IF the ESB fails to restore power to a customer within 24 hours of a fault being reported, it will pay them between £40 and £100, according to one of the provisions of the company's new customer charter.
The charter was published yesterday and gives 12 guarantees of service. If it fails to meet these guarantees it will compensate users by between £20 and £100.
At the launch in the ESB's sales rooms at Fleet Street, Dublin, the managing director for customer services, Mr Ted Dalton, said he would like to say they would never have to pay out on the guarantees. "But inevitably we are going to miss out on some of them, some of the time. Normally we would expect to better these standards."
Guarantee one covers power failures. Domestic customers will receive £40 and business customers £100 if power is not restored within 24 hours of the fault being reported. Guarantee two provides for domestic customers receiving £20 and business customers £100, if they do not receive at least two days notice of planned interruptions in supply - accidental blackouts are not covered by the guarantee.
Under guarantee three, blackouts caused by faults in the main ESB fuse of a house or business will be compensated for with a £20 payment if the ESB fails to call within four hours and provided it is notified of the failure between 8.30 a.m. and 11 p.m.
Meter installation and connection, within three working days for domestic customers and five for business customers, is the fourth guarantee. The respective refunds are £40 and £100.
Anybody building a new house, farm building, shop or factory, or renovating an old property, will be entitled a cost quotation within 10 working days under the fifth guarantee, provided no site visit is required. Where a site visit is necessary, the time limit is 20 working days. The ESB will pay £40 if it fails to meet these deadlines
Voltage complaints will be dealt with within 10 days of being reported or customers will receive £20 under the sixth guarantee. Complaints about the accuracy of meters will be dealt with in 10 working days, or a £20 payment made under the seventh guarantee.
Guarantee eight covers accounts queries. Failure to respond to these within five working days will result in a £20 payment. Guarantee nine states that if ESB staff fails to keep appointments or does not notify customers of changes at least one day in advance, customers will receive £20.
Even bad payers can benefit from the charter. Under guarantee 10 somebody who clears their arrears will be reconnected by the following day, or receive £20.
Agreed refunds for overcharging are covered by guarantee 11. If the refund is not paid within seven working days, customers will receive £20.
Guarantee 12 is a guarantee of guarantees. In other words, where the ESB fails to meet its obligations under other guarantees it will pay an additional £20.
The guarantees only cover core ESB services. Products sold by the ESB or special offers are excluded. Mr Dalton says the aim is to consolidate the company's place in the market before the advent of competition.