JPS, NWC to waive charges for customers still without service after Hurricane Melissa, says OUR

The Jamaica Public Service Company Limited (JPS) and the National Water Commission (NWC) will waive charges for customers who have been without service since Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica on October 28.

The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) announced the development on Thursday.

According to the regulator, the decisions follow discussions and correspondence sent to both utilities as early as the week after the hurricane. It said the letters raised concerns about billing practices, particularly for customers in the hardest-hit areas who have been without service for an entire billing cycle or longer.

The OUR said the NWC responded on November 18, advising that it would cease billing in the worst-affected service areas starting in December, with no service charge applied.

“The December bill would have reflected November’s consumption. NWC indicates that this suspension will remain effective ‘as long as the conditions that limit service delivery persist’,” the regulator noted.

The OUR added that JPS, in a follow-up response on December 3, indicated that customers without electricity for a full billing period or more will not be required to pay the customer charge.

“However, although customers without service will not be required to pay a customer charge, they will receive a bill showing zero consumption, along with any outstanding arrears, where applicable,” the regulator said.

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