The Western Regional Office of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has received a total of 1,064 complaints from consumers of utility services between January and August this year.
Out of the number, the PURC resolved 1,036 in relation to quality of service, frequent power outages, voltage fluctuations, no flow of water and pipe bursts and leakages, among others.
Mr Cassiel Asiedu, the Regional Public Relations Officer of PURC at the 2022 Consumer Service Clinic in Takoradi, said 958 of the complaints were lodged against the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), 72 against the Ghana Water Company Limited, while 23 were lodged by the two utility companies against consumers.
The clinic was on the theme: “Protecting the Interest of Consumers and Utility Service Providers”.
The PRO said the Commission also helped in resolving grievances among the entities while some reparations were also made.
He explained that the Clinic would ensure that the public had access to such providers anytime for proper diagnoses and remedy to household or industry specific problems.
It was also used to collect feedback from the public on the performance of the utility companies.
The utility companies used the occasion to brief consumers on their operations and complaint management processes, while a desk was set up by the Commission and the utilities to receive complaints from consumers at the event.
Mr Jonathan Akwetey, the Regional Manager, said the Commission would ensure that all complaints lodged during the Consumer Service Clinic were addressed satisfactorily.
Mr Stanley Mantey, Head of Communication, the GWCL, said despite all the operational challenges, the company had put in place efficient complaints management systems to help ensure customer satisfaction.
Mr Michael Brefo, Acting Regional Manager of ECG, advised consumers to continue to use power wisely to conserve energy.
He also encouraged businesses that were out of operation for some time to report to the Company for proper timelines management for it to incur so much unexpected cost.
The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, entreated the PURC to give specialised training to the media to help in educating the public on issues in the sector.
“I believe when this is done, people who call with complaints will be better answered in the media space to create the desired customer to business relationship.”
