Direct Debit Service Agreement

These terms and conditions apply when you use Unitywater’s Smoothpay payment option. Please read them carefully.

These terms and conditions must be read together with our general terms and conditions (including terms and conditions to access your account online through Unitywater’s customer self-service portal (My Account) for services to residential and business customers. If there are any inconsistencies, these terms and conditions will prevail. For the avoidance of all doubt, you must agree to the My Account terms and conditions as well as these terms and conditions.

How do you work out my Smoothpay payments?

We calculate your estimated annual bill amount for the year ahead, based on your last 12 months’ history of your water and sewerage bills. Please be aware this estimate is based on your bill history only, and does not allow for future variances in your usage and bill charges.
Your estimated annual bill amount is divided into fortnightly and monthly instalments.
You then select one of these instalment options that is best for you.
If your account is overdue by $500 or less at the time you set up Smoothpay, this outstanding amount will be added to your annual bill payment calculation and included in your Smoothpay instalment amount.
If you don’t want your overdue amount to be included in your Smoothpay plan, you will need to pay this outstanding amount before you set up Smoothpay.

Should your account become overdue at any time during your Smoothpay plan, you are not required to pay these outstanding amounts. We will not charge you interest on this overdue amount, or send you Reminder or Overdue Notices.

However it is your responsibility to ensure your payments cover the cost of your bills. If your circumstances change (e.g. more people come to live at your house, you install a swimming pool, etc.) and there is a permanent increase in your water usage, we advise you to reset your Smoothpay instalment amount to cover the increase in your charges. You will see the new amount required when you select ‘Change’ on your Smoothpay plan on the ‘My Payments tab’ in My Account. You can do this provided any amount outstanding is less than $500.

Can I adjust my payment amount?

Yes, if you need to increase your payments to cover increased water usage you have the following options:

Go to My Account and ‘Change’ your Smoothpay plan under the ‘My Payments' page. You will then see the new amount required. You can do this provided any amount outstanding is less than $500

If the amount outstanding is more than $500 or you have any difficulty, please call our Credit Team on 1300 664 389 and we will be able to assist you.

You cannot decrease your instalment amount or pay less than the agreed amount at any time during your Smoothpay plan.

What are my payment options?

Smoothpay payments can be made using one of the following options as listed on your water and sewerage bill:

a) Direct Debit

b) BPAY

c) Credit Card (by phone or online)

d) Postbillpay (by phone, online or in person at Australia Post)

e) Cheques by mail

Please make sure you have sufficient funds to cover the arranged payments.

If you choose to pay by Direct Debit, you must also agree to our Direct Debit Service Agreement (PDF 97KB).

You are liable for all charges billed to your account, irrespective of whether your regular payment amount paid through Smoothpay is sufficient to clear those charges in full.

What if I miss a payment?

It is very important to stay in communication with us if you have any difficulties paying your instalments.

If you are having any problems call us on 1300 086 489 and our Customer Service team will assist you.

If you miss one Smoothpay payment, we will send you a reminder to pay. We won’t charge you any interest on your overdue amount if you make up for this payment and continue making your regular Smoothpay instalments.

If you miss two instalment payments within a six month period, we will cancel your Smoothpay payment plan and notify you of the cancellation. You will have to pay any overdue amount immediately to avoid being charged interest. You will not be permitted to set up another Smoothpay plan until you have paid any overdue amount owing on your bill.

How do I cancel my Smoothpay plan?

Your Smoothpay plan will continue until it is cancelled by you or by Unitywater.

You can cancel your Smoothpay plan online at any time in My Account. Simply go to the ‘My Payments’ page where your Smoothpay details will be listed, click on the ‘Change’ button and follow the instructions. Your Smoothpay plan will continue until it is cancelled or changed by you (or Unitywater).

We will automatically cancel your Smoothpay Plan if you:

a) miss two payments within a six-month period of your Smoothpay plan

b) raise a complaint or dispute against your account

c) do not agree to increase your payment amount if the 12 month review of your account finds that your payments are insufficient

d) are no longer our customer and your account is closed

e) go into bankruptcy

f) no longer meet the eligibility criteria listed above

g) breach any part of your Smoothpay plan, My Account’s terms and conditions or your Direct Debit Service Agreement.

We reserve the right to determine who is eligible for a Smoothpay plan or to cancel your Smoothpay plan at any time.

If your Smoothpay payment plan is cancelled by you or us, you must pay any overdue amount owing on your account immediately or normal debt recovery actions including charging interest of 11% per annum (compounding daily) on the overdue amount will begin. Unitywater reserves its rights to commence legal proceedings against you for any overdue amounts.

How will I know if my Smoothpay payments are enough to cover my bill?

It is your responsibility to ensure your payments cover the cost of your bills. If your circumstances change (e.g. more people come to live at your house, you install a swimming pool, etc.) and there is a permanent increase in your water usage, we advise you to reset your Smoothpay instalment amount to cover the increase in your charges. You will see the new amount required when you select ‘Change’ on your Smoothpay plan on the ‘My Payments tab’ in My Account. You can do this provided any amount outstanding is less than $500.

Every 12 months from the original setup date, we will review your account to see if your Smoothpay payments are covering your actual bill charges over the previous year.

Paying too little: We will advise you if your instalment amount needs to be increased to cover your actual charges.

Paying too much: We will also advise if you have a large credit on your account. If your account is in credit at the end of each 12 month Smoothpay period, you can request a refund. Otherwise, the credit amount will automatically be included in the calculation of your instalment amount for the next 12 month period. (See the ‘Refund’ section below for more information.)

We recommend that you keep an eye on the account balance of your bills during the year, to see if your Smoothpay amount needs to be adjusted. We will continue to send your water and sewerage bills to you electronically (either by email or SMS) each quarter so you can see how your Smoothpay payments are tracking against your actual charges. If your Smoothpay payments are consistently too high or too low for your actual charges, you may wish to consider adjusting your Smoothpay amount in My Account.

Unitywater will also suspend any interest or debt recovery actions for any overdue amounts.

Refunds

Refunds will be provided on request in the following circumstances when:

a) your account is in credit if or when you cancel your Smoothpay payment plan

b) your account is in credit at the end of the 12-month Smoothpay review period and you specifically request that this credit amount is not included in your instalment payment calculation for the next 12 months

c) you sell your property.

Unitywater reserves the right to change these terms and conditions at any time and to discontinue offering Smoothpay.

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