Power: Consumers Groan As PHCN Drops ‘Crazy’ Bills

[Sunexx360]

Electricity consumers in the country are beginning to express surprise at the electricity bills that are being distributed to them by the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). This is coming as the consumers are complaining about drop in the supply of power.
So widespread were the concerns among Nigerians that they have tagged the new bills as 'crazy', owing to the huge amounts that now appear on their bills.
In Ibadan, a resident who spoke with SundayTribune expressed shock at the bills he had received since the Federal government announced increase in the tariff on electricity.
"I was receiving an estimated bill, ranging between N700 and N800 every month but when the tariff was increased, they started togive me about N1800 every month. The same was done to my neighbours and everybody in my neighbourhood.
"That was the situation until last week when I was given September bill even in the middle of the month. What I saw on the bill was the sum of N3,900 as September bill. I live in a two-bedroom flat and the electricity supply in my area at Felele, Ibadan, is one of the worst in Ibadan because they hardly bring light."
Another Nigerian told Sunday Tribune that she was shocked when PHCN dropped the September bill at her doorstep. She stated that N7000 was written on the bill as bill for September, adding that her bill until recently was about N1500.
Speaking with Sunday Tribune on the development, an official of the PHCN told the reporter that complaints of crazy bills at their offices have become common and that they were finding it difficult to give satisfactory answers to customers who daily besieged their offices. He admitted that the percentage increase of the new bills to the old one was extraordinary but said he did not know how PHCN came about the new billing system.
Meanwhile, many Nigerians who spoke with Sunday Tribune stated their resolve not to pay the new bill. "Do you think I will pay that kind of bill? Where do you expect me to get that kind of money from to pay for electricity supply that is very unstable? Even if it is stable, I still cannot afford to pay the bill," a Nigerian said.
Speaking in Ibadan last week on the new billing system, Engineer Kawal Gowon, who represented the Dr Sam Amadi, the chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) advised electricity consumers in the country to direct their complaints to the regional offices of the PHCN, while promising that plans are in the pipeline to ensure that by December 2013, every household in the country would have the pre-paid meter.                 Source:tribune nigeria

[KingFemzee]

Same applies to area in Gowon Estate Lagos, The August bill was 18000 for a two bedroom flat...the bill is not only crazy, its insane and murderous.

[Stanley_13001]

They phcn is not reliable in this country, still they bring outrageous bill to the consumers. What a shame

[Folami David]

they are vipers i swear.i hate anyone that works there

[Tina lawrence]

Crazy bills are too many nowadays.They just feel we citizens plug money on trees