GPL is in a muddle

Dear Editor,

After performing my morning chores on April 7, that included tending to my kitchen garden (it is flourishing) I placed some coffee to ‘perk’ and realized that nothing was happening.  It was nine o’clock.  A peek outside at the street lamps (‘Waste of electricity’ SN, March 30) confirmed my suspicion that there was a power outage.  Determined to have to have my coffee, I used the stove.  Later that day I was at Bourda Market when I received a call that GPL was disconnecting at my home.  I came home to verify and found out that my top flat meter which got the bombshell bill in January (SN, March 1) and my bottom flat meter were indeed disconnected (the wire on the street pole was severed, those on the meters were intact).  Both top and bottom flats could not receive electricity if any was coming through at about 1.30 pm. Fortunately, I saw the disconnection crew in my street and asked why they disconnected me, to which they replied that they had instructions to do so since I have outstanding bills of  $60,616 each for top flat and bottom flat.  This information was also given to the lady at home even before I approached them. I told them the arrears for the upstairs – yes, because of a problem that has not been addressed by GPL – but the bottom flat meter has no problem and I have the last bill to prove that I do not owe anything.  They asked me to get the bill which I did.  After making calls and checking, presumably at the office, I was told that they would revisit my home.

Certain questions asked by the crew suggested that GPL is, just what I said in the bombshell bill letter, in a muddle.  Question: “Who is [name given]?”  “Is this meter number yours?”  I could not answer the latter question, only the former.  She is the former tenant who left my house owing rent and has not paid anything to date despite the court granting judgement of $396,000 in my favour.

Why should her name come up in GPL’s record when her meter was disconnected in 2009 and according to GPL the service was discontinued then?  I said then “GPL are sloppy with their book keeping.  They are slow to rectify faults/problems.  There is not enough integration within and across departments.”  Nothing has changed.  There is further evidence to justify my comments.

I left the disconnection crew who severed my wire and I went to the Public Utilities Commission in Church Street between Oronoque and New Garden and filed complaints.  On returning late in the afternoon, I was greeted by both electricity in the area and the GPL crew at my gate. My bottom flat meter was made to spin.

All my other activities for the day had to be postponed, many of them affected other persons who were waiting on me to deal with crucial matters, I had to pay the extra fares to reach the PUC on time; I walked considerable distances since I could not afford a taxi, all because of GPL and their bungling of the situation.  My initial thought when I heard that they disconnected was ‘Am I the victim of discrimination?’

Yours faithfully,
Hilmon Henry