Orcon says it will pay soldier soon

Orcon will pay a man $25,000 after he put a bailiff onto them. Photo / Thinkstock

Orcon says it will pay a soldier $25,000 "as soon as possible" after he hired a bailiff to visit the company.

The bailiff had been expected to visit Orcon yesterday on behalf of army soldier Brett Taylor, who fought a three-year battle over a bogus debt.

Orcon this week said it was waiting for the Human Rights Review Tribunal to decide on costs.

The tribunal has given only a guideline about when a costs decision is likely.

But any such decision would not affect the $25,000 compensation owed to Mr Taylor. That compensation, for a privacy breach and loss of a benefit, was ordered in May and not appealed against.

Lawyer Shirl Taylor, Brett's mother, said a warrant was issued to seize Orcon property.

After multiple inquiries, Orcon yesterday said that it would make "immediate payment" to Mr Taylor.

"After emailing his lawyer yesterday we now have Mr Taylor's own bank account details so we can now make payment as soon as possible," the company said.

Ms Taylor said the company received her account details in late May.

She also said the family hadn't heard from Orcon or its lawyer for weeks and in the absence of communication, the bailiff was hired at a cost of about $250.

Ms Taylor said she did ask for costs but they were far less than the $25,000 and also well below an amount commensurate with time she spent on the case.

The tribunal this week said it expected to deliver its costs decision "within the next two weeks or so".

After hearing Mr Taylor had spent his own money to hire a bailiff, debt collector Wal Britton of Accounts Enforcement said he would happily pursue the payout free of charge for Mr Taylor.

Mr Britton, who has seen the full tribunal decision, said it was "not a normal occurrence" for big firms to "drag the chain" on payouts tribunals ordered, or for bailiffs to visit the offices of large companies.

Dispute resolution expert Alan Knowsley of Rainey Collins said tribunal payment issues should be "straightforward" and the unsuccessful party would usually write a cheque or make a payment to a nominated bank account.

The tribunal punished Orcon for breaching Mr Taylor's privacy and causing him the loss of a benefit.

The dispute, starting in 2012, escalated after Orcon provided the wrong modem to Mr Taylor, causing delays to connection of a broadband service.

Eventually Mr Taylor was lumped with a phony debt and his young family found it nearly impossible to rent a home or get credit.

The tribunal said Orcon did not have enough awareness of the information privacy principles at stake.

It also said the telco could not explain a nine-month delay after debt collectors Baycorp asked that the dispute be investigated.

Orcon made a public apology after NZME and the Herald reported the case.