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The Forum > Article Comments > Sydney Water’s dirty secret > Comments

Sydney Water’s dirty secret : Comments

By Jonathan J. Ariel, published 27/9/2013

Job #1 for Senator Sinodinos: rein in state owned monopolies.

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Hi again Pericles,

You say you can’t find mention on SW’s website for their own plumbers.

When I called Sydney Water I was told (in addition to checking if my taps were low flow) that they can perform the small job I wanted with staff from THEIR plumbing unit called “WaterFix”. I agreed to the price. I was not made aware of any terms or conditions.

Only after the job was performed in mid May at a significantly different price from what was understood, did I look into the matter and found written details on the web site confirming what I was told on the telephone: the plumber was Sydney Water's plumber, see below.

http://www.sydneywater.com.au/SW/your-home/saving-water-at-home/bathroom/waterfix/index.htm

You will note the monopolist’s use of the personal pronoun ‘our’ when describing plumbers.

Heck, the Minister in his reply does not dispute this!

Sorry I was not as clear as I should have been in earlier posts.

As you ask, I will keep you advised of what transpires with Fair Trading. The train for that destination has already left the station.
Posted by Jonathan J. Ariel, Sunday, 29 September 2013 8:51:52 PM
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Thanks for the additional information, Jonathan J. Ariel.

Your Fair Trading case looks a slam dunk to me.

I'm not a lawyer, but I reckon the phrase "fixed price" is not easily construed in a manner that allows for an increased amount to be charged. There are a couple of riders in the agreement to do with "compatibility", but otherwise it seems straightforward.

http://www.sydneywater.com.au/web/groups/publicwebcontent/documents/document/zgrf/mduz/~edisp/dd_053493.pdf

One interesting point, though. It does appear that the plumber did not benefit from the transaction, since the billing for the service would have appeared on your Sydney Water account:

"(f) You agree that we can add all charges to your Sydney Water account. Unless paragraph (g) applies, all charges are payable in one single payment by the due date for payment of the account to which the charges have been added."

If I were you, I would have simply refused to pay the account on which the non-fixed charge appeared, and made it their problem, not yours. It certainly would have avoided the situation where you felt obliged to "talk to the hand" - they would have had to come to you instead.

In any event, I'd strongly recommend asking for details of any prices quoted over the phone...

>>I agreed to the price. I was not made aware of any terms or conditions.<<

...whether the institution is a government-owned monopoly or not.
Posted by Pericles, Monday, 30 September 2013 7:26:20 AM
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