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My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing - Family (4) - Nairaland

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Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by Nobody: 6:58pm On Jun 20, 2018
Donkaz:
In plateau state it's almost the same.
We had been using a prepaid meter for close to 5 years before it stopped reading our card two years ago, since then it has been hell from phcn.

It got even worse this year when we started recieving bills of 15000+, after complaints they asked us to just be paying any reasonable amount. So we were paying about 6k monthly pending when we would receive the prepaid meter we've been applying for.

Finally got the prepaid meter last two weeks, with our cumulative balance of 45k turned to zero.
Pls, i stay in Jos. I badly need this prepaid meter. How did you go about yours? This people are killing me with outrageous estimated bills.
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by ozoebuka1(m): 7:01pm On Jun 20, 2018
Iammercy2018:
If you using one meter in the building then why are they billing each apartments rather than billing the whole building once?

Either you're not being straight forward in your write-up or I didn't read very well.

I believe the building should be billed as a whole rather than billing each apartments since you all are using one meter
Hello, you read right but you sound naive and you shouldn't show your ignorance in a public forum... He is right about PHCN billing them differently even though they get their light from same line.
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by Nobody: 7:01pm On Jun 20, 2018
Nigeria, we need to make more noise on this, even if you have a pre-paid meter.
#PHCNstopthisfraud.
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by chimauk(m): 7:01pm On Jun 20, 2018
Tobyarab:
Forget NERC Eko forum,those guys are weak. chase after their headquarters at Abuja. call them and write to them. If it were possible for you to go to Abuja and meet with the head of monitoring team there. you will never pay no bill again until pre-paid meter is installed. I did it and it worked for me. Eko disco is nothing but fraud.
do u have their contact?dem just start with me
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by ladgentle(m): 7:15pm On Jun 20, 2018
Emmerlee:
Hello House,

The subject matter refers.. Guys what is really happening in Nigeria? Why are we all not making noise on the current grand fraud being perpetuated via PHCN estimated billing? What really is the reason PHCN is unable to supply prepaid meters to ALL households even when we are READY to pay double for each one? The unprecedented level of grand thieving that is happening in PHCN in broad day light defies all logic. It is unbelievable how callous we have become as a people.

I live at Kernel Street, off Amosu Street in Bode Thomas (Surulere LGA). As of January 2016, my postpaid PHCN bill was exactly N5,501.76. This was followed by a steady, continuous rise to N22,416.00 by January 2017 (407.5% increase). As of today, the 20th of June 2018, my MONTHLY estimated bills hover between N24,000.00 and N35,000.00. To be precise, the estimated bill given to me by PHCN for the month of June 2018 is exactly N29,760.00! In a country where minimum wage is N18,000 and house rent is paid by God's special grace.. What exactly is wrong with these people for goodness sake? How can you be doing this to us and be getting away with it because those who ought to care do not care?

I live in a 2 bedroom flat, I'm single and hardly in the house because of the nature of my job except for weekends. I also don't sleep at night with the Air Conditioner on because of health issues (knee related). I hardly have time to use my electric iron so I dry clean my clothes. My fridge has the popular advanced Smart Inverter Compressor technology that saves so much energy and can be powered by even a small generator. What exactly is in my small house that I should be paying an average of N30,000 every month to PHCN? I am finding it so hard to understand this level of wickedness and it's beginning to affect my sanity.

Before you ask what I've done about this please find details of my efforts at resolving this over the years:

1. I have been to the PHCN offices at Mushin and Ijora to complain (including their Doyin office which is closest to my house), nothing has come out of it.
2. I have written letters and sent emails to EKEDP (customercare@ekedp.com), nothing has come out of it.
3. I have written a letter to the Honourable Minister for Power, Works and Housing (letter was acknowledged as received) and a copy of the letter made to the Commercial Manager, Eko Electric Distribution Board, Mushin which was received with an official stamp by EKEDP customer care unit on the 13th of March 2017. Again, nothing came out of it.
4. I have sent emails to NERC (Eko Forum) on two different occasion this year to complain about this massive fraud going on in my area. The first time I wrote to Eko Forum, the PHCN marketer in charge of my area was summoned somehow because after that email he came over to my house to take an inventory of the electronic appliances in the house. After this he assured me that something will surely be done about my bills. It's about 3 months since that time and the crazy bills have continued. I wrote another email to them and they replied the following day that my request had been forwarded to EKEDP. Till today nothing has been done and the bills are still soaring high!

