Metro digs in as customer complaints continue to grow
Customers' accusations of bill fiddling, unwarranted demands for money, stonewalling and bullying being made against Buffalo City Metro (BCM) are growing.
BCM has dug in its heels, saying it either disagreed with numerous customers’ stories posted on the Dispatch Facebook site, or spokesman Sibusiso Cindi demanded “specifics”.
Readers were responding to a graphic interpretation published in the Saturday Dispatch of what the bills were actually saying.
Among scores of comments and complaints posted were these:
lAviwe Nomnganga: “For as long as I can remember, my mother has been paying her water bill. On days when we went on holiday, she would come back to a fat bill which made us wonder who uses our water when we are not around? What really concerned me is the manner in which the employees reply when you ask them of such.”
lSino Snow Mvuli: “My mom’s statement shows the next month’s bill. Weird. How would they know that when they don’t even pitch for reading. Something must be done.”
lLinda Gates: “I have been all over BCM for a bill I received in 2014 and it is still not sorted. I was told I followed the wrong procedures – what is the right procedure? I went there, queried it at numerous departments, called relevant numbers I was given, went to different counters and have now given up, but I am not going to pay it!”
BCM wanted to charge more than R1000 to have Gates’ water meter tested. “I have a report from Leakfinda stating they suspect the meter is faulty. I closed the water and the meter was still running.”
lNadine Scott and family went away and came back to a R16000 water account. “No one was here. On closer inspection we saw that the water reading on the bill was triple the figure on the meter outside. It was rectified but there were no apologies.”
lKlaus Rodemann: “I arranged with the meter reading department that I would submit my own reading. Yet they do not use the reading I supply and rather guess. Some of the accounts I got lately are ridiculous. They differ by as much as R5000. Their estimate on our water is always 37 kilolitres (kl), while our average is below 30kl, so we slide into the higher bracket”.
In May, BCM cut off Rodemann’s electricity with no warning. “Our account was up to date. BCM stated that the accounts department made a mistake and promised to rectify this. The electricity was reconnected the same day but I was charged a R279 connection fee.”
lMasxie KaZoe Matyila: “My mother has been following up on her water bill since last year. She can’t be helped. She went to King William’s Town and East London offices. Dololo help. I tried to raise the issue on the BCM Facebook. Nothing has been done.”
lAlex Strachan: “One month my account was over R2700 just for water. I put in complaints in via e-mail and got a reference number. Still waiting for feedback.”
lVukile Tiger Welskit Maldaki: “These inconsistent rates are killing me.”
lYona Sinayo Balindlela: “Suffering dismally. I have a very high account. It was even blocked!”
lRowan Richards: “There was not a single human being in my house, but still my lights and water bill was R2000.”
l”BCM residents pay for water leakages all over the metro especially by people in informal settlements who don’t pay for water,” said Marele Mapuma.
In reply, Cindi said: “Residents only pay for their consumption based on the meter linked to their property. Estimates are reversed as soon as readings are taken. Estimates are based on a 12-month average of billed consumption. Once an estimate is reversed it is done according to the step tariff as billed. BCM does apply readings as sent in by users.”
He said it was difficult to respond to generalised questions rather than on a specific account basis.
Customers claiming they got no service were blamed: “Customers often prefer taking short cuts and not following procedure. Queries can be logged on in three ways – via our call centre on 086-111-3017, via e-mail to billing@buffalocity.gov.za or via personal visits to the nearest revenue payment office.”