Dear Editor,

I write to highlight a deeply concerning issue with the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) that underscores systemic flaws in utility billing and consumer protection.

In May 2025, JPS issued me a bill for $39,000, citing two years of “estimated” usage — representing $27,000 of the total amount — a problem it failed to rectify despite conducting physical meter readings during this period. After installing a new meter, JPS demanded payment for this retroactive usage, resulting in a 900 per cent increase on my typical bill. Though I paid $8,250 (doubling my usual monthly bill), JPS disconnected my service in May 2025 and then audaciously billed me for “actual usage” during the disconnection period.

This is not an isolated error; it reflects a pattern of what I consider to be unethical billing practices:

1) Charging for services not rendered: JPS claims I consumed electricity while my power was disconnected, a physical impossibility.

2) Delayed resolution: Despite my request dating back to May for a meter inspection to address the billing irregularities, JPS has yet to dispatch a technician to verify the meter’s operational status or accuracy.

3) Ignoring consumer protections: Despite escalating this to the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) in May 2025, JPS has persisted with these charges.

I deem JPS’s actions to be a violation of the basic tenets of fairness. No Jamaican should pay for utilities he/she did not, and could not, use. I urge the OUR, the Ministry of Science and Energy, and the public to demand:

• An independent audit of JPS’s billing systems

• Refunds for all customers similarly affected

• Stricter oversight to prevent such abuses

This is not just about my account; it’s about holding monopolies accountable. If JPS can bill arbitrarily, what safeguards exist for ordinary citizens?

Rebecca Tchotchke

Kingston homeowner

primosr@gmail.com