ECG Customers express concern over faulty meters

Some customers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG ) within Accra West area whose meters were replaced with the new meters have expressed frustrations over their inability to recharge their prepayment meter with the smart cash card after their credits were exhausted.

Most of them the GNA chanced upon at the ECG Station at Mile 7 on Monday and Thursday respectively, said they have been sleeping without electricity power for the past three to four days.

They also expressed their frustrations over the fact that officials asked them to ''go and come'' without any fruitful results.

Madam Betty Appiah, a resident of Kwashieman told the GNA that: ''I have been here over the past two days but have not received any meaningful help. They just asked me to go and write my card at the vendors place and swipe it back on my meter. But each time I do that the situation remains the same''.

Mrs Lydia Asamoah, an Editor of the GNA, who had also experience the same problem, sleeping in the dark - without electricity for the past four days, described the situation as frustrating “for her and her younger children who constantly find it difficult to catch some sleep in the night”.

She said: ''As a professional career mother, I prepare my meals and store them in the fridge to feed my family during the week. But all the food I prepared on Saturday have gone bad and I have to throw them away.

“Besides I have been to the Achimota Sub-Station on Monday and Thursday and officials kept changing the meter cards which do not communicate with my meter at home.

''I have also been shuttling the electricity vendor's place, running up and down....it's very frustrating,” Mrs Asamoah said.

Mr Clement Mensah who also spoke with the GNA said since his new meter was changed for him some two weeks back, he had not been able to recharge it and thus he was sleeping in darkness

Officials at the ECG Mile 7 Sub-station explained to the GNA that the problem was due to migration unto new IT software which was developed when the new meters were introduced.

The ECG Officials expressed the hope that the situation would be normalized with time; however, many of the customers are asking, ''for how long will they be inconvenienced as such''.

They have therefore called on the higher authorities to step in to ensure that the problems were resolved faster to save them from such uncomfortable situation.