Brief Intro:
I and my wife run a Photo Studio which opened for business at Anthony Village Lagos in March 2014, The delay was partly because of our insistence on having our power consumption metered, after waiting for many months for PHCN Ikeja Disco to supply us with a Meter as i paid for the one-room apartment in Oct. 2013.

I met PHCN Ikeja DISCO Senior Marketing Manager at Alausa Head office in August 2013, and persistently visited her office for more than twenty times before they finally installed a Digital post-paid meter to my Studio in December 2013.

PHCN marketer read my meter in March and April 2014 and stopped, when i inquired from the marketer in-charge of my street ( Adebayo Mokuolu Street, Anthony Village ) , she informed me that the batch of meters that were supplied then had Factory defect and the management asked them to place everyone that had the meter installed for on ESTIMATED CONSUMPTION. She promised that the Company will replace the faulty meter with a new one early this month( July 2014).

I was shocked to my bone marrow when my Bill for the month of May 2014 was delivered last month and I was billed fifften thousand , one hundred and seven naira, ( N15, 107), an amount I am not sure i realized from the months proceeds . I went to their Mende office to lodge my complaint and the same marketing officer wrote on a copy of my Nepa bill and promised to affect the change in the next billing.
Worth noting that I also visited IKEDC Head Office Customer care at Aluasa the same day to lodge the same complaint, they took my details and promised their engineers will call me within days to evaluate the meter and ascertain whether it is faulty or not. At the time of this post, I have not had any call from them.

The greater shock came today when the bill for June was delivered and I had fourteen Thousand four hundred and thirty nine naira ( N14, 439 ) to pay. It might interest you to know that my previous bills for March and April were below 2,000 as business is slowly picking up because we are new in the neighborhood.

I have made up my mind to write to PHCN to officially DISCONNECT me off from their supply and stop sending me their frustrating bills as I will make arrangement to source and install an INVERTER and manage it with my Gen set. With this I will be able to regulate my cost and spend on Fuel only when the need arises.

I am posting this on Nairaland seeking advise from Nairalanders if there are other better ways to sort out this issue. The two people that were in the shop before me were frustrated out because of PHCN bill, the woman there before i came sells frozen foods and PHCN was giving her 20,000+ as monthly bill. This formed my decision to forfeit some months rents waiting for the meter to be installed.

My Account No: 04/19/24/2505-01
Name : Racheal Fadeyibi
20 Adebayo Mokuolu Street,
Anthony Village,
Lagos.

You can post your advise here or reach me on ekomedia10@gmail.com

timtom: I did a calculation and i realize that my monthly bill should be between N 1,500 and N 2,000. so i don't care about the bill they bring.

I have reported Ikeja DISCO to CPC and my next plan is to meet with them and request to see their billing system. They need to explain to me how I consume N 10,000 - N 15, 0000 worth of electricity monthly, when there is meter.

Infact, I will go to the extent of getting a court injunction to achieve all these. Until we fight for our right, we will continue to see mediocrity as a norm

I'm with you on this. I have unjustifiable bills too. Please keep me posted. Im suggesting all under IKEDC should file a class action

People like me back then were saying no to privatisation of PHCN but we were called different names by Jonathanians. Privatisation of public assets in Nigeria mean two things: those who want to privatise it have interests in the assets, then exploitation will be order of the day. Imagine the power investors making between N500 and N1500 monthly in the name of Fixed Charge. It means even if they are generating zero energy every month, they will still be generating revenue. Fresh air, enjoy while it lasts.

Forward this ur complain as u have written it here to punch newspaper.Get d email address of the letters sectn from a weekday punch newspaper.U will see signs and wondera.Thank me later.


ASIDE.
PHCN men are deliberatey refusing to do d repair so dt their markter can meet his monthly target.What u are askg for can be done by dm in minutes.Once u give dm negetive press publicity with ur letter dy will jump up and do it.

delishpot:


Where you base?

bayelsa

nerodenero: Lead and I bet many won't follow.That is what we are!

too bad, where is the hope

timtom: I did a calculation and i realize that my monthly bill should be between N 1,500 and N 2,000. so i don't care about the bill they bring.

I have reported Ikeja DISCO to CPC and my next plan is to meet with them and request to see their billing system. They need to explain to me how I consume N 10,000 - N 15, 0000 worth of electricity monthly, when there is meter.

