Black Immigrant Daily News
The Fair Trading Commission (FTC) has amended three of the Guaranteed Standards of Service (GWS) of the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) and added one new standard, and if the company fails to meet the new deadlines stipulated in the Decision, it will cost the company.
FTC stated that GWS breaches “require compensation in the form of a credit to each individual customer submitting a claim, when affected by the BWA’s failure to meet the defined target for the relevant Standard”.
Failure to comply results in a $15 credit for residential customers and $30 for commercial clients
In the amendments, the FTC firstly standardised days to avoid ambiguity whereby previously some timelines were given in working days and some in calendar days. The FTC said ‘no’ and has made all timeframe units – ‘working days’, going forward.
Adjustments of the Guaranteed Standards of Service include, “The time to acknowledge complaints under Guaranteed Standard Response to Complaints (GWS 3) has been adjusted from seven (7) calendar days to five (5) working days. A new section has been added to Meter Installation or Meter Repositioning (GWS 5(b)) with a target time of fifteen (15) working days to reposition a meter on request; and A new Guaranteed Standard has been added, Application for Reconnection of a service that was disconnected from the main (GWS 8). There is a target time of seven (7) working days for residential customers and five (5) working days for commercial customers to effect the re-connection.”
As it pertains to the compensation for failure to complete tasks within the time slots, the decision gave the credit amounts as well.
Under GWS 1 – Installation of service for Residential (R) – Ten (10) working days or Commercial (C) – Eight (8) working days, failure results in a refund of the standard domestic thirty (30) day minimum charge for residential customers and the refund equivalent to double the standard domestic thirty (30) day minimum chargefor commercial clients.
For GWS 3 – Complaints, the BWA must give acknowledgement within five (5) working days of receipt of written or emailed complaint. and complaints made via telephone or walk-in will be deemed to have been acknowledged at the time the complaint was made. Investigations of complaint and findings must be provided within fifteen (15) working days of receipt of complaint, inclusive of acknowledgement time. Failure to comply results in a $15 credit for residential customers and $30 for commercial clients.
This amendment sees the time to acknowledge complaints under Guaranteed Standard Response to Complaints (GWS 3) being adjusted from seven (7) calendar days to five (5) working days now.
FTC Decision for BWA December 12 2022
GWS 5 was amended as well for the Meter Installation or Meter Repositioning for an existing service. The installation refers to the time frame in which the BWA will install a meter on the customer’s request – Meter to be installed within thirty (30) working days of receipt of request. (Customer with a fixed rate requesting meter). Repositioning or relocating refers to the time it takes between the customer’s request for, and the actual repositioning of the meter – Meter to be relocated within fifteen (15) working days of receipt of request and payment of deposit where applicable (Assuming the request is feasible). Failure to comply results in a $15 credit for residential customers and $30 for commercial clients.
A new Guaranteed Standard has been added as well, an Application for Reconnection of a service that was disconnected from the main (GWS 8). There is a target time of seven (7) working days for residential customers and five (5) working days for commercial customers to effect the re-connection. Failure to comply results in a $15 credit for residential customers and $30 for commercial clients.
According to the FTC decision, these amended and new BWA Standards of Service went in effect from January 1, 2023, for a period of three (3) years, but the Commission reserves the right to (i) review these Standards before the end of this period, and (ii) extend its Decision for two additional years (up to 2027), if deemed necessary.
Full Decision here – FAIR TRADING COMMISSION DECISION Standards of Service For the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) 2023 – 2025
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