A portion of a bill cannot be written off — National Water Commission
Dear Claudienne,
I am writing regarding the high water bill of $57,366.35 I received in October 2020, for my premises in the Waterloo, Kingston 10 area. I lived in Canada for the last seven years and the premises only had an occupant in the month of March 2020. No one was at the premises from April - December 25, 2020. In November 2020, I received an e-mail from the National Water Commission (NWC) that said there was a leak. However, in December 26, 2020, I returned to Jamaica and interestingly the NWC bill had reverted to the normal amount of $3,000.
In January 2021 and March 2021, two different NWC employees came and checked the premises and found that there was no leak on the premises. I have been in contact with the NWC and when I spoke to them in March 2021, I was advised that the matter had been escalated. My last conversation with them was in June 2021 when I was told by a supervisor that the matter would be escalated. The company also told me that a hold woud be placed on the account. I was therefore surprised when two contractors from NWC came to the premises on July 14, 2021 to lock off the water. I told them that the matter was being investigated and asked them to phone the NWC. They said that they did not have the time to do that and proceeded to disconnect the water.
When I visited the NWC office, I was told that the matter had been closed from March 2021. However, I was not told that. I was told that I would just have to pay the full amount plus the reconnection fee of $4,000.
I would appreciate your help. MC
Dear MC,
Tell Claudienne has raised your concerns with the NWC and notes that you have been in discussions with them. You said that the NWC had attributed the period of high consumption to a leak that you were informed of in November 2020. However, you said that you did not hire a plumber to address the leakage problem of which the NWC had informed you. However, by the time you returned to Jamaica in December 2020 your water bill was the usual $3,000. The NWC told Tell Claudienne that toilet leaks are not consistent and can occur when the water pressure is high and revert to normal when the water pressure is low. “It is for the customer to find the reason for the high consumption,” the NWC said.
The NWC said that your premises has a new smart meter from which historical data can be obtained. The “data pulled” from the smart meter showed that the leak started on September 30, 2020. Under their new policy a portion of the bill cannot be written off, the NWC said. You will however, be given a reasonable time in which to pay off the bill, the company said. Please make an agreement with them to pay off the bill.
We wish you all the best.
Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 876- 936-9436 or 876-484-1349 or write to: Tell Claudienne c/o Sunday Finance, Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail: edwardsc@jamaicaobserver. com. Please include a contact phone number.