Nova Energy
Winner: Worst 'Brainstrain' Communication
Standard Terms for Gas and Electricity Supply
Sponsor Sue Chetwin of Consumer NZ with Nova Energy's lawyer, Hayley Evans
Winners of the dreaded People’s Choice — Worst ‘Brainstrain’ award, Nova Energy, were applauded for fronting up to receive their prize — a shiny stainless steel bin filled with sour worm lollies.
Called ‘illegible, inaccessible, and a fine example of fine print’ by the judges, the Nova Energy Terms and Conditions for Gas and Electricity Supply was unanimously judged to be the standout winner of the ‘Brainstrain’ award. Award presenter and sponsor, Sue Chetwin of Consumer NZ, congratulated Nova for promising to take the feedback seriously and said she looked forward to seeing an improved version.
Plain English Awards Trust Chair, Gregory Fortuin, also commented that the ‘Brainstrain’ award ‘usually gives organisations strong reasons for changing the way they communicate. We have every confidence that Nova will hear the message and take action’.
The member of the public who submitted this entry said: "I believe the document speaks for itself. It's amazing how much information they have managed to put on one side of an A4 page. I didn't bother reading it at all."
Judges' comment
The content of the terms and conditions is not clear as they are illegible in hardcopy and even difficult to navigate in magnified electronic form. The terms and conditions document contains important information that is made indecipherable by its small size. A very good example of ‘fineprint’ and the standout winner of the ‘Brainstrain’ award.