CONSUMERS have been encouraged to make arrangements for payments of their overdue bills to avoid facing meter disconnections.
In a statement Consumer Council of Fiji acting chief executive officer Seymour Singh said consumers had a responsibility to ensure their bills were paid on time.
This statement was made by Mr Singh after the Water Authority of Fiji last week announced that all customer overdue bills would face disconnection from this week.
Mr Singh acknowledges that WAF had instated multiple methods of payment as well as channels of communicating overdue bills but also suggested WAF re-look at billing cycles to avoid issues with bill payment.
“Perhaps changing the billing cycle to monthly payments would address the issues of exorbitant and overdue bills, saving the time and money of both consumers and WAF.
“It is also imperative that before disconnection, WAF makes all efforts to reach out to consumers and ensure that they have received their bills and notices regarding disconnection,” Mr Singh said.
Mr Singh said consumers had been given a chance by WAF to visit their offices and make payment arrangements if they faced financial hardships with paying their overdue water bills and consumers needed to take advantage of this to ensure their water was not cut during the festive season.
“The council also wishes to advise consumers to visit the council should they feel they have a legitimate grievance with regards to their water bills.”
