Customer damage

Making a claim for loss or damage

We can help you with the reasonable cost of repairing or replacing damaged property if the loss or damage was caused by incorrect action by Western Power,  or inappropriate operation of Western Power equipment.

If your claim is approved, we will compensate you for the cost of repairing or replacing your property 'like for like' (which is not necessarily 'new for old'). If it is not cost effective to repair your damaged property, we will meet the replacement cost to purchase an equivalent item or the current depreciated value of the damaged item.

We do not reimburse GST when compensating business customers who are able to lodge GST input tax credits, since this is claimed from the Australian Tax Office.

What is not eligible for compensation?

As a general guide we are unable to compensate customers for any loss or damage that occurs as a result of events or circumstances outside our control including, but not limited to:

• trees or overgrown vegetation clashing with powerlines
• interference by wildlife (e.g. birds, animals, termites)
• motor vehicles colliding with power poles
• bushfires
• vandalism
• lightning, storms, winds or windborne debris
• events caused by pollution
• power interruptions for planned work
• emergency action by police, fire or emergency services
• any third party interference to the electricity system.

We generally do not accept claims for incidents over 1 year old and we do not investigate claims where the sum claimed is less than $10.

How to submit a claim

Complete the online form and provide the required documentation to support your claim. This may include any receipts/invoices, quotations, repair reports and photographs of any damaged items. We reserve the right to view original documents.

Damaged items should not be disposed of until after the claim has been resolved (excluding food goods).

In some cases, you may need to provide our assessors with reasonable access to investigate your claim.

Without supporting documentation/evidence, Western Power will be unable to process your claim.

Note:

• Customers who receive bills from a strata management company or other similar shared groups, and not from an energy provider, will need to select submeter at the top of the application, and attach a photo or scanned copy of the account you receive from the Strata Manager for your power usage.
• Please provide your meter or submeter number even if your claim is not power-related.
• If your claim relates to unusual circumstances and you are not able to provide your meter details, please email claims.management@westernpower.com.au for advice.
• Please make sure you have your bank account details to hand before making a claim.

How long will it take to assess my claim?

The assessment of your claim is dependent on the complexity of the investigation required and the number of claims currently requiring investigation.

While claims are generally investigated and finalised within a few weeks, some claims may take longer.

We will confirm we have received your claim and if you have any queries you can contact us, via our customer service centre on 13 10 87.

What can I do if my claim is declined?

If we decline your claim, we will send you an email advising of the reason for the problem (such as the cause for the power outage), which will assist you should you then pursue compensation through your insurance company.

If you were affected by a power outage lasting 12 hours or more, you may be eligible for an $80 extended outage service standard payment.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may request a secondary review by emailing claims.management@westernpower.com.au quoting your claim reference number. You should also provide any further or additional information you may have in support of your review request.