Mar 5, 2010 0
St. Ann Residential Customer Gets $168,251.95 Electricity Bill
Selvin Bradley of Eltham, near Ocho Rios in St. Ann, lives in a two-bedroom house with only standard electrical appliances such as a refrigerator, fan, radio and a television set. His electricity bill from the Jamaica Public Service Co. (JPSCo.) is usually in the region of J$3000 to $6000 per month, so imagine his shock recently when JPSCo. sent him a bill for $168,251.95 (approx. US$1900).
Initially, a spokesperson for the JPSCo. had said that the customer was being billed for electricity that was not registered on the meter, or “under-registration”. Subsequent to this however, checks by JPSCo. technicians have revealed that faulty wiring at the premises led to the high meter readings. The JPSCo. said that because of the faulty wiring, there were spikes in the meter readings, even while all appliances in the house were unplugged.