PHCN officials never come to the house to take Meter readings. They are just not interested. I was recently out of town for about 2 weeks with the house under lock and key but this does not stop PHCN from increasing my bills every month (whether there's usage or not). It may also interest you to know that PHCN officials, as is the norm of recent, always disconnect my building for at least 5 to 7 days each month following the inability of one of our tenants to pay up on time. Whenever this happens we all suffer blackout that last for several days while we wait for my neighbor to pay his own portion of the estimated bill which is around the same range as mine. This is so because PHCN supplies all the apartments in the house power via one cable that runs from the street pole to the building. Despite all the inconveniences PHCN will still proceed to punish us every month, with extremely high, unjustified bills! It beats my imagination how wicked these people are.

You are expected to pay up ANY bill you are given, regardless of the amount and regardless of usage. How you pay is none of their business. As I write this our power line has been disconnected again (all 4 flats) because one of our tenants is still running around looking for money to pay up. This is after I paid N30,000 and my next door neighbour paid N34,000. My people, do you really think this is sustainable? I'm tired of the whole thing. I feel as though I've been kidnapped and forced to part with my hard earned money every month. These guys are likely on a mission to ensure our monthly salaries end up in their pockets. The bills are still rising and will soon get to N50,000+ per month at this rate. Companies around my area (with lots of Air Conditioners and other heavy electronic gadgets) pay an average of N10,000 to N14,000 each month from my investigations, and three bedroom residential apartments with prepaid meters do not pay up to 20% of what I dole out to PHCN each month. why are defenseless Citizens being made to go through hell in Nigeria? I'm sure there are hundreds of thousands of Nigerians groaning from this fraud. Where is our conscience as a people? Is this how we want to attain greatness without the fear of God?

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), empowered by the Electric Power Sector Reform (EPSR) Act, 2005 stated on their website that it is the customer’s right to be notified in writing ahead of disconnection of electricity service by the DisCo serving the customer in line with NERC’s guidelines. PHCN does not write before disconnection. They are so quick to disconnect within 2 minutes and require us to pay N2000 per flat (N8,000 in total from my building) before they can reconnect, regardless. Who then are the laws made for? You complain, nothing comes our of it. You write letters to the authorities, nothing comes out of it. Maybe I should consider sueing them to court for all the inconveniences caused me over the years, but then will anything come out of it? I am Tired.

Maybe I should consider asking them to come remove my meter completely (they don't read it anyways). I'm tired of paying bills I do not understand. Any suggestions on how to handle this will be appreciated. Thanks for reading my rants, I really hope I don't end up with clinical depression at this rate.



I'm going through the same ordeal in my area. I went to the closest Ikeja Distribution Company to complain and the explained the situation this way. The said it was not practicable to meter every electricity consumer in the short term, NERC mandated them to meter the transformers instead. So the total value of power, used as indicated by the transformer readings, is shared equally to all electricity consumers on that transformer.
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by goryorhal(m): 7:27pm On Jun 20, 2018
Emmerlee:


How please? What are CDA committees by the way? Can you explain a bit better? Thank you!

Just and go meet your CDA committee..
Explain to them .
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by Donkaz(m): 7:33pm On Jun 20, 2018
OrangeDream:
Pls, i stay in Jos. I badly need this prepaid meter. How did you go about yours? This people are killing me with outrageous estimated bills.

Visit their main office at ahmadu Bello way, you'll get sorted out quickly. Avoid their branches offices.

We paid 15k for ours, while the branch at gada biu were requesting for 35k. You might even get yours free of charge,not sure tho cos ours is a replacement for a damaged one.

The branch in charge of prepaid meters is the one at tudun wada opposite country home hotel, you can also visit them.
They also consider if you always pay your bills.

