Horizon Power will introduce new fees from 1 March 2019 to customers who continue to receive paper bills through the post and who pay their bills over the counter at an Australia Post outlet.
Each paper bill issued will incur a fee of $1.20 and for customers who choose to pay via an Australia Post outlet, an over the counter transaction fee of $2.27 will apply.
Exemptions from the fees will apply to those customers who are over 65, receive a concession on their bill or who can demonstrate hardship circumstances.
The fees were approved by the State Government in the 2018-19 Budget and gazetted from 1 July 2018.
Horizon Power Manager Customer Service Geoff White said Horizon Power’s customers across regional and remote Western Australia had been advised about the changes.
Mr White encouraged customers who currently received paper bills to sign up for paperless billing online through Horizon Power’s My Account portal or the Horizon Power mobile app.
“We have a number of alternatives to making a payment at an Australia Post outlet, so you can avoid the over the counter transaction fee,” he said. “Similarly, we have paperless billing options our customers can select in order to avoid the paper bill fee.
“My Account, which is our online customer portal, offers a range of payment options, including direct debit which can also take the worry out of remembering to pay your account.
“There is also the additional benefit that My Account has all customers’ billing and payment information stored in one convenient place, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“And the mobile app offers the best features of My Account as well as allowing customers to keep track of how much electricity they are using, how much they’ve spent during the billing period and how much the final bill is likely to be.”
Customers who feel they could meet the exemption criteria or who require further information, should visit horizonpower.com.au/mybill or call 1800 291 045.