Businesswoman ‘frustrated, angry’ over JPS approach to report of electricity theft

A businesswoman is crying foul after the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) disconnected electricity to her Molynes Road, St Andrew business place for three weeks, causing her to lose thousands of dollars, despite her multiple reports of suspected electricity theft.

JPS sent the woman, who asked not to be named, a final bill of $247,675 before cutting the power supply to the salon, which houses one hair and nail station each and two private rooms.

The woman said she had to forego $170,000 in rent, adding that her tenants, too, lost thousands in earnings having to cancel appointments.

She told The Gleaner that she visited JPS’ Ruthven Road office more than six times between May and August, after the monthly bill initially moved from $11,014.70 in May to $59,768.79 in June. On average, she said the bill totals $21,000.

She said she visited the office to query the increase and requested an inspection by JPS, but was told that no bucket truck was available for technicians to investigate.

She said several other visits yielded the same results but, on the final visit, a JPS representative told her to hire a private inspector to investigate the matter and provide them with a report.

Frustrated, she said she visited the Half-Way Tree Police Station, but was told that they could not act without instructions from JPS.

“It is upsetting. The customer service was distasteful. I am frustrated and angry. This really showed me that JPS has no proper system in place when it comes on to electricity theft. They don’t go about things properly,” said the woman.

She criticised the operation at the company’s Ruthven office, calling it lethargic and without purpose.

JULY BILL

She said while querying the June bill and still honouring her usual monthly payment, JPS sent a July bill of $116,606.13, almost double the amount of the one being queried.

Further, the power company added approximately $77,000 to the woman’s charges, bringing the August bill to $193,898.73.

The woman claimed that JPS showed no effort to investigate the suspected electricity theft, even after she hired a private inspector and produced video evidence of her claim.

Instead, she said the company demanded a written report on the matter before disconnecting electricity to the business place on August 18.

The company then sent a September bill for $247,675.95.

“Ruthven Road people them carry you ‘round and ‘round. Them a say one thing, the police a say one thing. When me go a police, the police a say them cannot act without JPS. Even when I get somebody private, nothing, and the bill wouldn’t reach this far if they had sent somebody down there. I went to them immediately when the bill raise, about five or six times, and nothing,” she said.

“JPS didn’t even tell me about the payment plans they have. Nothing. And they only said they would put it on hold after the August cycle after they realised I have evidence of theft. What’s the measures unuh take? None,” she said.

On Thursday, The Gleaner emailed JPS querying the steps the company took to investigate the matter following the customer’s reports.

The company sent a team to the location on Friday where an initial assessment was conducted, including to investigate the meter at the premises.

In an emailed response on Saturday, JPS confirmed that “signs of tampering/abstraction were discovered”.

REVIEWING PROCESS

“JPS is now in the process of reviewing the customer’s billing and a JPS team will be returning to conduct follow up activities inclusive of a review of the customer’s consumption and load detail.

“We confirm that electricity has been restored to the customer’s premises,” the company said.

It urged customers and the public to report suspected electricity theft to the police, through its MyJPS Mobile App, its webchat at jpsco.com or via the JPS Customer Care Centre at 888CALLJPS (888-225-5577).

“JPS will remain in contact with the customer until the situation is fully resolved,” it said.

The company has, over the years, lamented its significant financial losses due to electricity theft and higher bills for paying customers.

In 2023 alone, JPS said it lost approximately $40.3 billion (US$258.9 million) due to electricity theft, noting that the problem is deeply ingrained in the Jamaican culture and requires collaboration with the government to implement technical solutions, social programmes, and enforce new legislation to combat the criminal behaviour, ensuring fairer costs for consumers.

The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) dismissed the police’s response to the customer, indicating that a report can be made to both them and JPS.

The OUR asserted that electricity theft is a criminal matter, and, as such, falls under the remit of the country’s law enforcement and justice system in accordance with applicable laws.

Further, the regulator said JPS has an obligation to investigate the matter in accordance with its complaints handling procedures and take appropriate action.

“The OUR is unable to speak specifically to the law enforcement procedures in this regard once a report is made to the police. We do note, however, the general powers of the police and their duties as detailed in the Constabulary Force Act. Section 13 of the Constabulary Force Act, for example, indicates that their powers include ‘apprehending persons found committing any offence or whom they may reasonably suspect of having committed any offence, or who may be charged with having committed any offence’,” the OUR said in an emailed response to The Gleaner.

LAWFUL UNDER SECTION 15 OF THE CONSTABULARY FORCE ACT

Additionally, it said Section 15 of the Constabulary Force Act states, in part, that it is lawful for any constable, without warrant, to apprehend any person found committing any offence punishable upon indictment or summary conviction.

Added to that, the OUR said the illegal abstraction of electricity constitutes a crime, specifically a felony, under section 15 of the Larceny Act.

Section 15 of the act states that ‘every person who knowingly abstracts, causes to be wasted or diverted, consumes, or uses, any electricity shall be guilty of felony, and on conviction thereof liable to be punished as in the case of simple larceny’.

The OUR said the unlawful abstraction, use, consumption, and diversion of electricity supplied by JPS (the ‘Single Buyer’) is also an offence under the Electricity Act, 2015.

It noted Section 58 of the act which states that ‘any person who unlawfully abstracts, uses or consumes, diverts or causes to be diverted any electricity supplied by a Single Buyer commits an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction in a Resident Magistrate’s Court to a fine not exceeding $5 million, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both such fine and imprisonment’.

The OUR, over the last five years, has received 80 contacts in relation to reports of illegal connections.

“This figure reflects the total contacts received, inclusive of all types and instances of illegal abstraction of electricity supply, which include meter tampering and illegal bypass,” the regulator said.

kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com

‘DISTASTEFUL’

Kimone Francis/Senior Staff Reporter

A St Andrew businesswoman has been left ‘frustrated and angry’ with the Jamaica Public Service Company after the utility provider slapped her with a $247,675 bill before cutting the power supply to her salon, despite the more than six times she visited its offices to query bill increases and request an inspection and investigation into suspected electricity theft.

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