JPS Called Out for High Bills Following Hurricane Beryl
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In the past, Asafa Powell, Vybz Kartel and many others have called out Jamaica Public Service (JPS) for their high energy bills. Jamaica’s Energy Minister, Daryl Vaz is the latest to do so via a media release on Sunday.
The minister says that he has been “literally bombarded” by many people complaining about the spike in bills following Hurricane Beryl. He also added that many people are still without electricity hence he’s asking for answers.
He declared that he will be writing to the leadership of both JPS and the Office of Utilities Regulations (OUR) this week, to demand an investigation into several complaints.
In Particular, he pointed out a case whereby a Community Center in St. Elizabeth has been without electricity since Beryl, however, got a bill for over $70,000. “The billing cycle shows that they had power two days before Beryl … and they have not had power since and they have a bill for $71,000 Jamaican dollars which is absolutely impossible.”
He detailed that in some cases the light “bills are showing a 100 percent increase in charges,” he points to the disruption in service as a means that people can compare their bill charge to energy usage, “there are clearing discrepancies in these bills,” the minister outlined.
“People are very upset… This is not new, this has been a repeated complaint by customers of JPS for many many years… I’m hoping JPS can come with a good explanation,” he detailed.
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