The quality of service from Guyana Power and Light Inc
WHAT THE PEOPLE SAY
In recent months there has been a number of complaints about the service being provided by the Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) and the rise in rates which had been agreed by a quadripartite group before the advent of GPL. This week we asked the man/woman-in-the-street to share their views on aspects of the service provided by GPL with which they were satisfied and aspects with which they were not. Their views follow: Vedwatie Ramsingh - housewife: `GPL's service fluctuates. Sometimes it appears to be improving and then at other times it appears as though nothing is happening and there are blackouts and power surges. What results are damaged appliances. Just recently the motor of my refrigerator was damaged. What could I do? Seeking claims from GPL for damage would be a waste of time. You go to GPL and they push you around. It was actually cheaper for me to buy back the motor than wait on GPL. The other problem is getting a new contract when moving into new quarters. I have had to pay off the bills for the last tenants or face disconnection; then continue paying the bills in their names to make things easier. GPL should make provision for landlords and new tenants not to inherit GPL's defaulting customers' bills.' Michael Kellman - self-employed: `There is basically nothing with the GPL that really satisfies me. Actually since the GPL took over the power company, it has gone from bad to worse. The reason for privatising the GEC [Guyana Electricity Corporation] in the first place was for improving and modernising the service. Yesterday [Friday] for instance, we had blackout for the whole day in East Ruimveldt. Constant power surges are the norm. You cannot enjoy the use of your electrical appliances. I have had to install protective devices in the fuse and plugs to ensure that my appliances are not damaged. This is in addition to GPL's rate increase. The next thing is that one month I received a bill for $62,000. On enquiring, GPL told me that I had used in excess of 3,000 kilowatts extra over the past five years and this had not been accounted for in the monthly estimates for which GEC had been billing me. We signed an agreement on how I was going to pay out the $62,000. I now have $11,000 owing on that bill but what I am afraid of now is that GPL is now billing me on estimates once more. I want my meter read regularly. Bill me for what I burn. Don't bill me a couple of years down the line telling me that I now owe so much.' Francis Seymour - clerk: `The service at Wakenaam and Leguan needs improving. We do not get a 24-hour service and this affects production. We get electricity at Wakenaam from 4:00 pm to 8:00 am. The water system relies on electricity and we only get water for two hours from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm each day. The work of housewives is affected because of the lack of water. Other productive sectors which require water and electricity are also affected. Generally it is hindering development but GPL after a one week, 24-hour day trial is saying that it is not cost efficient to provide Wakenaam with electricity all day. Then the billings are extremely high. Just before the takeover my bills were between $1,000 to $1,200 now it has averaged $2,500. I don't have a fridge. The electrical appliances I use are a 14-inch television, a two-foot fluorescent tube and three 60-watt bulbs. These I do not burn all the time.' Rajendra Sookram: - `There has been some improvement in the service in the area where I live at Mon Repos on the East Coast Demerara. For instance, we do not get as much power shortages as in the past. However, there is need for replacing old lines some of which are partially damaged but which still create shortages that lead to damaged appliances. I do not hear my parents complaining about bills because no steep increases in rates are reflected on them.' Desmond Trotman - regional councillor: `If you examine the whole question of the GPL in the light of all that is taking place and the capacity of the service in which people will feel confident, to me GPL has shown itself to be incapable of providing a good service. Instead of getting a relief from blackouts the situation has gotten worse. One of the main reasons people were crying out for a change was because of the constant blackouts. Lots of people are now frustrated by what is taking place. GPL has had much time to show some positive signs of improvement. The billing system leaves a lot to be desired. Generally there needs to be a dramatic change in the whole operations. As it is it could best be described as a totally incompetent and undesirable service.' Tricia McLean: - `I live in Rasville which is almost in the heart of the city but our home does not have electricity. There are just a few houses in Rasville that have current. I think that people in the area have applied but GPL has not been responding. I think that the matter of providing lights in the area needs to be addressed.' Rudolph Wilson - retired soldier: `There is nothing that I am satisfied with in relation to GPL. As far as I am concerned it is worse than GEC. GPL has no reliable service and all they are concerned with is money. And while they are not providing a reliable service they cut you off very quickly if you are not up to date with your bills. I think that the management of the GPL is getting super salaries while the consumers suffer. Then the disconnection crew is another problem. We have had a case in our area where even though the bill was paid in full because we knew the disconnection crew was coming, when the crew eventually came they disconnected us. The disconnection crew did not accept the receipt and this resulted in embarrassment, a lot of inconveniences because it meant having to go to Georgetown, loss of perishables and loss of time. I believe selling the GEC to the GPL was another big mistake this government made.' Roshel Weeks - medical technologist: `Billing consumers with estimates and customer service when querying bills are two of the main problems I find kind of disgusting with GPL. However, after a long period they came to our home to read the meter so there might be some improvement in the billing. In relation to customer service I will relate my own experience. Just recently I had to make queries on a bill. I had to wait for about two hours to get to the top of the line to see someone. When it was my turn the person was not there. There were no seats so I had to stand and wait. No one offered any assistance. When the person arrived she gave me a form for me to fill out without saying why I must do it. She then got on the telephone so I had to continue waiting for her to tell me why I had to fill out the form.' Elizabeth Agard - medical technologist: `When I heard that a new company was taking over the GEC I felt that at least things would get better. I never expected that it would worsen. Places like the Georgetown Public Hospital where I work should have priority service but apparently this is not the case. There we get severe load-shedding and it affects the machines with which we work, which could affect the results of certain tests. Though we have standby generators, they are not the solution because switching over takes time and vital time is also lost in the process. In addition the load-shedding damages the machines.' Monica Hinds - caterer: `I am not satisfied with the GPL's service. As far as I am concerned they are robbing poor people by estimating charges. The last time I went in at Main Street to query a bill I spent three hours waiting just to be attended to. Before GPL took over I paid between $2,500 and $3,000 monthly. Now my bill is $6,000 and the service is no better. Imagine the line when you go to pay light bills, that thought alone is discouraging. Sometimes I go to the post office just to avoid the GPL's Main Street lines.'
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