Having a very good story why you badly need the meter helps too.
Good luck.
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by pawesome(m): 7:35pm On Jun 20, 2018
duality:


Do you climb the pole to input the recharge code?
...nope...they give you a separate box where u check d remaining units and also recharge using a token
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by poseidon12: 7:40pm On Jun 20, 2018
obaataaokpaewu:
Ehyah! At the end of every month, they are expected to Bill upto the amount of energy that was supplied to them by transmission. Example, if a feeder receives 1000mwh of energy, they are expected to Bill all the customers on that feeder that amount of energy. If they deduct the energy for customers that have both prepaid and postpaid meters, the remaining is now shared among those that don't have meter.
The criteria they use in sharing the energy is what I don't know embarassed

You got it right. I think the reason why customers are getting very high estimated bills is because their neighbours who have prepaid meters are bypassing their meters or adjusting them. The estimated bill clients are basically paying for their neighbours' electricity consumption. And instead of the DISCOs trying to catch the cheaters, they find it more convenient to just recover their loss by over billing some clients.

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Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by poseidon12: 7:40pm On Jun 20, 2018
Xbee007:
Go get Prepaid meter.

From where?
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by poseidon12: 7:48pm On Jun 20, 2018
Tobyarab:
Forget NERC Eko forum,those guys are awak. chase after their headquarters at Abuja. call them and write to them. If it were possible for you to go to Abuja and meet with the head of monitoring team there. you will never pay no bill again until pre-paid meter is installed. I did it and it worked for me. Eko disco is nothing but fraud.

Is it the headquarter of EKEDP or that of NERC?
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by poseidon12: 7:51pm On Jun 20, 2018
pooozeee:


Bro this country is nonsense, nothing is working, my brother who lives in Abuja don't use up to 2K every month on his prepaid meter, here in my house in lagos PHCN is giving me 10k every month, they are armed robbers, we need a strong lawyer to fight for us, the rich people are been metered so they pay FOr what they consume, they don't experience what we are going thru and therefore can't get to the highest authority

Your brother might have bypassed or adjusted his meter.
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by poseidon12: 7:55pm On Jun 20, 2018
Bullhari007:
Op you are just wasting your hard earn money, since I find out solar is affordable, efficiency, durable, flexibility and sustainable I got nothing to do with NEPA, they can come and carry the transformer in my area, this mofos even warn me to stop advising solar to my neighbors

Solar affordable? Not true.
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by Iammercy2018: 8:00pm On Jun 20, 2018
ozoebuka1:
Hello, you read right but you sound naive and you shouldn't show your ignorance in a public forum... He is right about PHCN billing them differently even though they get their light from same line.
I am not disputing the fact that PHCN are over billing us. I sound naive how? Showing my ignorance how?

I only asked a question to clarify what I don't understand.

If you're using a single meter in a building consisting of 4 flats they (PHCN) should bill the the building as a whole and not each flats

According to op they're billing them flat by flat so I needed to be sure and I don't see any problem in me asking
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by bigfish3k: 8:00pm On Jun 20, 2018
P833:
Hello Op,
Sorry for the inconvenience. My advice might be a bit long but if you want to bring EKEDP to their knees, I hope my epistle will help you and ensure that EKEDP actually refunds all the money they have collected from you. I am assuming that you are not a regular defaulter.

If I may ask, do you have a post-paid meter in place and is it currently working? If yes, did EKEDP officials ever take readings from the meter before they put you on estimated billing and did these readings ever reflect on the bills they brought to you? If yes again, please check your bill to get the last actual reading (LAR) and the date of the last actual reading. I suspect that your LAR will be on the January 2016 bill, since that was the lowest amount you mentioned. Please compare the LAR to today’s reading, to know if your meter is actually working. You can also calculate how much electricity you have used since the LAR and how much you should have overpaid since then (I assume you are on RS2 and should be paying 24.00 per Kwh). If your post-paid meter is working fine, PLEASE CALCULATE HOW MUCH YOU ARE OWED, you are entitled to a refund from EKEDP.

I am emphasising on the meter because EKEDP officials might want to use it against you when NERC calls you for a hearing. They usually want to justify their exorbitant bills by claiming that customers with post-paid meters have “bypassed” them. In some cases, they will even claim that there is no meter in your house. If it is possible, ENSURE THAT NO EKEDP OFFICIAL TOUCHES YOUR POST-PAID METER because once your petition is with NERC, they will try as much as possible to tamper with your meter.

