95. Customer care and management

In relation to the levying of rates and other taxes by a municipality and the charging of fees for municipal services, a municipality must, within its financial and administrative capacity -

1. establish a sound customer management system that aims to create a positive and reciprocal relationship between persons liable for these payments and the municipality, and where applicable, a service provider;
2. establish mechanisms for users of services and ratepayers to give feedback to the municipality or other service provider regarding the quality of the services and the performance of the service provider;
3. take reasonable steps to ensure that users of services are informed of the costs involved in service provision. the reasons for the payment of service fees, and the manner in which monies raised from the service are utilized;
4. where the consumption of services has to be measured, take reasonable steps to ensure that the consumption by individual users of services is measured through accurate and verifiable metering systems;
5. ensure that persons liable for payments, receive regular and accurate accounts that indicate the basis for calculating the amounts due;
6. provide accessible mechanisms for those persons to query or verify accounts and metered consumption, and appeal procedures which allow such persons to receive prompt redress for inaccurate accounts;
7. provide accessible mechanisms for dealing with complaints from such persons, together with prompt replies and corrective action by the municipality;
8. provide mechanisms to monitor the response time and efficiency in complying with paragraph (g); and
9. provide accessible pay points and other mechanisms for settling accounts or for making pre-payments for services.