Teshie ECG customers at their wit end as company fails to replace faulty meters

0
139

The prepaid meters and conductors worth ¢59million, are still locked up in the company's warehouseThe prepaid meters and conductors worth ¢59million, are still locked up in the company’s warehouse

Customers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) at Teshie, are at their wit end after many attempts to get their faulty meters fixed, proved futile.

The customers, who have been frequenting the district office near the LEKMA hospital at Tsuibleoo continuously, appear helpless as they are each day given different excuses.

What is even more disturbing, is how officials react to this problem, as though it is not an important issue, as they constantly tell customers to go back home and wait and that when the meters are supplied, they will come and do the needful.

This comes at a time, there are reports that several prepaid meters, worth millions of Cedis procured between 2014 and 2016, have been left at ECG stores rotting away.

The prepaid meters and conductors worth ¢59million, are still locked up in the company’s warehouse.

The revelation is highlighted in the 2020 Auditor-General’s Report on the audit of statutory boards and corporations.

According to the report, ECG procured the meters and conductors, but at the time of the auditing in 2019, the meters were not deployed.

The Auditor-General recommended that the management of ECG ensure that the prepayment meters and conductors are issued out to users, failure to do so, the A-G asked that the amount involved be recovered from the officers who engaged in the procurement.

One customer who expressed serious reservation about the situation at Teshie said several attempts to have his faulty meter changed, have ended in no fruitful result.

According to him, his meter developed a fault for a period of time and so reported it to the office for replacement.

He explained that the fault has resulted in him buying credit unnecessarily, spending more than expected in a month.

Initially, he had no idea what was happening but anytime he bought credit, it finished faster than expected. Credit that could last two months now lasts two or three weeks.

He has neither added new appliances nor increased the usage of power to warrant the fast consumption.

The fault is such that anytime there was light out and the switch was not turned off, the credit disappears when power is restored.

Having experienced this for months, he requested an official of the Company to check for the meter and upon assessment, it came out that it was faulty as the date on it goes as far back as about five years.

This confirmed the suspicion that the meter was faulty and so was advised to report the fault to the ECG for replacement.

However, months after doing so, there has not been replacement. A number of visits to the office for the status of his reported meter has yielded no results.

Initially, he was told there’s shortage of meter but on another occasion, he was informed there was no cable.

This means that he was through no fault of his, going to purchase credit and expect it to finish earlier than normal. Effort to get a fixed arrangement was also not allowed.

On two occasions, he was directed to see the person who could explain the situation better but met his absence.

An insider told this customer that the situation has persisted for well over nine months and consumers are struggling to put up with the situation.

Until some efforts are made to rectify the anomaly, customers would have to endure the situation, though it is not their fault.

Some are even unsure there is shortage of the machines because in the past, similar claims have been made but behind the scenes when there is exchange of money, the meters are replaced without delay.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here