When you are done with your meter readings and taking the LAR, please write a letter to the NERC’s Eko Forum office at Odunlami Street. Ensure that the letter lists all your complaints, LAR and the amount of money you are being owed by EKEDP. Attach copies of all the bills you have paid from January 2016 till date, including the one you are disputing currently. Also attach copies of all the emails you have sent to EKEDP and NERC till date, so that they will know your complaint did not originate recently. You can take pictures of the meter readings and also attach to your complaint to prove that your meter is working. Take three copies of the letter and documents along with you, NERC will need that much.

After NERC sends your complaint to EKEDP, EKEDP will respond and NERC will send their response to you. If you are not satisfied with EKEDP’s response, you will write back to NERC to inform them of same. NERC will then call you for a hearing. Until NERC rules on your complaint, you should not pay a dime to EKEDP because they are the ones owing you money as you will state in your petition. The whole process could take up to 3 months but dem no born EKEDP well to disconnect your light once your complaint is with NERC, even if it is there for one year. Marketers will come to your house to beg you to withdraw your petition and they will even offer you a prepaid meter, but please stay strong and collect your money before you cave in to their demands.

I wish you all the best and hope this will solve the problem.

what of in my own case where i didn't meet any meter, the last occupant went away with his prepaid meter and am just about a month old in my new abode but was given an estimated billing amount of N29,500 with a new account opened for me in just three weeks of living there.
pls kindly advise, though i have already written to them about my dissatisfaction
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by otokx(m): 8:00pm On Jun 20, 2018
Funny enough, I paid for prepaid meter in January and up till now nothing.

Just after this guys post some people from PHED came to my house and offered me 2 meters for free with an installation charge of 5000 naira.

The only issue is that it is single phased and will be installed on the pole as a deterrent to energy theft.

Let us see what tomorrow brings, my current bill is 15000 per month.
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by bigfish3k: 8:03pm On Jun 20, 2018
poseidon12:


Your brother might have bypassed or adjusted his meter.

he didnt by pass, my friend is also spending N2,000 on his own at enugu, and they can boast of 20hours light a day
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by bigfish3k: 8:05pm On Jun 20, 2018
poseidon12:


You got it right. I think the reason why customers are getting very high estimated bills is because their neighbours who have prepaid meters are bypassing their meters or adjusting them. The estimated bill clients are basically paying for their neighbours' electricity consumption. And instead of the DISCOs trying to catch the cheaters, they find it more convenient to just recover their loss by over billing some clients.

these people are not recovering any loss, they are just ripping us off and over making profit
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by lorhema(f): 8:13pm On Jun 20, 2018
OrangeDream:
Pls, i stay in Jos. I badly need this prepaid meter. How did you go about yours? This people are killing me with outrageous estimated bills.

I believe you should write a letter to request one and submit it at their headquarters at Rwang Pam. Ensure that you speak to one of their officers. And follow up. They have them in stock.
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by Nobody: 8:14pm On Jun 20, 2018
Donkaz:
In plateau state it's almost the same.
We had been using a prepaid meter for close to 5 years before it stopped reading our card two years ago, since then it has been hell from phcn.

It got even worse this year when we started recieving bills of 15000+, after complaints they asked us to just be paying any reasonable amount. So we were paying about 6k monthly pending when we would receive the prepaid meter we've been applying for.

Finally got the prepaid meter last two weeks, with our cumulative balance of 45k turned to zero.
Bro, please i stay in Jos as well. This people won kill me with dia estimated billing. How can i get my prepaid abeg? I mean sharp sharp.
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by Nobody: 8:18pm On Jun 20, 2018
Donkaz:


Visit their main office at ahmadu Bello way, you'll get sorted out quickly. Avoid their branches offices.

We paid 15k for ours, while the branch at gada biu were requesting for 35k. You might even get yours free of charge,not sure tho cos ours is a replacement for a damaged one.

The branch in charge of prepaid meters is the one at tudun wada opposite country home hotel, you can also visit them.
They also consider if you always pay your bills.

