A final notice is normally issued following a late municipal bill payment and advises residents that their electricity would be cut off should they not pay a penalty fee for late payment within a certain period.
Final notices raise confusion for paying customers
A Boksburg family recently complained to the Advertiser that they were given a final notice on February 2, after paying their municipal bill via e-Siyakhokha on January 26.
The family acknowledged that they had paid on the 26th instead of the 25th.
In reply, the metro said the due date for the account in question is the 25th of every month and the fact that the client only effected payment on the 26th of indicates a late payment.
Spokesperson Themba Gadebe said a final notice will be issued whenever an account has not been paid on or before the applicable due date.
This final notice, he said, will be rendered approximately three days after the due date of the applicable cycle.
Final Notice: Pay on time or sit in the dark
“Any third-party payment should be made at least seven days before the applicable due date. This information is printed on the reverse side of the council’s account statement.
“This is to allow for sufficient time so that the payment that was made will reflect in the council’s bank account and be updated onto the council’s financial system,” said Gadebe.
In this enquiry, explained Gadebe, the payment made via the e-Siyakhokha platform, was updated on February 2, seven days after the payment was effected.
“The final notice rendered in this enquiry was levied on January 30 and was in respect of the December 2016 account that was due and payable on or before January 25, 2017.”
Gadebe advised that to avoid additional charges, clients should ensure timeous payment on or before the applicable due date and also take the seven-day period mentioned above into consideration when making use of third-party payments.
“In view of what was mentioned above, the final notice fees levied on January 30 cannot be reversed as it was charged in accordance with the Council’s Policies and Tariffs, regulated by the Municipal Systems Act, Act 32 of 2000.”
Final notice charged erroneously by metro
