'Be patient with persons & not disconnect them' - Hon Vanterpool to BVIEC
During the National Democratic Party's (NDP) radio programme, NDP Radio, on Monday, March 19, 2018 on ZBVI 780 AM, a female called in to voice her concerns about being billed for months she claimed she did not have electricity, adding that other tenants have been experiencing the same issue and wanted to know what is being done to rectify the problem.
She said, “I’m calling concerning the electricity. I’m a tenant in Tony Alphonso apartment and we didn’t have no current from since the hurricane and we got current on the 22nd of January. All the tenants receive a bill that is $1,000 and change and some are $800 and change. So we want to know, how we get this bill and we never had current?” while noting that BVI Electricity Corporation (BVIEC) is telling the tenants they have to pay the bill or they will be disconnected.
“Be patient with persons & not disconnect them” – Hon Vanterpool
In response, Honourable Mark H. Vanterpool (R4), Minister for Communications and Works, said he has set up a meeting with BVIEC to resolve the issue but pleaded with the corporation to be “patient with persons and not disconnect them”.
Hon Vanterpool commented, “You are one of many persons who have the same problem. I’ve been having a lot of questions like that from a lot of people. We are supposed to have a meeting to discuss the matter. However, as minister, I would ask the corporation to be patient with persons and not disconnect them and try to sort out how they are going to deal with it going forward.”
Meanwhile, one resident told our newsroom that his power was restored roughly in the middle of December 2017 and he received a bill of $600, expressing that he was “shocked” when he saw the bill.
He said, “I went to BVIEC and at first them was telling me I have to pay it but eventually they reduced the bill and I paid and went about my business. They were crazy if they thought I was going to pay that bill. I would have gone another three-plus month without that light. I hear other people having the same problem and they need to do something about it.”
Generators could have caused the spike in utility bills
Hon Vanterpool also explained that the generators that were being connected to individual's apartments might have contributed to the high utility bills.
“What happened was that people hooked up their generators to their houses during the aftermath of the storm and the generators were still self-turning the meters that were there and the electrical meter registered the cost. Now the BVIEC has to figure out and work out what the cost might have been since and what the cost was during that time.”
In addition, he pointed out that he does not want to give a definitive answer on what really is causing the spike in the utility bill until he meets with the BVIEC.
Hon Vanterpool emphasised, “That’s a discussion that we are going to be having. Right now I do not want to give a definitive answer until we meet and hopefully, after that, we can work out the situation and get things resolved.”
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