Having a very good story why you badly need the meter helps too.
Good luck.
Thanks bro.. God bless you
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by Nobody: 8:18pm On Jun 20, 2018
lorhema:


I believe you should write a letter to request one and submit it at their headquarters at Rwang Pam. Ensure that you speak to one of their officers. And follow up. They have them in stock.
Thanks dear. Will do that.
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by Donkaz(m): 8:24pm On Jun 20, 2018
OrangeDream:
Thanks bro.. God bless you
You are welcome
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by Margy: 8:32pm On Jun 20, 2018
In the real sense, N1000 is supposed to be how many units.. answers please.. (for prepaid)
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by P833: 9:01pm On Jun 20, 2018
bigfish3k:


what of in my own case where i didn't meet any meter, the last occupant went away with his prepaid meter and am just about a month old in my new abode but was given an estimated billing amount of N29,500 with a new account opened for me in just three weeks of living there.
pls kindly advise, though i have already written to them about my dissatisfaction

Normally, an unmetered customer's estimated bill should be a weighted average based on the load supplied to their area's transformer. NERC even has one complex formula that Discos should use to calculate. The Discos actually know what you have consumed, but prefer to give inflated bills. That 29500 is what you would pay if they supplied your house with uninterrupted power 24/7 in a month. Their marketers have targets and will find all means to meet those targets.

I assume you are directly connected to the pole, so unfortunately you have to be billed based on supply to your transformer. However, your bill is too high, and you should complain to your forum office about it. Also inform them that you have applied/requested for a prepaid meter, which they have refused to give you. The right thing for the Disco to do is to send an official to take your load inventory based on the appliances in your house.The load inventory will determine your future bills until you are given a meter.

If you were metered before i.e there is still a meter inside your compound that stopped working, they are supposed to repair the meter, but until they do so they should get the last readings attached to that meter - meters are attached to account numbers - and subsequent bills will be based on those readings. They have the data, but are usually not keen on accessing/sharing it.

It will help your case if you can get an idea of what prepaid customers pay in your area, so that you can reach a compromise on the amount you should be paying.Do not let any Disco official shakara you. If NERC starts with them, they will start chasing you about with free meter wink
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by Nobody: 9:09pm On Jun 20, 2018
@Emmerlee, i was there and i feel you 100 percent.

We were being given 12k monthly, all i do is pay 5k jejely monthly. In May the accumulated bill amounted to 93k and gbam they came with a note to take legal action against me if i refuse to pay the sum, they also said i can come over and arrange how to clear the bill.

Hehehe i laughed, in the note was the commercial manager's number, legal official and the pr. Before then i reported for high billing and an inventory was taken, i was mad that they could write such a letter after my complaint and the inventory showed i dont consume much and my feeder is low on supply.

I called the legal official and lashed him after i explained all that happened. The guy was so sorry and he invited me over. I went the following day and i wrote a note for them to use the inventory taken to adjust the bill. Before i left he gave me the commercial manager's personal number cos the number on the note was never picked when i called.

To cut the long story short, my prepaid meter was installed a week after i hala them, now, the 93k? Madam please try anx pay something and we will close the account. Hehehe, i said no, i must need to use the prepaid meter for one month, use the amount i consume for that month to calculate my outstanding or you credit my meter if the 5k i pay monthly was too high.

See laughs, beggging, please anything. And i ask how much is anything, 40k, i carry my bag and i said bye. Okkkk, please pay 20k. I said i can only dash them 10k, well at the end i paid 20k and the account is gone!.

My friend, go to their office, ask to see the commercial manager and talk like you are somebody, they will install your meter in less than one month

Another problem is, most people who filled the prepaid meter forms dont fill in their numbers, so the report i got is that the installers finds it difficult to contact them. If for you have filled your form at one point or the other and failed to put in your number, please go back and compalin.
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by Emmerlee(m): 9:26pm On Jun 20, 2018
Iammercy2018:
I am not disputing the fact that PHCN are over billing us. I sound naive how? Showing my ignorance how?

I only asked a question to clarify what I don't understand.

If you're using a single meter in a building consisting of 4 flats they (PHCN) should bill the the building as a whole and not each flats

According to op they're billing them flat by flat so I needed to be sure and I don't see any problem in me asking

Electricity supply to all the 4 flats in our building is through a central wire that connects to the the street pole. Each flat has a separate meter and separate account and hence billed separately. That's just the way it is here. I once asked them why they left it that way but they always find ways to quickly dodge the question.
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by Emmerlee(m): 9:28pm On Jun 20, 2018
olubankemi:
@Emmerlee, i was there and i feel you 100 percent.

