Lazy PLN meter-readers

Lazy PLN meter-readers

From Koran Tempo

My home's electricity is supplied by the state-owned electricity company (PLN) of Kebon Jeruk area. Between November 2003 and January 2004, no PLN officer came to my house to record my power consumption. For each of those months I paid only the subscription fee of Rp 39,130.

A PLN officer came to my house to record my power consumption only after I lodged a complaint. My February bill stood at Rp 166,600.

For the period from November 2003 to January 2004, I had to pay charges for a power load in block 3 amounting to 206 kilowatt-hour. In fact, if a PLN officer had come regularly to record my power consumption, I would have had to pay only for the power load in block 3 amounting to 20 kwh, averaging some 80 kwh per month. Obviously, the laziness of PLN meter-readers cost me extra money.

Then I was in for a bigger disappointment as I was charged Rp 166,600 for the March bill, a sum equal to what I had paid in February.

Clearly, the laziness of PLN meter-readers has caused material losses to me, while I have been offered no compensation from PLN, nor claimed compensation from PLN.

PLN imposes penalties for the late payment of electricity bills. Likewise, it must also impose sanctions on, or arrange compensation for its disappointing services. PLN should not just raise its power rates while doing nothing about its disappointing services.

PAHLEPI TAUFAN Jakarta