Ten consumers slapped with RM84,248.09 electricity bills

Ten consumers staying in the vicinity of Skudai were at the Tenaga Nasional office (TNB) to demand an explanation as to why they were issued with electricity bills totaling up to RM84,248.09 here yesterday.

One of the affected consumer, Lim Cher Kee, 50 , was alleged to have tempered with his house electricity meter since 2005. After TNB carried out an investigation in his house at Taman Ungku Tun Aminah on Oct 23 last year, he was asked to pay a back-claim electricity bill by TNB totaling RM6,209.

Another consumer staying in Taman Impian Emas, who declined to be named, said that she was issued with a back-claim electricity bill by TNB amounting to RM8,631.80.

Accompanying the ten consumers is the MP for Gelang Patah, Tan Ah Eng.

She said the act of back dating the bills to several years ago is totally unreasonable, as the consumers are totally dark over the matter.

Tan expressed disappointment over the indifferent and unfriendly attitude of the counter staff attending to the complaints.

Meanwhile, the state general manager (consumer service and marketing), Mohamad Nor Md Seth said that TNB is always ready to discuss and negotiate with the consumers to resolve the problem on a case-to-case basis.

He stressed that TNB is not accusing the consumers for electricity theft but only taking steps to reclaim the losses as a result of some consumers tempering with their electricity meter.

“We have qualified technicians, measuring gadgets and methodology which can proof that whether there is any tempering on the electricity meter”, he said.

We will provide photographic evidence to show that some form of illegal manipulation has taken place like ‘by-pass’ or other forms of meter tempering which an average consumer won’t dabble in.

Mohamad Nor was speaking in a dialogue session with the affected consumers who came to demand for an explanation here yesterday.

Either way, he added, if consumer can proof to us that the affected house has been left vacant for a long period of time or that the electricity meter is faulty then TNB is always prepared to reduce the back-claim billed amount.