customer’s credit eligibility.
We treat credit information confidentially and takes reasonable steps to protect it from misuse, interference and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification and disclosure. We make every effort to ensure that the credit information we collect, use and disclose is accurate, up-to-date, complete and relevant.
For more information about how we hold personal information, including credit information, please see section 2.4 of the Privacy Policy.
We collect, hold, use and disclose credit information for the following purposes:
As a credit provider, Ausgrid participates in the Australian credit reporting system. To this end, Ausgrid discloses the credit information we collect about our customers to Australian-based credit reporting bodies.
These bodies use this information to prepare and aggregate credit information on individuals, which is made available to certain credit providers in Australia upon request and in accordance with credit reporting regulation.
We may also disclose credit information to our related bodies corporate and our service providers, who assist us with the management, storage and protection of the personal information we hold. This includes data storage providers and debt collectors.
Ausgrid does not use or disclose its customer’s credit information for the purpose of direct marketing.
Our policy is not to disclose your credit information to entities located overseas.
For information as to how you may access, and/or correct, the credit information that we hold about you, please see section 5 of our Privacy Policy.
If you would like to make a complaint about our handling of your credit information, please send your complaint in writing using the contact details set out in section 7 of the Privacy Policy.
Our complaints handling process for the mishandling of credit information is a little different to the process we use for non-credit related personal information.
Within seven days of receiving your complaint, we will send you a written notice acknowledging your complaint and explaining how we deal with it.
We will endeavour to notify you of our decision about your complaint within 30 days of receiving it (or such other time as you agree in writing).
If you are not satisfied with our decision, you may take your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
A complaint must be submitted in writing, either via a form, an email, by fax or in a letter. Contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner on 1300 363 992.