Last Wednesday, after 16:00 hrs, an externally contracted disconnection crew was involved in a physical altercation with a Guyana Power Light (GPL) Inc. customer residing at Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara.
According to a release yesterday from the GPL, the disconnection crew, which is attached to Noel’s Electrical, was at the time conducting disconnection and reconnection services on behalf of the GPL. The matter involving the disconnection crew and the customer has its origins in the execution of the crew’s duties in accordance with standard operating procedures.
The account from which the problem stemmed, had an outstanding balance for April’s billing period, which remained outstanding as of the May 8, 2018 due date, the GPL release said. A grace period of fourteen (14) days beyond this due date was extended to this customer and a disconnection order was subsequently generated on the fifteenth day, Wednesday, May 23 and dispatched to the disconnection crew, as no payments had been recorded within the grace period. According to the GPL statement, the account was disconnected for nonpayment of the April balance, last Wednesday. Additionally, during the afternoon of the said day, a payment was made on the account. The amount tendered liquidated the outstanding balance and the reconnection fee. The account was subsequently reconnected on Friday, May, 25 in keeping with the company’s Customer Service Standards regarding reconnections. Stabroek News in its Monday edition had reported that forty-eight-year-old Collin Williams of Goed Fortuin had been assaulted by two members of a GPL disconnection crew and was hospitalized at the West Demerara Regional Hospital.
