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A culture of submission

Aug 12, 2017 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

There was once a man who used to distribute cooking gas at a time when almost everything in Guyana was in short supply. He did not ‘blackmarket’ the product. He was honest to that extent. But he treated his customers like dirt. He shouted at them and refused to sell them if they protested, even though many of them used to be standing in the hot sun for hours.
The people were forced to accept his ill-temper and ill-treatment because they had nowhere else to turn. They needed the item and they had been waiting hours in line. Protesting meant that you were denied a service.
The shortages created a culture of submission. The customer was never right. The customer was the beggar. The customers were treated like dogs; they had to take whatever was thrown at them. Protesting about being shortchanged or poor quality could easily be dismissed by those who provided the goods and services.
This culture began within the government. You went to get a passport and even though you were paying, you had to wait for hours, if you did not know someone within the immigration office who would assist you or pay a bribe to get what you wanted.
It was the same with the electricity corporation. They were the bosses. The consumer has to honour his or her end of the bargain to pay his or her bill on time, or face disconnection. The consumers were required to pay their bills on time. Yet, Guyanese suffered interminable blackouts, averaging six hours per day every day for years, even though they were supposed to be provided with a better service.
The nature of the relationship between the power company and the consumer has not changed. It still happens this way. Once the amount outstanding on your electricity passes a certain amount, the disconnection crew turns up.
The GPL is not interested in any excuse. It does not want to hear that you were out of town or the country and therefore could not pay your bill on time. The company is not interested in whether you actually even received a bill. It turns a deaf ear to the explanations given.
You are disconnected and you have to go and pay a reconnection fee and hope the company sends a reconnection crew within a day.
This is poor customer relations by Guyana Power and Light. It is a continuance of what used to happen in the past when the customer was disrespected. GPL continues the tradition of poor customer relations.
If there was an alternative electricity supplier, a lot of consumers would have dumped the GPL. But Guyanese do not have a choice. They are stuck with the GPL
The nature of the relationship between GPL and its consumers must become a contractual one. The consumer must pay for the service provided. If the consumer does not pay, the consumer is not entitled to a continuance of the service. At the same time, if GPL gives you blackout, it should compensate consumers.
Right now in Guyana, you would believe that it is Christmas. The lights in your home are like fairy lights. They are on and off. These fluctuations are bound, over time, to result in malfunctioning equipment.
GPL has an obligation to provide uninterrupted power supply. If it fails to do so, it should pay compensation to consumers. Does it? Has it been paying compensation for the blackouts which are caused by factors within its control?
The contractual relationship between GPL and its consumers must be changed. Consumers are paying for a service and this does not include blackouts.
GPL must also be a good service provider. It must respect its customers. It must bear with them when they are late with their bill payments. The power company should call up its delinquent customers, rather than simply dispatching the disconnection crew.
Customers are at the mercy of GPL. The majority of Guyanese need GPL. They cannot afford to come off the grid. They are therefore locked into a long-term relationship with the power company. And because of this, they are treated with disrespect.
This must be stopped, by GPL signing a contract with each of its customers which would ensure that when GPL fails to provide a satisfactory service, it has to compensate its customers.

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