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Utility companies should stop reconnection fees – resident
The resident, who was at the time a caller on the Speak Your Mind TV show aired on September 21, 2013, gave an example of economic difficulties being experienced and questioned whether government would be able to have any influence on the issue of utility companies charging reconnection fees for owing an amount as low as $50.
The resident argued, "Things are so rough on people that, for example, I go to Water and Sewerage because they cut my water. They cut my water for [non-payment of] $50. you now have to pay $20 to get the water back on. If I can't find $50 and that's why they cut it, how in the name of God I'm going to find another $20 to get them to put it back on. Don't you see that government needs to consider when a man is being cut for $50 they shouldn't [take] that $50 and put him back on?"
He challenged the reason for the reconnection fee as being that workers had to be paid to do the job of reconnection. "Don't tell me you got to pay the man to go out there, because most of the time, the man is sitting down there doing nothing anyhow, they have to pay him," he said.
"If he has to get up and put back my meter on, let him do that because he's being paid by the taxpayers of this country," he continued.
According to the resident, "In this hard time we need to stop charging people those extra money, because if they can't find the money that they actually have to pay, how [will] they find [re]connection money? The same thing goes for the [BVI] Electricity Corporation."
Host, Julio Sam Henry, made an appeal to Minister for Communications and Works Hon. Mark H. Vanterpool to suspend disconnection of power and water for the people of the Territory for the rest of September and October. "Give them a break, it is hard," he said.
Mr Henry argued that people were losing their jobs and said it was exceptionally hard this year, "The slow season kicked in two months before normal, I can challenge anybody on that," he stated.
"Suspend the disconnection. People will come in, let them come in and pay their bill. Send them some notices saying you're past due. Give them the same disconnection notice without disconnecting. give people a break man, it's hard," he appealed.
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15 Responses to “Utility companies should stop reconnection fees – resident”
Or better yet let the government pay for it because they're swimming in money. It's not they don't owe the Corporation millions already. What's a couple million more?
TO THOSE OF US WHO CANT AFFORD TO PAY; GO IN TO THE DEPARTMENT AND TRY WORK SOMETHING OUT. WATER IS ESSENTIAL TO LIFE.