The story of the senior citizen and GPL
By Eileen Cox
The experiences of a senior citizen with Guyana Power & Light Inc shows the inefficiency of the corporation and calls for immediate remedial action.
A senior citizen living in a very small apartment with one small fluorescent tube and a television set which she uses only for news broadcasts was disconnected from electricity for four months, January to April this year.
In March she approached the Guyana Consumers Association (GCA) and sought help. Early in May she was reconnected with the assistance of the Revenue Manager. On Friday, May 23 the disconnection team visited her premises and cut the electric wires.
She is diabetic and dreads the darkness of the night. Naturally, she was distraught and again came to GCA for help. On Saturday May 24, she received a letter from GPL which was dated May 7, 2008 but only delivered on that date. The letter stated:
“Please be informed that an investigation into your billing for the period January to February 2008 revealed that Guyana Power & Light Inc had over-billed your electricity account due to incorrect/estimate reading used during the bill processing for the stated period.
“We have recognized this problem and have made an adjustment of 245 kilowatt hours (units) valued at $13,176.00 for the same period.