Omo_Tier1:

^^ you need to understand that when components/equipments are designed and assembled, they have what you call "useful life". Some 5years, 10years others 15years, 20years or 25years so to speak. To get the equipment to last that long, you need to service regularly.

Pre-paid meters are not fully digital components. They are a combo anodigital component which will require continuous maintenance to keep them functioning at 90C99R. As it is done in other parts of the world, the consumer pays for this maintenance in the form of service charge. This is outside of your billing.

There is nothing wrong in paying this fee, if only they actually do render the service. Those of us who live in the UK do pay this maintenance fee in form of service charge, the only difference is that the charges are not exhorbitant and without it, you still get your normal service, but you may get in trouble with the councils when the time comes.

Let me correct the wrong impression that the Pre-paid when bought belongs to the owner. By Nigeria law, you are actually "RENTING" those meters and they are not yours. They belong to the FG of Nigeria.

gaskydudu:

^^ you need to understand that when components/equipments are designed and assembled, they have what you call "useful life". Some 5years, 10years others 15years, 20years or 25years so to speak. To get the equipment to last that long, you need to service regularly.

Pre-paid meters are not fully digital components. They are a combo anodigital component which will require continuous maintenance to keep them functioning at 90C99R. As it is done in other parts of the world, the consumer pays for this maintenance in the form of service charge. This is outside of your billing.

There is nothing wrong in paying this fee, if only they actually do render the service. Those of us who live in the UK do pay this maintenance fee in form of service charge, the only difference is that the charges are not exhorbitant and without it, you still get your normal service, but you may get in trouble with the councils when the time comes.

Let me correct the wrong impression that the Pre-paid when bought belongs to the owner. By Nigeria law, you are actually "RENTING" those meters and they are not yours. They belong to the FG of Nigeria.



Rubbish!!! Which law If the meters were leased to us, why were we not given a comprehensive policy on the terms ? why must i hear it from NL? Why would NERC make such a statement?

phuck_NL:

Wrong my friend.
If you paid for the meter, YOU OWN IT.
In the west you have the option of owning or renting, e.g cable or internet modems,
that rental fee is your maintenance fee.
In naija, you are charged the full cost of the meter. If it breaks, YOU WILL HAVE TO BUY ANOTHER ONE, so the service fee is 419

jascon1:

@omo-tier go and drink piss. drink full cup!! the services in the UK na t same here?? u pay less and u get constant power. how i go get meter and i no get light?? small time i go pay for maintenance. still pay for light again. na witch? if na witch we no go take plantain leave flog am die or u just won tell us say u dey UK? abeg,  

soloqy:

@Omo tier, why are you equating what is obtainable in the UK to what we have (and are experiencing) here?

Here, you pay fully(at initial purchase) for almost everything you use. So whether utilities or not, here youy pay fully for the euipment so the question of rental, does not arise. I paid fully for my prepaid meter. The NERC is acronym fo National Electricity Regulatory Commision so if they say its illegal for PHCN to be charging maintenance fee for the fully purchased pre paid meters, then they know what they are talking about.

There would have been some credence to your arguments if the meters are actualy maintained by PHCN, but they are not so what is the maintenance fee for? I have had my meter for close to two years and in all that while, I have never seen any thing that resembles a PHCN staff coming to maintain or fix my meter. I have been fortunate not to have had issues with my meter because I would have had to bear the full cost of fixing the meter. Please, those who are staying abroad need to be fully conversant with what is happening here and how different the climes are, before arguing stuff and 'putting it to us'. Its something that happens a lot here.

Omo_Tier1:

Get it straight, I live in UK and Nigeria and I regulary shuttle between. My business has four pre-paid @ sum of N50,000 each Ok. So I know the pain of what it is to have to pay for services you really never get.

But the thrust of my submission is this: If we are hoping to get world class services when it comes to utilities like electricity, we must be ready to pay for it. Yes PHCN erred in the manner in which they went about charging for services they never render in the first place. But my take is, the idea itself is not at all out of place.

Mark my words, the maintenance charge will be re-introduced by the time the distribution companies newly set-up by FG are fully functional.

soloqy:

@The highlighted part, great then, what NERC and all of us are saying is , wait till when the unbundled distribution companies take over and start giving us services(including phisically maintaining our meters), before they charge for services they didnt render. Its also trying to do things the way it should be done. Dont charge people for services not rendered. In the light of that, the maintenance fee was illegal.

soloqy:

They have stopped it in my area. A couple of months back, they charged me meter maintenance fee when I went to get credit for my meter but the last time I went( end of november), I got the full amount of credit that I paid for. They only remove vat now which is about 5% of the credit amount.

cecegorz:

Bro. Which area you dey stay jare, make i dey bring sales to them going forward.
Seriously, these bunch of crooks at Akerele, Surulere will just form as if they've never seen a newspaper or heard the radio ever in their lifetime.
I was there last month to recharge and still got milked! They claimed they are not aware of the stop order.