[COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue ! important]SHELDON[/COLOR][/COLOR] WILLIAMS, Staff Reporter
A 68-year-old woman who departed Jamaica on vacation for almost two months is now seeking answers from the Jamaica Public Service(JPS) after she said her electricity bill which was less than $5,000 before she left skyrocketed to $350,000 during her absence.
"Everything in my fridge spoilt, everything. You can imagine that? I paid my bill before I left and have no light," the woman explained.
The woman who lives alone is still dumbfounded as she told THE STAR that she left no one in her house before she left the island, all appliances had been plugged out and she had regularised her JPS account before she left.
Close inspection of her [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]electricity [COLOR=blue !important]bills[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] by the STAR team revealed that as of June 9, the total amount due on her bill was $4,554.36 which she dealt with by making a payment of $4,555.
She then left for England on July 4 where she had gone to visit relatives, and returned to the island on September 1 when she was astonished to be greeted with a lack of electricity in her house and a hefty electricity bill.
The STAR team confirmed that the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]senior [COLOR=blue !important]citizen[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] had been away for the said period after her passport was also examined.
The woman who tried relentlessly to maintain her composure as she related her plight to THE STAR was no match for the overriding anger which soon became evident in her voice.
"It will mad you ... You will go to Bellevue ... They must stop it, it's a sin," she said.
solar energy She also advised THE STAR that she is now considering the option of using solar energy to eliminate her dependence on the electricity company.
Meanwhile, when THE STAR enquired into the matter with JPS, we were told that the charges on the woman's account were characteristic of high costs for tampering.
A representative from the Corporate Communications Depart-ment said, "In response to your query ... the investigations have indicated that the location was visited by representatives of the JPS in February 2011 and the meter at the premises was found to be tampered with."
"The customer's account was subsequently adjusted to reflect the unregistered amount of [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]electricity [COLOR=blue !important]consumed[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]," the source added.
A 68-year-old woman who departed Jamaica on vacation for almost two months is now seeking answers from the Jamaica Public Service(JPS) after she said her electricity bill which was less than $5,000 before she left skyrocketed to $350,000 during her absence.
"Everything in my fridge spoilt, everything. You can imagine that? I paid my bill before I left and have no light," the woman explained.
The woman who lives alone is still dumbfounded as she told THE STAR that she left no one in her house before she left the island, all appliances had been plugged out and she had regularised her JPS account before she left.
Close inspection of her [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]electricity [COLOR=blue !important]bills[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] by the STAR team revealed that as of June 9, the total amount due on her bill was $4,554.36 which she dealt with by making a payment of $4,555.
She then left for England on July 4 where she had gone to visit relatives, and returned to the island on September 1 when she was astonished to be greeted with a lack of electricity in her house and a hefty electricity bill.
The STAR team confirmed that the [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]senior [COLOR=blue !important]citizen[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] had been away for the said period after her passport was also examined.
The woman who tried relentlessly to maintain her composure as she related her plight to THE STAR was no match for the overriding anger which soon became evident in her voice.
"It will mad you ... You will go to Bellevue ... They must stop it, it's a sin," she said.
solar energy She also advised THE STAR that she is now considering the option of using solar energy to eliminate her dependence on the electricity company.
Meanwhile, when THE STAR enquired into the matter with JPS, we were told that the charges on the woman's account were characteristic of high costs for tampering.
A representative from the Corporate Communications Depart-ment said, "In response to your query ... the investigations have indicated that the location was visited by representatives of the JPS in February 2011 and the meter at the premises was found to be tampered with."
"The customer's account was subsequently adjusted to reflect the unregistered amount of [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]electricity [COLOR=blue !important]consumed[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]," the source added.
Comment