KE consumers complain of excessive billing amid pandemic
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KARACHI: While a large number of consumers complained of overbilling by K-Electric this month, the power utility denied on Tuesday that excessive bills were being sent to Karachiites.
Several consumers called Dawn offices to complain that the KE had sent them hefty bills for last month.
One of the complainants said he was issued a Rs27,000 bill by the KE against Rs7,000 average bill in summers.
Another consumer said he got a Rs15,000 bill this month while his last month’s electricity bill was around Rs6,000. “Is this the relief the power utility has given its consumers during the coronavirus pandemic?” he said.
A disgruntled consumer said that it seemed the KE wanted to recover in one go whatever it might have waived during the lockdown.
However, a spokesperson for the power utility rejected the claims of overbilling or excessive charges being taken from consumers and reiterated that all billing was done as per regulatory processes and guidelines.
Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2020
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Comments (23) Closed
Jun 10, 2020 10:42am
Agreed ! we are too facing the same issues of excessive billing for the month of May-2020; Due to average billing in last month.
All Karachi citizen face the excessive billing issues in this panadamic situation; that is very worst situation for all Karachi citizens..
Govt. Must take action on it.
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Jun 10, 2020 10:47am
I have complained almost 3 times to KElectric, once physical visit to the office and two via email, but unfortunately these people are very incompetent they are not looking at the situation in the first month they charged the average bill, the second month they charged the bill but again not on actual unit consumption they chared it less than that, the previous and current reading is same in the bill? means they are trying to fool people seriously and in the third month they again start form previous to previous month reading, what about last month's charges where it goes no idea? they again charged the average bill, I complained three times from three month respectively but i dont know what they are waiting for.
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Jun 10, 2020 11:33am
All KE IBC's in Karachi are opened from June 01, 2020 and people who have any complain in the billing should contact to the relevant IBC of the particular area to file complaints.
After coronavirus, people who will not be wearing face masks would not be allowed to go inside in any of the IBC centre.
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Jun 10, 2020 12:27pm
KE is minting money hand over fist. They don't care, never have.
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Jun 10, 2020 01:10pm
This month bill included fuel adjustment surcharge for two months which cause the spike in bills and as GST is upon total of per unit and fuel adjustment surcharge, so it also increased, long live the Imran regime many more hikes we will see after this year budget.
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Jun 10, 2020 01:30pm
This is true, the bills are twice or thrice of average bills of last few months. I am sure the consumption has not changed but the bills are. I was expecting a lower tariff as the fuel is much cheaper than before.
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Jun 10, 2020 02:02pm
The land of the five rivers where cheap hydel electricity could be produced, paradoxically, has the highest energy cost in the region. Punitive additional charges are on during "peak" hours 6:00 pm to 10:30 pm. Peak hours for whom, commercial or residential consumers? Our exports lag far behind our neighbours, don't have to look far for the reason: The cost of energy.
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Jun 10, 2020 02:53pm
Obviously if you are sitting at home under a lock down your electricity bill is bound to go up. People should check their own meter and consumption. Electricity is expensive in Pakistan. They should have been careful.
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Jun 10, 2020 02:55pm
When you stay more at home, you always use more utilities. Isn't that obvious?
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Jun 10, 2020 04:05pm
It is useless to complain to any authority in Pakistan about the K-Electric treatment meted out to the residents of Karachi. After all, didn't the company provided jobs to all different party members and their recommended personnel, apart from contributing to their election funds? It is pay back time and the only way for the government is continue to ignore any protests by the citizens of Karachi at the cost of making the company show some profits so as to finalize the deal with the Chinese firm, which is waiting eagerly to reap the harvest from their only colony to be fleeced all the time.
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Jun 10, 2020 04:07pm
I too noticed my bill is double. A factor, which is relevant to areas where earlier was almost 8 hours loadshedding. Since corona, and availability power 24 hrs has increased power consumption in those areas.
Also overall voltage is low too, which could affect per unit consumption.
I dont know if it is due to higher temperature, even if it is, KE should do something to balance power voltage with higher consumption due to rise in demand of air conditioning.
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Jun 10, 2020 06:11pm
KE is quite clever. they have charged bill for 35 days instead of 30 or 31. thus the number of units so do the slab of units change with tax rate also changing.
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Jun 10, 2020 06:54pm
I live in Phase 2, DHA Karachi. My bill fortjis month was 30000, which is three times my normal bill for summer season. This is no relief by K.E.
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Jun 10, 2020 07:19pm
Dear Readers - Good day and trust you and your families all are safe in this pandemic situation.
My observation is related to the picture and the safety of the man working on electric meters. He is at high risk because he is not wearing proper PPEs like rubber gloves, safety glasses, and for sure not safety boots as well. This is the height of complacency which not be acceptable at ALL. If he is a K-Electric employee then K-Electric should take strict disciplinary action and make sure to implement must wear PPEs during work hrs.
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Jun 10, 2020 07:47pm
Yes we also beared this kind of relief with billing 17000
Really enjoying the relief package
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Jun 10, 2020 07:52pm
People are right. My last 12 months bills come between 2600 to 7000 Rupees, but this one for the month of may came 14400. There is no place to complain and no one to cooperate .
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Jun 10, 2020 08:08pm
Prices of electricity units along with % of sales tax be lowered on bills specially in summer for people of Karachi.
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Jun 10, 2020 08:43pm
Simple is that K.E is looting and they are ok with those people who are using electicity through kunda and there must be strict action against K.E. Moreover adjust all previously taken overbilling in current and future bills.And most important P.M should make a commitee to reschedule charges to minimize the charge per unit.
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Jun 10, 2020 08:45pm
Despite the price of oil going down ...KE's bills are going up.....it looks like no one misses a chance to extort more money.
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Jun 10, 2020 08:46pm
@nks, agree
they do this trick to change the slab for more charges
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Jun 10, 2020 08:48pm
@Mori-Ro, absolutely right
Agree with you
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Jun 10, 2020 10:08pm
This month I paid Rs2600 to KE a,though I have only a small fridge running at home which is tuned to winter temperatures (a very low setting) with nothing else running. My bill should not be more than Rs500 -- if that -- but I am stuck outside Karachi and cannot shut off the mains. For KE to know how much power is being used is a simple thing. They know that they produced far less now than previous years so they cannot have supplied much power to Karachi. People should use solar energy and simply dump this cheating utility altogether.
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Jun 11, 2020 05:37pm
In May 2020 my consumption was around 9 units/day that makes it 270 units a month. And KE had the audacity to send a bill of 556 units. The bill was delivered but somehow meter reader couldn't make it which seems to be a deliberate move to make tons of money illegally by exploiting the consumers :/
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