Councillor Duncan Dey raised a point in the last Council meeting about changing a graph on water bills. ‘It’s 2024. We have computers that can do that sort of thing. I don’t think it’s a big ask.’
I get bills via email. My second-last water bill stated the amount owing. Over $300. So I paid it. I didn’t get acknowledgement on the web page that I’d paid it, so I did it again. No acknowledgement. So I rang a very helpful staff person in the rates and water section at Council. She told me that I had an automatic direct debit so I couldn’t pay the bill. I said there was no mention of this on the bill. Oh, it’s in the attachment. I went to the attachment. Down the bottom, in a smaller font than the rest of the bill it says, DO NOT PAY. The staff person arranged for the two refunds which duly occurred.
I checked my rates bill. It said on the main sheet that I owe over $800. On the attached sheet, down the bottom it stated, AMOUNT TO BE PAID BY DIRECT DEBIT. It doesn’t have the same phrase as the water bill. It’s ambiguous. It looks like it’s mandatory that I pay it by direct debit. So I paid that one too. No acknowledgment, so I figured this was automatic too, rang and got a refund.
I asked the staff person over three months ago to get the software amended so that right next to the first page invoice amount it states: DO NOT PAY THIS BILL. IT IS AUTO PAID.
What a waste of time – please, Council IT person: change the wording, make it consistent for all bills, and put it on the first page.
It’s not a big ask!
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