GPL promises quicker response time to customers’ emergency calls

The Guyana Power and Light (GPL) has promised that customers reporting emergencies no longer have to wait 24 hours for a response from the power company as it is moving to foster a better relationship with its consumers.

In the past, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) provided a one-day window to respond to emergencies reported by customers, however, the company plans to reduce that waiting time to 12 hours. This is according to Director of Customer Services at GPL, Rhonda Lafar.
“As it relates to the responsiveness, we are working on increasing our teams, and we have also reduced our response time. So if you call the call centre to make a report, sometimes you will be told it will be done within 24 hours, we have reduced that response time to 12 hours,” Lafar said.
She stated that this is among several new measures implemented by GPL to ensure customers stay satisfied and obtain value for money in the services provided by GPL.
“So you should have a team coming to your location within 12 hours, if it is a minor emergency, they can fix it. If it is major, it may take a little longer but you should have some action within 12 hours. We are working as much as possible as soon as we get reports to see how soon we can actually have the crews at your location to have your problem resolved.”
Lafar noted that many persons have difficulties in paying their bills on time because of their busy schedules and the lack of time to visit a GPL location or due to other reasons beyond their control.
Considering this, GPL is pushing customers to make use of the payment location agents countrywide and cautioned against waiting until the due date of a bill to make a payment.
“We have banks, you can pay online through your bank account, we have BillExpress, Surepay, Mobile Money and we have the Guyana Post Office, all of these are options that bills can be paid at. The account is updated within 24 hours so customers do not have to be afraid of paying at an agent and saying their account is not updated. But I would advise to don’t wait until the due date to pay at an agent, these are easier ways to pay your bill versus coming into GPL and joining a line.”
She added that there are numerous agents countrywide and closer to many customers than a GPL office so it would be more convenient for customers to utilise the services that the bill payment agents offer.