Oman- Erroneous power bills shock consumers

3/9/2016 6:49:12 AM

(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat-

Reports of high electricity bills some of which exceed the monthly average by over several times continue to trickle in even as concerned authorities take steps to tackle the issue.

While the Muscat Electricity Distribution Company (MEDC) its parent company Nama Group and the Authority for Electricity Regulation (AER) have systems in place to investigate these complaints some consumers unaware of their rights and afraid that their supply will be disconnected simply settle the contested bills.

Officials say that such cases rise a little during summers but a consumer can always approach the distribution company for dispute resolution.

A consumer received a bill for RO1000 when the average monthly bill he gets for his property is RO50 to RO70. 'I've had the property since the '80s. A few months back I was billed RO1000. I paid the bill because I did not want the supply disconnected but intend to file a complaint through proper channels. I hope the matter will be resolved amicably and the large amount I paid will be used as credit to settle my future bills' he said requesting anonymity.

In another case reported last year a consumer was billed roughly 50 per cent more than his monthly average but had the issue resolved. 'This has happened to a lot of people. Whether these high bills are the result of human error equipment failure or other factors what is for sure is that amid rising prices families are struggling to make ends meet and many are one such high bill away from failing to make their payments and getting their electricity disconnected.'

Speaking on the sidelines of the Nama Group press briefing recently Eng Abdullah al Badri CEO Muscat Electricity Distribution Company said 'Out of Nama Group's total customer base overall disputed bills are about one per cent. This figure increases slightly in summer.'

The group says it is actively educating its consumers on their rights.

'If a customer is not satisfied by their service provider's response to a complaint he can take it up with AER which will assess the complaint and ask for further information from the service provider' said Sheikh Mansoor al Hinai vice president distribution and supply Nama Group. 'We are actively educating our customers on their rights. In addition to our media campaigns brochures in Arabic and English detailing the process of lodging a complaint are available at all our offices.'

Acknowledging that some of the disputed bills could be caused by human error or faulty equipment he said 'At the end of the day if in doubt the customer is empowered to take the meter reading himself and send it to the electricity company which will adjust the bill accordingly. If a customer questions the accuracy of the meter itself he can apply to have the meter tested and it will be re-calibrated if inaccurate. Increasing accuracy and transparency are some of the key intentions behind the whole customer service revamp effort we are working on.

'We are working on enhancing the customer experience offered by all the electricity distribution companies and the billing system is one of the tools we are using to enhance the service.

'Complaints are part and parcel of what we do at the Nama Group. We are interacting with customers on a monthly basis so receiving complaints is a normal thing in a business like ours. The most important thing is how we handle those complaints and how fast we act in order to resolve them.

'Currently we are working with all our partners to enhance the handling procedures and further reduce the number of working days taken to resolve issues. This in itself is giving more confidence to customers' he added.

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