DISCOs disagree with CPC on outrageous billing

The Consumer Protection Council (CPC), the apex consumer regulatory body in Nigeria, and Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) have differed on ‘outrageous billing’ of consumers as raised by customers who have lodged complaints with the regulatory body.

As a result, the CPC had summoned a meeting with the DISCOs in Abuja on Monday, to review various complaints it received across the country to ensure consumer complaints were addressed accordingly.

The complaints, according to Dupe Atoki, director-general, CPC, include but not limited to: “estimated billing for non-metered and consumers with post-payment meters (which are allegedly not read regularly); indiscriminate increase in electricity bills; non-supply of meters to consumers (several months after payment for same); irregular disconnection.

Others are “non-supply of infrastructure requirements (transformers, electricity poles and cables) to some business units, thereby forcing consumers to pay for same without reimbursement; collection of fixed charge even when there is no power supply, and lack of proper consumer complaints redress mechanisms.

However, some of the DISCOs who spoke with newsmen said they had not been faltering on “outrageous billing.” Although, they admitted there could be a mistake on billing, which they urged consumers to lodge complaints to their complaints unit about.

Abimbola Ogunbiyi, executive director, regulatory and stakeholders relations, Abuja DISCO, said: “There is no outrageous billing; there could be mistake, which we enjoin consumers to also seek redress with us. We do estimation of bill in line with the methodology and the directive of the regulators. If customers have issues on that, they could refer back to the regulators.”

Out of the 11 DISCOs, the ones that met with CPC were: Ibadan, Eko, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Jos, Yola, and Benin. The other three did not show up.

Earlier, in her remarks, the director-general informed that the CPC would go a step further in reviewing some of its laws with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, to ensure there was no