Region A residents happy, some not, with City’s open day
Although some Region A residents were happy with the service received at the City's Open Day, others were left frustrated after their queries could not be resolved.
In a bid to resolve billing inaccuracies, hundreds of residents visited Region A’s Customer Service Centre to query their longstanding billing questions.
As queries varied, the results were also not the same, as some residents were happy with the service while others were left disappointed when they could not get the desired outcome.
There was a buzz at the Open Day held at Randjespark, Midrand, on October 22 as residents came in their numbers from 08:00 to 15:30.
Billing Open Days are the City of Joburg’s response to getting the basics right by attending to the billing queries so that customers can be correctly billed.
ALSO READ: City gives itself 90 days to sign off housing list
City Power, Pikitup and Joburg Water were among the municipal-owned entities and city departments that had set up booths to allow residents, who had queries with the respective entities, to lodge their complaints.
Acting assistant director for Revenue in the region, Zanoxolo Mbingeleli said the city decided to hold Open Days as a response to bringing services to the people who had issues that required them to visit walk-in centres.
“We answered questions immediately, and that is one of the most important aspects of these Open Days. We send a meter reader to the customer’s location to read the meter, then send the reader back to record the accurate readings and promptly reverse the estimates,” said Mbingeleli.
Property owner Camira Naidoo from Carlswald said she had a meter problem for a long time and that she suspected her meter might be mixed up with someone else’s after receiving exorbitant amounts for water usage.
“We are only three in my house and no swimming pool. So, when I saw the notice for this open day, I told myself that I am giving the City one more chance to resolve this query. I am happy to say my problem has been resolved,” she said.
Roger Gabriel and his partner, Rose, were happy to resolve their issue of not receiving municipal statements.
“We are happy that they have helped us, and now we will be able to receive our statements after not getting them for some time now,” said Roger.
However, not all customers were happy leaving the premises, as Sipho Ngwenya from Randburg, said he was disappointed because he was sent from pillar to post before he could get to the right desk for his water billing concerns.
“I have made an arrangement with the City about my water bill and arrangement which was settled in June but I am still being charged. They are unable to credit me because I have settled my arrangement,” said Ngwenya.
He said he was unhappy as his drive from Randburg to Midrand proved fruitless and just a waste of his petrol.
ALSO READ: Joburg Water claims to get lost en route to fix water leaks
