Dear Editor,

I need an attorney, urgently!

I have ‘banned my belly’ to keep my bills, including those from the Jamaica Public Service (JPS), at a level that I can afford, and that has not changed.

During the lockdown I paid all bills in advance and in full. However, in February of this year, I noticed a massive increase in my bill, although nothing has changed in my home. I queried the bill via e-mail and also complained about the noise pollution in my community, resulting from access to free electricity.

The February bill of $3,683.89 was paid in advance and in full, and since I was going to be away from home in March, I also prepaid that bill in same amount as February’s ($3,683.89) to keep my account in good standing.

Although I was absent, the bill for March was over $5000, and I received a text notification from JPS stating that I owed a balance of almost $2000. That’s where I drew the line; not another dollar will be paid until JPS investigates the matter. However, since that request was made in February, nothing has been done. It is an outrage!

I recently e-mailed JPS again, requesting that they investigate. I further stated that I will not be paying for electricity I did not use or for stolen electricity, which is common in my area.

So far, I have been issued eight reference codes, the latest reference number is 205673; still, nothing has been done – it’s now July.

JPS has now disconnected my service, wrongfully, which has resulted in my reputation being tarnished, as my name is now associated with the term ‘delinquent’, not to mention breach of Digicel contract.

I need an attorney to file a lawsuit against JPS to help me get my account back to normal at $2,600 and under, not this $14,115. For years, I believe, I have been charged incorrectly. In 2020 I was away from March to November and my JPS bills were still high. Not to mention the fact that gas prices hit rock bottom, yet there was no decrease in JPS bills.

Please note, again, I will not pay JPS for what I did not use. I have had one TV, one fridge, one radio, and one wall fan for over 10 years, nothing has changed, not even the clothes line.

National Water Commission, you are next!

Pamela Pitter/Fredrick Donaldson

pamjamaica@yahoo.com