Customer-friendly GPL won’t disconnect customers without notice – Badal

Guyana Power and Light Inc (GPL) has made significant changes to its customer service department in order to improve its relationship with consumers, according to Chairman of the Board Robert Badal.

“We have made a lot of improvements with customer service. We have instituted a requirement that nobody should be disconnected unless they are given a reminder like a text message or a voice call,” Badal told Stabroek News.

He explained that the new directive started since last year.

The company has also been able to make bills available via its website. “Our website, you can go on there and make a query. We have some electronic billing and statements and once we get someone’s email we can send statements,” he added, while explaining that all the improvements were made in order to facilitate a better relationship between the customers and the power company.

While there have been complaints from many consumers about the inability to get on to GPL’s hotlines to make complaints, Badal related that the company has improved and is working on making it even better. “We have a better response and we need to do even better in that area where people are calling and there’s no response,” he said, while noting that the company has just recruited a new customer service director.

In terms of the debt collection department and stolen electricity, Badal pointed out that the company is heavily focused on reducing electricity theft. “We need to intensify that and there again getting people to do that kind of thing,” he added, while pointing out that they will be focusing a lot on consumer consumption patterns and other aspects to assist with the reduction.