Dear Editor,
A number of pensioners have asked me to publicise the dilemma that has been caused by the GPL bringing forward the due date for settlement of their electricity bills from the first week of the following month to a date at the end of the current month or even, in some instances, to one week before this.
This practice, which seems to have started recently, poses a lot of problems for all our senior citizens, who have to wait until the first Monday of the month to cash both their NIS and Old Age Pension vouchers, hence facing the possibility of their electricity being cut off. This is further compounded when a holiday upsets this payment date and they cannot get payment until the second Monday. It would be a great relief, then, if some sort of adjustment can be effected to deal with this hitch. I would like to suggest one of three options:-
1.The GPL revert to its former practice of fixing the due date for their bill payments after the first Monday of each month;
2.The NIS and the Ministry of Human Services make pensions payable one week before the end of the month, which may not be feasible, as the NIS has already made an adjustment in this regard; or
3.The GPL make an exception for senior citizens to settle their bills at least one week after the set payment date, which system may entail much time and trouble to administer.
We hope that those in charge of these entities consider this awkward situation and work out some system that would ease the burden of our already over-taxed senior citizens.
Yours faithfully,
Roy Paul
