GPL can be most disinterested

Jan 04, 2013 Letters

Dear Editor,
My new year started with my first visitor being a guy from GPL disconnection crew. He was there to inform me that he will be back tomorrow to disconnect my electricity if my arrears were not paid off. Well what a way to start the New Year!!!!
I informed him that I can recall paying my bill last month so what was the problem?
He called the office and was told that I had a balance on my account.
This is not how we operate; we don’t mess with any of the utility companies.
Then I remembered that my in-laws whom I live next door to and I received another bill for the same billing month i.e. November, later in December and figured that they made a mistake and that we would look into it this month.
So of course I had to rearrange all my activities to dance to the whims and fancies of GPL.
When I came to my husband’s office to pick up the paid bills along with the other set of bills I found out that the bills have differences of $194,522 for meter #IT0002894, and $106,270 for meter #IT0002897.
Lo and Behold I was informed that the same thing had occurred at the business place and that GPL disconnection crew came on Old Year’s Day to inform them that they have to pay up or face disconnection on the next working day and this is for the three meters on the premises.
So I proceeded to secure all the bills from January 2012 and head down to GPL.
Well if you have ever been into GPL Main Street you would know that you have to be prepared for the long haul. So I took my pain killer and set off…preparing to have my patience tested.
Luckily I met a courteous young lady who proceeded to help me.
Firstly she was puzzled to see two sets of bills for one month so she told me that she had to go talk with her supervisor.
The explanation she gave was that the first bill that came was an estimated reading and that the second bill is an actual reading. So she proceeded to explain that the estimated bills were not supposed to be sent out and by the time they try to stop the bills they were already sent to GPO.
Now, if GPL made a mistake and sent two bills to its consumers, couldn’t the power company wait until the next bill and make the relevant adjustments? NO, it can’t. The disconnection crew is one of the most prompt and efficient departments at GPL. However, when you pay GPL for any other service you have to wait months before anything is done.
For example, I paid GPL since July 12 to have my service line (Meter #40946) relocated.
The crew did not come until October and said that it can’t do the job because the post is rotten. Calls continued to be made for the removal of the post and one other team visited and said the same thing but no one is coming to remove the post.
So I figure that the power company is waiting for the post to fall and cause damage before one gets immediate attention.
Now when I told the girl this story she says that what she is going to say to me I wouldn’t like.
She said that the guys who came only came to relocate the service line and have no interest in the post, that it was my duty to inform GPL about the rotten post.
Great…so I just learnt that it is not the duty of the crew to report any other problems that they may encounter pertaining to GPL.
Way to go GPL…excellent service. Your money means a lot to you but another man’s money does not have any value?
Ironically while I was waiting I saw this notice on the wall of GPL….”Penalties can be imposed on GPL if standards are not met.” So I asked the girl who will impose the penalties and as she hesitated and smiled I told her I am heading straight over to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). So the matter is now with the PUC who is investigating.
Saudia Ferouz

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