By Francis Ntow
Accra, Oct 5, GNA – The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has asked the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to compensate all customers affected by its prepaid credit vending failure.
ECG is to pay a compensation in credit equivalent of GHS15 to all affected lifeline electricity consumers, GHS120 to residential consumers, and GHS240 to non-residential consumers.
Dr Ismael Ackah, the Executive Secretary of PURC, who addressed an order to the Managing Director of ECG, asked that commercial consumers were reimbursed with a penalty unit equivalent of GHS480 and industrial consumers, GHS1,200.
The order, which was in line with the breach of ECG’s statutory obligations as by law established, was to show responsive customer service by the utility service provider, PURC noted.
The Utility Service provider is to compensate all affected customers in Volta, Takoradi, Tema, Cape Coast, Kasoa, Winneba, Swedru, Koforidua, Nkwakaw and Tafo by Friday, October 7, 2022.
ECG is to ensure that it adopts immediate measures to increase staff output and responsiveness to customers, including extension of working hours at all affected locations to 2000 hours (8pm).
The utility sector regulator also asked ECG to engage temporary staff to ensure that affected customers were speedily attended to and credited with the approved compensation by October 7.
Again, ECG is to issue widespread notifications to inform customers of the compensation due to them, and keep accurate records of measures taken to comply with the PURC order.
Customers on the ECG prepayment metering system had challenges from Monday, September 26, 2022, making them unable to top-up at third party vending points.
This led to long queues across all the 10 operational regional areas of various vending centres, as household customers in particular searched for credit for their meters for electricity use.
As a remedial measure, ECG extended its working hours for the weekend, from 0900 to 1600, and said on Saturday evening that customers could now purchase electricity credit at the various third vending points.
“Customers can now purchase electricity credits from their nearest vending points, and all ECG District offices, including tomorrow Sunday, 2nd October, 2022 from 9.00am – 4.00pm,” the utility service provider said in a statement.
GNA