Monday, July 20, 2009

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GBPC customer service model in question A spate of recent electricity cuts is placing pressure on Grand Bahama Power to rejig its customer service model, given its monopoly position in that market. The private company, now majority held by foreign interest, last week conceded the obvious and what too many residents have themselves noted: The growing surge in sudden power cuts is intolerable. Company executives have in fact publicly apologized for the disruptions of the last month. Still, it hasn't been enough to silence critics calling for changes to the company's disconnection policies and its unwillingness to pay for appliances damaged by its power surges. The growing dissent was the subject of a Freeport News editorial this week, one speaking to long-standing beefs about the company's willingness to cut power on all and any delinquent accounts and the imposition of increased security deposits to reactivate service. Freeport residents, hard hit by a heavy recession, are seeking a more forgiving stance in consideration of GBPC's monopoly position and rates that in some cases exceed those charged BEC customers throughout the Family Islands and New Providence. There the same sort of complaints have been thrown at Cable Bahamas over the last decade, although hopes are the expiration of its contract for the exclusive provision of cable services will prompt it to ease a its own rigid stance. The addition of Emera Power as minority partner in the operation has so far failed to win that kind of consideration, say critics, also frustrated by the slow pace of alternative energy projects touted as a way of bringing down electricity rates. Friday, July 3, 2009