Queries still unanswered
“The roll out of the smart meter should have alleviated that burden but actually causing more stress and duress on the consumer."
JOHANNESBURG SOUTH – Reports of excessive charges on the new smart meters and issues regarding billing still plague residents as they struggle to reach workable solutions with City Power.
With many residents feeling as though they are getting nowhere with their queries at the Finance and Revenue Department, they turned to the local Ward 125 PR Councillor Peter Stewart for help.
Clr Stewart said in a letter: “I have now, for years, complained about the billing problems residents endure in the City of Johannesburg and it has actually become too expensive for its residents to live here.
“The roll out of the smart meter should have alleviated that burden but actually it is causing more stress and duress on the consumer. The system appears to be causing unnecessary and terrible panic amongst the inhabitants of the city.
“Numerous calls are received from residents complaining about astronomical bills they received after the smart meter have been installed at their property and the incompetence of staff at billing department to assist them with their queries.
“A resident in Meredale, south of Johannesburg, complained that his electricity account escalated to almost three times to what he consumed before when he received his account after the installation of a smart meter.
“It appears that this issue just contributes to the billing fiasco the city sits with and thus causing frustrations, stress and unnecessary financial hardship for its consumers. Just proof those systems are dumped on the city’s residents without proper consultation and thorough investigation.”
Several attempts to get clarity from City Power media liaison, Loius Pieterse, concerning the letter from Ward 125 PR Councillor Peter Stewart, on billing problems experienced by residents, have gone unanswered.