We were being given 12k monthly, all i do is pay 5k jejely monthly. In May the accumulated bill amounted to 93k and gbam they came with a note to take legal action against me if i refuse to pay the sum, they also said i can come over and arrange how to clear the bill.

Hehehe i laughed, in the note was the commercial manager's number, legal official and the pr. Before then i reported for high billing and an inventory was taken, i was mad that they could write such a letter after my complaint and the inventory showed i dont consume much and my feeder is low on supply.

I called the legal official and lashed him after i explained all that happened. The guy was so sorry and he invited me over. I went the following day and i wrote a note for them to use the inventory taken to adjust the bill. Before i left he gave me the commercial manager's personal number cos the number on the note was never picked when i called.

To cut the long story short, my prepaid meter was installed a week after i hala them, now, the 93k? Madam please try anx pay something and we will close the account. Hehehe, i said no, i must need to use the prepaid meter for one month, use the amount i consume for that month to calculate my outstanding or you credit my meter if the 5k i pay monthly was too high.

See laughs, beggging, please anything. And i ask how much is anything, 40k, i carry my bag and i said bye. Okkkk, please pay 20k. I said i can only dash them 10k, well at the end i paid 20k and the account is gone!.

My friend, go to their office, ask to see the commercial manager and talk like you are somebody, they will install your meter in less than one month

Another problem is, most peolel who filled the prepaid meter forms dont fill in their numbers, so the report i got is that the installers finds it difficualt to contact them. If for you have filled your form at one point or the other ans failed to put in your number, please go back and compalin.

Right now if you pay anything less than 100% percent of the estimated bill they will disconnect your line before you can blink. They behave like thin gods here.
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by sisisioge: 9:37pm On Jun 20, 2018
Haaa! I thought mine was bad! 30k me!

Pls go back to their office and ask them to temporarily disconnect your billing pending when they resolve the matter. There's no way you would spend 20k on fueling the gen. Or better still, have them take it off completely and start using arnergy solar subscription. All those lawmakers shouting electricity billing reform are obviously bunkers!
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by Nobody: 9:44pm On Jun 20, 2018
Emmerlee:


Right now if you pay anything less than 100% percent of the estimated bill they will disconnect your line before you can blink. They behave like thin gods here.

Waoooo, thats crazy. Well, in my estate 98 percent uses prepaid meter, we moved in not long so long thats why we don't have and as at when we moved in they stopped the payment for it. Those of us on estimated are being begged to pay.

Now my brother, with all you have done, get all your evidences together, go to their office and tell them you want to see the commercial manager, most of them are on field, they dont get to the office until 4pm. That is what phcn has turned to, managers too now go to the field. It's now business and money.

If you stay on their neck, you wont stay two weeks before your meter is installed.

The truth is, NERC is just politicising the commencement of MAPs, if not the problem of metering should hVe been solved my now. But from a source, soon they will be given licence and you can work into their office or shops nearby get your meter and ask professionala to get it installed. Just like you buy your phone and have mtn glo or aitel sim on it.

http://sweetcrudereports.com/2018/04/04/new-map-regulation-wont-over-ride-existing-metering-contracts-with-discos-nerc/

1 Like

Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by roughneck: 10:26pm On Jun 20, 2018
I moved into 3 bedrooms apartment July last year, luckily for me the last occupant closed his bill before leaving so I started on a fresh note. They started with about 10k but kept increasing as the months rolled by. It became an average of 15k. Last month I got 19k, then gengen June bill 35k, I wan run mad
Re: My Experience - The Scourge Of PHCN Estimated Billing by roughneck: 10:31pm On Jun 20, 2018
Teetopz:
A thread on why PREPAID METER being distributed TO ALL may never be achieved in Nigeria.
After the Nigerian Police, Nigerian Electricity distribution companies are next on the list when it comes to corruption. This has been in existence from time immemorial, just like barracks, many government have come and gone but the deep rooted corruption in the system remains
In April 2016, I moved in to my current apartment. The apartment was still connected to an old meter and there was an outstanding payment of about N385,000.00 to be paid.

This wasn't revealed to me before I made payment for the rent, as usual (that's how they all do)
This became a worry and an absolute headache.

