…encourages public to make complaints if no resolution provided
For the year 2017, there have already been over one hundred complaints to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for at least two utility companies –GTT and the Guyana Power and Light (GPL).
This is according to the PUC’s Complaints Division Manager, Destra Bourne. She stated that as of March 2017, there were 29 complaints from GPL customers, while for GTT that number was 94. According to Bourne, the PUC had resolved 44 of the GTT complaints.
The Public Utilities Commission
“For 2017, the most prevalent complaints we have had relates to GTT and no dial tones. That can be referred to as a technical issue,” Bourne stated.
Procedure
Explaining the work the Commission does in these instances, Bourne stated that the PUC would arrange rebates for customers, who would have been paying for a service that was not working for a period of time.
“Once the service has been restored, they’re entitled to some amount of rebate for the period the service would not have been working.”
“That’s for GT&T. In the case of GPL customers, it’s in the form of rebates and in the form of credits to the account for GPL not meeting the service standards.”
She noted that the PUC has been able to garner $1.2 million for customers, inclusive of complaints that were pending from last year.
She also encouraged customers who have been under siege by poor utility service and lack of resolution to escalate the matter to the PUC’s attention. Bourne emphasised that the process was actually a simple one.
“The procedure is quite simple. If you have a problem with one of the utility (companies), your first step is to visit the utility and make a complaint in relation to your problem. That is giving the utility the first option to deal with whatever issue you have.”
“If you are not satisfied with how they dealt with the problem of the resolution, then you can seek redress from the PUC. If the complaint has merit, we will follow that complaint up with the utility. If we notice that the utility would have made the correct decision based on the matter in front of us, we will advise you on that.”
For the year 2016, the Commission secured credits for consumers from the utility companies in the sum of $13,285,302. The credits included various sums for overbilling and failing to correct defaults in time.
