Power being ‘read’ on a meter that hasn’t worked since 2007

1 Jenny Juzi of Honeydew writes: Incorrect billing for more than R600 000 has been reversed, but my account is still not correct. The new meter has not been captured on the system. The statement still refers to the old meter that stopped working in 2007. We are being charged over R5 000 a month for electricity – way above our actual usage.

I continue to pay R3 000 on the account each month and follow up at the Roodepoort customer centre monthly, but other than flagging the account so it is not disconnected, nothing is done.

Thank you for your assistance in getting that big amount sorted out. Hopefully the other errors will be sorted soon.

2Richard Dahan writes: It is more than a year since we sold our house in Montgomery Park and moved to a house in Sydenham.

We followed up with all the rules and regulations with the City of Joburg. On November 1, 2011, the new owner of our house opened an account with the municipality payment.

On July 23 last year we applied for the refund of R5 068 from the municipality, as had been confirmed by the municipality.

All documents were brought as requested and we received the document for the refund application. We were told that there was a refund of R5 068 due to us, but the owner of the house at Montgomery Park was not yet registered.

Despite proving the new owner did register, they kept saying that it was not in the system yet.

Again I was told to wait another month. Telephone calls to the municipality were not answered. It has been over a year we have been dealing with this.

Dahan writes again: The municipality has refunded us.

Thank you, and we appreciate the municipality’s honesty.

3Tersia Hughes writes: On August 26, 2011, the property I owned in Winchester Hills was transferred into the name of the buyer. I had a credit balance due to me for rates and refuse removal. There has been lots of communication between me and the City of Joburg, but no refund.

On October 6 I attended a City of Joburg open day to get help. I got a statement on October 21 where a refund of R812 was noted, but no refund to my account.

I was told there was a cheque for me at Thuso House. I went there but there was no cheque available. I asked that the money be paid into my bank, but nothing has been done.

Hughes writes again: After three days of writing to you, I received a call from City of Joburg and I collected my refund cheque. Thank you.