THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE NATIONAL Water Commission is asking the OUR for a rate increase.
They don't need one. They have already increased their rate with their Price Adjustment Mechanism.
What they do need is competent, intelligent, knowledgeable workers and supervisors. I spent hours last Friday morning talking to customer service personnel and their supervisors, trying to convince them that I don't use 93,000 gallons or 64,000 gallons of water in two months, as per their bills. Ninety-three thousand gallons is $24,000; 64,000 gallons is $16,000; 20,000 gallons is $4,000. I have read the meter every day for the past seven weeks and my consumption is 16,000 per month.
They say they don't read the meter every day. I said I know that but I was reading it every day to find out if there were any leaks in the system and what my daily usage was.
They said they don't care; they read the meter once a month and they have to go by what they read. My figures don't mean anything to them. I read by the gallon and they read by the thousand. I tried, very hard, to explain to them that reading once a month does not show the true picture.
On October 19, 2003, the water was locked off at 7:00 a.m. and came on at 6:30 p.m. and the meter recorded water usage of 2,870 gallons for that day. My normal daily water usage is 500 gallons. Before the water came through, air rushing before the water caused the meter to go crazy.
They promised to send someone to check the meter. They would not adjust my water bill because they say there is nothing there to justify a reduction. My water usage looks normal to them.
I am, etc.,
RUDOLPH dePASS
P.O Box 2069
Kingston 8
