Meralco apologizes for bill shock !-- --
Meralco president and chief executive officer
We will double and triple our efforts to address them," Espinosa told Sen.
"We would like to assure all that all our efforts are poured into this direction." Espinosa said Meralco is deploying more people to its business centers and call centers to respond to all customer issues.
He also said that the power company has waived the P47 convenience fee for customers who pay their bills through its app while the general community quarantine (GCQ) is still in effect. "So until the GCQ is terminated or moved to the new normal, we will spare the consumer of the cost of the convenience fee.
It will be absorbed by us." The company, he added, has been complying with the directive of the
For those who have already paid their bills in cash or credit card for their bills for March, April and Maywhich were based on estimatesbut wish to pay these, instead, by installment, they may get a refund and will thereafter receive a detailed letter that they are to be billed in installments. Espinosa said Meralco has designated dedicated lanes for refunds in all their business offices to speed up the transaction.
But Gatchalian said Meralco must do better and fast especially that people are finding it difficult to go around with the quarantine still in effect even as he warned that crowded business centers may lead to the spread of the virus. The senator showed to Meralco executives his apparently unusually large bill of P23,000 from March to May for his condominium unit where he hardly stayed in April and May.
He and Sen.
"We cannot just blindly trust Meralco. It was proven now that the bill is confusing because of the estimate," Gatchalian said.
"I am just one consumer but we are also talking about 6.5 million Meralco consumers.
You really need to sit down and validate one by one." Espinosa said Meralco has started issuing separate letters or billings to its customers to explain the computation in detail even as he admitted that the DU's billing system was outdated and gave the firm "little elbow room" to put in explanations.
Sen.
He saidMeralco also came up with a series of advisories and materials aimed at informing the public as to why their electricity bills were reflected that way. "We ask the consuming public, are you satisfied with these explanations? Does this address claims of some consumers that their bills doubled, or even tripled for the months of May or June?" Go said.
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"Now, more than ever, profits should not be prioritized over the welfare of the general public. The government should not tolerate any unfair business practices at a time when people's lives are at risk," Go added.
He also called on other DUs, like those in
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