Senior blames illegal connection for high light bill

For the past five months, a 60-year-old Corporate Area woman has been trying to have an illegal connection removed from her electricity line, which is hurting her financially and putting her life at risk.

Jane* said that since finding the issue last October, her monthly electricity bill has more than doubled.

"I used to pay round $5,000 monthly for the bill, but now the bill is over $11,000 every month which nuh fair because I am not using that much light," said the woman, who is visually challenged. Her sister takes care of her financially. Jane told THE STAR that after finding the illegal connection, she reached out to the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) on January 8, and was told an inspection would be done. However, more than a month later, she is still waiting.

"Mi call dem back inna January, an dem tell mi seh dem ago come check it, but look deh now, February, an nobody nuh come. Mi a pay di bill, an nothing nuh happen," she said, her voice filled with frustration.

On February 17, the woman made another report to JPS, urging the power company to take immediate action due to the growing concern over the illegal wiring. In addition to the financial strain, Jane is in a constant state of fear, because she is concerned about the safety of her home.

"Mi worried 'bout wah can happen if it stay up there because the wire dem a spark sometimes, an mi hear di gash dem and it mek mi scared because it can cause a fire," she explained.

JPS' Director of Corporate Communications, Winsome Callum, told THE STAR that the company's response time to a customer report typically depends on the volume of such complaints as well as other customer queries and complaints.

"The standard for response times, as mandated by our regulator, is the EGS 5(b) guaranteed standard of 30 to 60 working days, for which JPS achieved a compliance rate of over 99 per cent in 2024," Callum explained. She added that when an illegal connection is reported, an investigation is conducted to identify, quantify, and correct any irregularities in the supply.

"The complainant's bill may be adjusted based on the results of the investigation in order to ensure that they only pay for what they use," she added.

Addressing the specific case of the woman, Callum emphasised that, "We will be investigating and taking steps to resolve this issue". Callum also highlighted that electricity theft has become a national concern.

"Electricity theft is a crime. It is also a socio-economic issue that requires collaboration across the board. Everyone needs to be involved in addressing this national problem: government, police, customers, communities," she said.

In 2024, JPS removed more than 1.1 million illegal connections across the country, while the police arrested 658 persons for stealing electricity.

*name changed to protect identity