Bono PURC mid-year report: Quality of services lead complaints

The Bono Regional Office of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) received a total of 709 complaints between January and June 2024, with 470 complaints related to the quality-of-service supply by utility companies. The mid-year report copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani said NEDCo received 437 complaints regarding the quality-of-service supply, while Ghana Water Limited (GWL) received 33 complaints. It stated that billing issues accounted for 173 complaints, with NEDCo receiving 168 complaints and GWL receiving five complaints. Also, there were 22 payment complaints, all directed towards NEDCo, and metering issues resulted in 17 complaints, all against NEDCo. Consumer service delivery concerns were raised in 16 complaints, with 15 directed towards NEDCo and one towards GWL, with six complaints of unlawful disconnections, five against NEDCo and one against GWL, it added. The report said three complaints were related to damaged property, with two against NEDCo and one aga inst a consumer, while two other complaints reported were one against NEDCo and one against a consumer. In total, NEDCo received 667 complaints during the mid-year of 2024, while GWL received 40 complaints, with two complaints directed towards consumers. The report pointed out that 671 complaints were successfully resolved, while 38 remained unresolved. Out of the 709 total complaints received in the first half of the year, 396 were received via WhatsApp platforms and 191 were received from field activities, showcasing the region's active communication and public relations efforts, it said.The report stated that during the review period, the regional office organized 54 public education programmes, which were instrumental in raising awareness and educating the public. Among the activities included public education initiatives, radio programmes, regulatory interventions, innovations and social media campaigns to engage over 700 consumers in the process.Source: Ghana News Agency