Dear Editor,

“Pre-paid bills not a good idea” contends a letter writer in Stabroek News on Monday 10/12/2007. This, according to the letter, is because he/she can hardly afford to pay their post-paid bill.

If you go to a gas station and get gas you do not pay for the gas several months later. When you buy food and many consumer products you normally pay for them on the same day.

Pre-paid electricity bills (or pre-paid metering) would ensure users know how much they can afford to pay which would lead to conservation of energy as well as prevent them going into debt or paying interest on arrears which would accumulate, compounding their problems of not being able to pay for electricity.

Pre-paid billing would prevent people defaulting on their electricity bills. Because these “defaulting customers” are now paying their bills (pre-paid bills) this could lead to a reduction in the price of electricity. This would not necessarily happen overnight but would definitely be a benefit to customers.

Some users are defaulting on their bills and paying for electricity used two or three years down the line. The problem is that 100 units of electricity used today cost more than 100 units used two years ago. So, users who try to “cheat” the system need to be billed at the higher rate and not a lower rate. That is, GPL needs to bill these users at the present rate (if it is higher).

Pre-paid bills (pre-paid meter) does not “penalise” poor people through connection/disconnection charges when they cannot pay their bills. Nor, are some GPL electricians able to “con” users out of parting with some of their hard-earned cash to get them a “reduction” in their bills.

Because GPL electricians do not continually have to connect/disconnect users through pre-paid bills these electricians can be used to give people a better service from GPL.

So there you have it. A pre-paid billing would give an increase in the quality of service and a reduction (or, no increase) in users bills (assuming of course oil prices do not skyrocket as has happened in the last couple of years).

Yours faithfully,

Sean Brignandan