PRO warns of disconnection
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE St. Kitts Electricity Company Limited (SKELEC) is reporting that it has seen increases in the number of consumers making payments on outstanding bills, but is reminding others that the disconnection option is still on the table.
Guest on the Government’s radio Programme ‘Working for You’ back in August, members of the SKELEC’s management called on residents and citizens to pay-up their bills, or go to the office and draft a payment option, as any bill in arrears would result in disconnection.
Gawain Fraites, the company’s Public Relations Officer, explained to SKNVibes that since their presence on that programme, they have seen increases in the number of persons seeking the Deferred Payment Arrangement Plan.
This option is where consumers who are in significant arrears with the company have a payment plan drafted allowing them to be able to pay small amounts of the existing sum, so that they could clear their debts.
For many years SKELEC has been calling on consumers to pay their bills as the company was finding it difficult to properly maintain its service to the public due to the rising cost of fuel.
Fraites disclosed that a large number of persons were delinquent in their payment.
The PRO told SKNVibes that the company started the process of disconnecting those in arrears, stressing the fact that there is no limit to how much one owes before they could be disconnected.
“You have 21 days in which to pay your bill and then you have what is called a grace period of seven days. After that your bill will be in arrears. Anything over that 21 and seven days grace period warrants disconnection. The computer would print the disconnection notice and then the guys would go out, get a service order and do the disconnection.
“It’s not anything old if you owe $1,000 or if you owe $1million;. it is just that once you are in arrears your bill is up for disconnection and you will be disconnected.”
Fraites noted that the disconnection process is not done alphabetically and or by areas, but it is carried out based on whose name the computer prints out for disconnection.
