Customers are not very satisfied with the services provided by Central Coast Council Water, a recent survey released by IPART reveals.
The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal conducts a customer satisfaction survey four times each year, with the latest coming out last November.
“We continue to survey Central Coast Council Water’s customers to understand their perspectives on the utility because its past performance has not been as stable as that of Sydney Water and Hunter Water,” the report says.
Customers were asked four questions: How would you rate the service on delivering value for money? How would you rate your trust for the provider? How would you rate your provider’s reputation in the community? and overall satisfaction?
Responses for all four questions gave ratings of less than six out of a possible 10 points.
For overall satisfaction, Central Coast customers gave the water authority a score of 5.7; they gave 5.5 for value for money; 5.7 for trust; and for reputation customers scored it 5.3.
But the results indicate that Central Coast Council Water’s value for money, trust and reputation have gradually been increasing over the past year.
Customers’ overall satisfaction with Central Coast Council Water dipped between June and May 2023 but is beginning to return to April levels.
The quarterly review is in keeping with recommendations made by IPART Chair Carmel Donnelly when she approved a water rate rise for the Central Coast to be phased in over four years from 2022.
“Our role here is to protect customers from excessive prices but at the same time to recognise people do need good drinking water and good waste-water management,” Donnelly said at the time.
“The decision was made considering the minimum necessary for a water authority to meet standards.”
Donnelly said IPART had found there was a genuine need for the Council to invest in its water and waste-water systems to improve performance, with the decision heavily influenced by customer feedback on problems with water quality and reliability.
“The tribunal decided it is crucial that CCC Water is more accountable and transparent and be held to account that it spends the increases on improving performance,” she said.
Donnelly said the draft decision was accompanied by several papers suggesting ways of monitoring Council’s performance in the area of water management.
The next quarterly review is expected to be released in March.
our water mains breaks so often in Avoca beach it’s a joke. I’d give them 0/10 but I’d also give that to all of council’s “services”
Since comming to the central coast more than 10 years ago i have not drunk the water here.Every year at least twice a year the water runs brown through the pipes.Disgusting to say the least so i purchase drinking water ever since.Not a happy customer and i do not trust the supply on the peninsular where we live.