ECG customers express frustrations over inability to purchase power

Some customers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in Accra have expressed their frustrations over difficulties they are going through to buy power for their prepaid meters.

The customers said they had made several calls and complaints to the various offices of the ECG  but they had still not received power in their homes although they were given assurances.

One of such residents, Samuel Bio, who lives around Amamole near Achimota, said he had called the ECG offices 71 times but was yet to receive power and even with that the calls were not toll-free.

That, he said, was in spite of the fact that the much touted ECG Mobile App deducted GH¢100 on October 7, this year, when he attempted to purchase power without success.

At one point, Mr Bio said he was given three different token numbers to input into his meter by customer service officers but all did not work.

The ECG customer said because of the frustrations he had gone through for the past one week, he had decided not to call the ECG office again.

He said under the circumstance, he had been compelled to tap power from his neighbour in order to preserve his foodstuffs and charge his phone, among other things.

After narrating the pains he had gone through to get the problem resolved, Mr Bio charged the ECG to be up and doing since it was not right for customers to suffer for services they were paying for.

When contacted, the Director of Communications at the ECG, William Boateng, told the Daily Graphic that the problem had to do mostly with those using the Nuri Kamstrup Meter.

Assurance

He gave an assurance that the company was working round the clock to resolve the problem and added that text messages had been sent to persons who were affected.

In a statement, the ECG said the inability of prepayment customers to purchase electricity was as a result of a technical challenge.

However, the company, in a statement issued on October 9, 2023, said in a bid to provide uninterrupted service, its dedicated team was actively working to address the issue and restore normal operations.

The company also reached out to its customers via text message stating: "Dear cherished Nuri Kamstrup prepaid customer.

We are experiencing a technical challenge. Please bear with us while we work assiduously to get it resolved. Sorry for the inconvenience caused".

ECG said it deeply regreted any inconvenience the situation might had caused.

But when Mr Bio was contacted, he expressed surprise and wondered why the ECG was “being economical with the truth”, adding that the only messages he had received so far from the ECG were on Saturday October 7, when he was notified about his payment for power purchase, which the ECG said was pending; and another on Friday October 13 2023, at 6.36 a.m., which also gave a token that had not worked as at 5.30 p.m. yesterday, when he spoke to the Daily Graphic.

Mr Bio said the situation was even dire because vendors in shops could also not use that particular meter.

He urged the company to tell customers what to do to get alternative source of power in such circumstances or face the wrath of customers.