No water, but NWC sends bill
Dear Editor,
The following is an open letter to the Office of Utilities Regulation:
I have often wondered at the sight of people on TV during newscasts demonstrating against the National Water Commission (NWC) claiming that they are receiving no water and yet they keep receiving bills. I now know that they are usually speaking the truth, and that the NWC is billing many of us for water that we are not getting.
I just received a bill demanding of me $1,159.32 for an apartment that is not rented. On observing the bill I noticed under “Current charges”:
• Water charges: $0.00
• Service charge: $830.00
• PAM 1.05%: $8.72
• X Factor 6.20: $52.00
• K Factor 16.00%: $125.00
Total current charges: $912.00
I consider this bill to be fake. It is asking for payment for no service, since no water was used. How can it be fair, much more legal, to ask payment of a service charge when there was no service given by the company, or received by me, the customer?
The other charges are conditioned on and contemplated as percentages of the ‘service’ given. But the bill clearly states that no service was given, since no water was used. What a rip off!
People are being forced to pay when no service has been given. Are we being asked to pay for air?
Maybe National Integrity Action should take a look at this situation. Isn’t this official corruption? A monoploy taking from the unprotected?
Possibly the public defender should take this up on our behalf, as well as the Consumer Affairs Commission.
I await your response on this issue that I may not have to pay for a service that I do not receive.
Lloyd A Cooke,
Mandeville PO
Manchester
