Dear Claudienne

On May 11 I moved to a Mandeville address. In June I got a Jamaica Public Service bill for $1,750, comprising $250 plus a charge of $1500 for changing the meter and installing a digital meter.

The July bill totalled $248.89 but I did not find it strange since I have no fridge, did no ironing, and I was hardly there.

The August bill was estimated for $2,424. I went to the JPS to try to find out what the estimated bill was based on and also pointed out that I had no fridge and did no ironing. I also told them what the digital meter was reading but they refused to listen to me. I was advised to pay the bill and assured that my account would be credited the following month. I then paid $1730 of the $2,424 bill.

The September bill was also estimated at $3,678 in addition to $724 brought forward from the previous bill. For 15 days in September I was not at my house so this bill is definitely not correct.

I went back to the JPS office and was told that they estimated me to have used 105 kwh monthly. However, the reading on the digital meter from June when it was changed to now September 124 is a total of 88 kwh.

I want to know why the JPS is estimating my electricity usage and not reading the meter. They should not be using the excuse that the gate is locked as the meter is on the front wall of the house and can be read from the meter reader’s binoculars. I have seen the meter reader reading my neighbour’s meter from the road and my house is about the same distance from the road as my neighbour’s house.

SR

Dear SR

We spoke to the JPS. The JPS said that they have done an investigation. The company said that you have been getting estimated bills because they have been unable to read your meter. “There is no access to the meter as the gate is always locked,” the JPS said .

The JPS advised Tell Claudienne that when estimated bills are generated there could be an over/under estimation which will be corrected once an actual reading is done.

The company said that it was requesting you to facilitate access to the meter in order to ensure that it is read and that you get a bill reflecting a balance for the actual electricity that you use. The JPS said that your meter is read each month between the 16th-18th. The company said that where there is no access to the meter they may request you to relocate the meter to the perimeter fence “in order to facilitate meter readings, inspections and investigations.

The JPS said that a representative from its Mandeville office will get in touch with you to discuss your concerns. We will follow this up.

Good luck.

Dear Claudienne

LIME’s E top-up online has recently introduced a new top-up system. However, it is tricky. When using the system, a message appears informing of the rate that LIME charges for credit. This system quotes in US dollars. For example, should I purchase a credit on July 26, the rate shown would be US$1=J$84. However, if I proceed with the transaction, the bank (NCB) charges my credit card at J$86.40 ( which was NCB’s rate on July 26). I am completely shocked at this disparity.

Could you please ascertain from LIME why there can’t be a set rate?

WH

Dear WH

According to LIME the E-top-up online application “changes money from US to Jamaican dollars based on the prevailing exchange rates which, like at a hotel or restaurant, tend to be periodic-monthly as opposed to the daily exchange rate which can fluctuate based on the prevailing supply and demand requests for that specific day in Jamaica.”

The company told Tell Claudienne that in addition, there are some costs associated with the exchange rate conversions from US dollars to Jamaican dollars for which it charges.

“The difference between the rate charged by NCB and the rate the customer pays is simply a difference between these different charging methodologies,” LIME explained.

Good luck.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 936-9436 or write to: Tell Claudienne c/o Sunday Finance, Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail: edwardsc@jamaicaobserver.com. Please include a contact phone number.