I asked the landlord why it was so and she made me understand that the apartment was not in use for 5years.

I asked how come it wasn't reported to NEPA so they'd stop the billing, she gave me a copy of the letter she wrote to them
So I took the matter up, wrote several mails to Eko electricity company and the matter was on for 11months, note that in the space of this 11 months, I never got a monthly bill lesser than 24,000.00

You want to ask if I have a factory in my apartment? No I don't.
So it extended from wanting the company to zerorize the ridiculous outstanding balance in the billing account to fighting and contesting the outrageous billing system which do not in any way represent my true electricity consumption and wanting a Prepaid Meter

The battle began.
After several exchange of mails betweens myself and Eko Electric and no solution was forthcoming, I moved the matter to NERC, the regulatory body for all electricity distribution companies in Nigeria.

I filed a petition against Ekedp and the undertaking in charge of my area.
Lo and behold, after three days from the petition submission to NERC, I got a call from the marketing manager for my area pleading for me to make myself available to allow them come to my house and take inventory of the electrical appliances I use.

NERC is working yeah? Right.
A staff of the Ekedp came to take the inventory and at the end of the computations, we calculated and multiplied each appliance by the estimated units they consume per day and multiplied by 31days.

Recall I said I never got a bill less than 24k in a month?
Then we arrived at a figure that even the Eko electric staff who came to take the inventory opened his mouth and couldn't close it.

What I should be billed based on having 24hour light per day(which is not even possible) in 31 days was 4,800.00

I almost ran mad.
I took a copy of the report, scanned it and attached it to my next petition to NERC.

At this point, the marketing manager attached to my undertaking had started calling and begging me to stop the petitions.

That they could all get sacked if matters gets escalated further.
Then in September 2017, after all the troubles and how I never got tired if pursuing the issue, I got a mail from Eko electricity to come with some required documents in order to fill a form for a PREPAID METER.

I went there and did as they requested

At Last.
On 27 November 2017, I was on leave.
I was at my gate then this Alfa looking guy was parading and trying to see house number on the fence. My instinct told me to ask if he was asking for Ayo, then he said yes

He was the prepaid meter installer, he was with my new prepaid meter
I also recall that before the whole issue started, I was discouraged severally that I can never be given prepaid meter due to the outstanding balance on the billing account, I paid no mind to all the people that said that and went ahead with my case.
I got the Prepaid meter for FREE. After a week, bill was brought and boom, outstanding balance has been cleared from 385,000.00 to zero balance.

How did I achieve this?
I mean I didn't pay a dime to anyone and I never for once bribed my way in all my dealings.
I achieved this simply because;

1. I knew my right.
2. I wouldn't settle for mediocrity
3. I never stopped pushing even after several months and it seemed unachievable
4. I was ready to take the matter up anywhere
5. I was informed.
Now imagine how many people are out there who don't even know how to go about such tedious and draining process.

I learnt that a lot of people even paid as much as 40k to get the prepaid meter. Something that's supposed to be free.
Since the prepaid meter was installed in November 27 2017, I have not exhausted the 303 units that came with it which is calculated to be 7,200.00

And I still have 140units left to use.

That's over four (4) months now
Do you now see why these people will never allow dream of every homes having a prepaid meter become a reality?

Because such development will block all holes where the electricity distribution corrupt members of staff perpetrate their fraudulent activities and corruption from.
They know that they will be forced to give light more in order to generate revenue and will not be able to charge people outrageously as they are currently doing and remitting the proceeds of their criminal act to their pockets.

Stand up and Fight for what is your right.
Prepaid meter is your right, fight for it to the latter.

If you believe that your monthly electricity bill do not represent your consumption, make a case.

If you're in Lagos, Ikeja Electricity company and Eko electricity company are there for you.

If they fail, involve NERC.
That will be all, for now.
Due to popular demand, these are the email addresses you can forward your complaints to -
Ikeja Electricity Distribution - customercare@ikejaelectric.com
Eko Electricity Distribution - customercare@ekedp.com
Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission - complaints@nerc.gov.ng

Kindly send details of your complaint to contact@cpc.gov.ng
https://twitter.com/CPCNig/status/1009438818364248064
Sir please can I send you a mail

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