Infact, I will go to the extent of getting a court injunction to achieve all these. Until we fight for our right, we will continue to see mediocrity as a norm

Shikena!

experimentist: Generate your own power by yourself... A new tech I develop.. Very soon PHCN will die. My new method of power generation will take over the power industry and I'll be exporting electricity to Ghana, Congo, Angola even SA.. Jx relax I'm still working on it.. Procedures: get two big drums filled with charcoals, pour 5 litre of fuel inside. Get some chemicals and..... To be continued.. I will av to open a thread on dis

Haha ..I'm interested in any good alternative .... But I hope we do not follow enter river. Will this your local source be able to carry fridge. Pls check it well well before you market am to congo

experimentist: Generate your own power by yourself... A new tech I develop.. Very soon PHCN will die. My new method of power generation will take over the power industry and I'll be exporting electricity to Ghana, Congo, Angola even SA.. Jx relax I'm still working on it.. Procedures: get two big drums filled with charcoals, pour 5 litre of fuel inside. Get some chemicals and..... To be continued.. I will av to open a thread on dis

Haha ..I'm interested in any good alternative .... But I hope we do not follow you enter river. Will this your local source be able to carry fridge? Pls check it well well before you market am go congo

Besto:
bayelsa

Ok. Chei lucky you with light. Enjoy sha.

@OP, Go Solar. That's the solution to the power problem. With 200k you are set and can say bye bye to PHCN and generator

Polaris1: You will have to keep visiting the PHCN Disco until they CORRECT their previous erroneous bills, and repair or replace your defective meter.
From my experience an inverter+generator is not a cost effective option no matter what inverter sellers say.
I assume you use high wattage lights and an air-conditioner in your studio.
(Five 200amps batteries which I think you will need costs about N250,000 and that is for backup batteries alone!)

Don't ask for a disconnection. Persist in your effort to save your young business.
If you have made twenty visits, Ten more visits wouldn't hurt as long as you get the anomaly corrected.
Good luck.

All at your own cost and no assurances that they will effect the name change. after multiple visits and one rejection from an embassy for presenting a PHCN bill with my name incorrectly spelt. i had to bribe PHCN officials at my area to correct the mistake they made of their own choosing. good luck dedicating a few hours in your priceless day to tell PHCN to do what is right

lastpage:



Just imagine the situation we have now whereby our national assets like NEPA were privatized and sold cheaply to our previous and current leaders (using fronts), these same leaders (who are now owners) appoint Regulators who are under their bidding, to monitor their own company which they set up to fleece Nigerians?

For example, only in Nigeria can a DISCO not provide you electricity for a whole year and you are still charged and liable for #9,000 FIXED CHARGE (#750 FOR EVERY MONTH OF THAT YEAR). Now imagine in Lagos for example, if five million households have to pay 9,000 x 5,000,000?
Which implies the owner of each DISCO (The Babangidas, Abubakars, Madame Dame Jonathans , e.t.c, just go back and see the list of the owners of these DISCOS!) can rake in 45Billion Naira every year, in Lagos alone without lifting a finger! Fixed charge should/are always a percentage (say 5% ) of amount due in reasonable countries but in Nigeria, it has gradually got to around 50% (half) of the average household monthly bill!
Now, if such DISCO does decide to provide you with epileptic power, as most does, aside from the #45Billion "guaranteed income" it makes yearly, l dont know if you have noticed how the TARIFF (Unit charge of electricity) has been constantly increased from #2.50K, in the last three years or so, to #12.50K per unit, the last increase being in April this year? Thus, a five-fold increase in about three years!
Now, where in the world does "business" make such astronomical increase in revenue on the back of the populace, for something so important, so necessary and so unavoidable like electricity? Only in Nigeria, because these crooks want more and more money.

Lastpage!

You've said it all. This is the general problem in our country Nigeria. Every man in any position sees that as an opportunity to use his power to enslave those under him. In the case of PHCN, those in power are not foreigners but our brothers and sisters that have been opportuned to be there.

Sincerely, if there is anything that deserves a nationwide strike, this PHCN way of operation is one. This is something that affects everyone but we take it for granted and the cycle continues. It is time to say enough is enough.

delishpot:

Shey hot charcoal?

burning ones... The heat couple with some stuffs will generate more 60,000 mega watts... Guy I don hamma o

maasoap: People like me back then were saying no to privatisation of PHCN but we were called different names by Jonathanians. Privatisation of public assets in Nigeria mean two things: those who want to privatise it have interests in the assets, then exploitation will be order of the day. Imagine the power investors making between N500 and N1500 monthly in the name of Fixed Charge. It means even if they are generating zero energy every month, they will still be generating revenue. Fresh air, enjoy while it lasts.

tnk u my brother for this statement...,no one should complain.

The power sector is now an extortion racket.
In my area they claim the metres are bad and give us estimated bills.
Once the private guys came on board the estimates doubled then tripled. Now we pay on average ₦9,000 per month.

experimentist: burning ones... The heat couple with some stuffs will generate more 60,000 mega watts... Guy I don hamma o

Lol, no be small. Kukuma tell them to pour petrol for house then throw fire na the same result e go give. LIGHT!!!

delishpot:




Lol, no be small. Kukuma tell them to pour petrol for house then throw fire na the same result e go give. LIGHT!!!

No, it don't work like that! The voltage will be too high... You need learn the method how to break the fire down to produce normal electricity.. Shey u get? No go burn pesin house, I no dey o.

experimentist: No, it don't work like that! The voltage will be too high... You need learn the method how to break the fire down to produce normal electricity.. Shey u get? No go burn pesin house, I no dey o.

My brother, when you say make persin get two drums of hot burning coal, come pour 5 litters of petrol inside, no be bomb be that? Well sha, me no know phsycs and chemistry reach that your style sha, but my brain tell me say after that petrol enter that drum, the person go add the other chemicals for heaven. for my small knowledge o.

delishpot:

My brother, when you say make persin get two drums of hot burning coal, come pour 5 litters of petrol inside, no be bomb be that? Well sha, me no know phsycs and chemistry reach that your style sha, but my brain tell me say after that petrol enter that drum, the person go add the other chemicals for heaven. for my small knowledge o.

You nuh dey enter class abi? I'm jx like you back then in school, man nuh dey enter class, na temple a.k.a school 2 be our class that time.. Or maybe you nuh dey pay attention... I no talk about petrol for my article, I no wan disclose the ting cos thieves plenty for dis site... Anyone wey wan learn go need to contact me..

experimentist:
You nuh dey enter class abi? I'm jx like you back then in school, man nuh dey enter class, na temple a.k.a school 2 be our class that time.. Or maybe you nuh dey pay attention... I no talk about petrol for my article, I no wan disclose the ting cos thieves plenty for dis site... Anyone wey wan learn go need to contact me..

Oh ok. Nor vex. I no read ya first recipe well. Lol.

NB why you say then pour 5 liters of fuel? For naija fuel na petrol o, we nor dey look fuel in wider perspective as in fuel meaning something wey dey power a machine which could range from sun, wind
Water to petrol even piss and spit. Lol
To us when you say pour fuel, you mean say pour petrol.

delishpot:

Oh ok. Nor vex. I no read ya first recipe well. Lol.

NB why you say then pour 5 liters of fuel? For naija fuel na petrol o, we nor dey look fuel in wider perspective as in fuel meaning something wey dey power a machine which could range from sun, wind
Water to petrol even piss and spit. Lol
To us when you say pour fuel, you mean say pour petrol.

I no even mention fuel at all.. D oned coded commodity go do the magic..

experimentist: I no even mention fuel at all.. D oned coded commodity go do the magic..

Ok, make I quote you again.

experimentist: Generate your own power by yourself... A new tech I develop.. Very soon PHCN will die. My new method of power generation will take over the power industry and I'll be exporting electricity to Ghana, Congo, Angola even SA.. Jx relax I'm still working on it.. Procedures: get two big drums filled with charcoals, pour 5 litre of fuel inside. Get some chemicals and..... To be continued.. I will av to open a thread on dis

The bolded.

delishpot:

The bolded.

No b me write dat one

experimentist: No b me write dat one

Hian! ok o.

experimentist: No b me write dat one

Hian! Ok o.

I cannot even imagine your frustration. I think you should keep updating this thread with events. The names of the people you spoke with and the times you go visit. You'd be surprised at who reads things on nairaland. I remember a thread that forced a bank to do the right thing and correct its mistake after the Poster wrote about it. You should write their names here. No one should have to make 20 visits to get one problem fixed. They even have the audacity to steal from you. Do people with brains work at this place? N2000 to N10000? Imagine 20 visits. Time is so crucial to a small business owner and I know driving in Lagos takes both physical and mental strength. The government should do more to encourage small businesses in Nigeria.

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you own better my bill dey read 83 thousand seven hundred and fifty naira I refuse to be intimidated they keep saying saying they will treat my complain every time I go there. wat I do is each time they bring bill they bring from11-16000 so I pay 4000 out of it then leave d rest just to tell them have played something. and other strange thing is that I travelled our of Lagos for two month and my light was disconnected but bill was send my question is which meter read d bill.

castello: My experience is no different from yours. My ICT business is Abuja -based. We received the new prepaid meters in mid March 2014. That month we exhausted N5000 recharge in less than 2 weeks even though at any one time, only 2 ACs at most are turned on and less than 5 laptops with intermittent use of the photocopier and printer. Now that business is picking up, we average 10k - 15k monthly. Some others are spending as much as 30k monthly.

I asked the NEPA Technician who fixed it what was happening and he says categorically that the new investors will like to recoup their money fast hence they brought in these new meters which he supposed is rigged to run faster.

It is sad that small businesses are made to suffer through payment of several outrageous bills with no respite from the government Agencies in charge.

I encourage you to keep insisting on replacement of the meter. This way you can control your usage. Other options are simply a farce that won't help you now or in the future.

Take heart. This is among reasons why so many people can't risk running their business.

This is exactly what is happening where I work, faster running meters. The only advice their staff gave us was to look for the old meter and install.