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FILING OF
COMPLAINTS
Filing of
complaints with the LEA shall be done in the
following manner: -
-
A complaint to the LEA
may be written (i.e.,
letter or e-mail) or oral (i.e.,
phone-in or walk-in).
-
Where an oral complaint
is made, or where the complainant cannot
read or write, the complaint
will be put into writing by the LEA.
INFORMATION
REQUIRED IN A COMPLAINT
A complaint
lodged with the LEA must contain the
following details: -
-
The full name, contact
address and account number (where
applicable) of the complainant.
-
The utility or person
against whom the complaint is made.
-
Particulars of the nature
of the complaint, together with copies
of any document in support of the
complainant.
-
The nature
of the injustice or harm that the
complainant has suffered as a result of
the action, inaction or omission of the
person or undertaking against whom the
complaint is made.
-
Any other matter relevant
to the complaint.
-
Where the
person who lodges a complaint is acting
on behalf of another person, company or
organization, he/she must state in
writing the capacity
In which he/she is acting, and the reason
for doing so.
DEALING WITH THE
COMPLAINT
Upon receipt of
a complaint, the Authority shall forward a
copy of the complaint to the person or
undertaking that is being complained
against, to which a
response must
be made to the LEA within a stipulated time.
If the
complaint is not responded to or resolved
within the stipulated time, the LEA may
summon the parties to a meeting to discuss
the complaint with a view of
reaching an
amicable settlement between both parties.
A complaint may
escalate into a full blown dispute. In some
cases the action taken by the licensee or
undertaking to resolve the complaint is
totally
rejected by the
complainant on one hand, while licensee on
the other hand, is steadfast on its stance.
This situation will call for the dispute to
be escalated to
the Board for
resolution. If a complaint is unresolved
after meeting with both parties a full
record of all the proceedings and
recommendations will be made to
the LEA Board.
ACTION TO BE TAKEN BY
THE BOARD
After receiving
the report, the Board will either, consider
the matter based on the report or hold a
hearing for the parties affected, if it so
decides.
If the
Board holds a hearing, a
notice will be served on the complainant and
the person or licensee being complained of
requesting them to be present
at the hearing in person or through an
advocate or some other representative.
This notice
will also specify the time and place where
the hearing of a complaint will be held.
After the
hearing, the Board will make a ruling based
on the facts of the complaint and
submissions of the hearing within a
stipulated time
ENFORCEMENT
OF THE BOARD’S RULING
Once
the Board makes a ruling, an Order is served
on the person or undertaking complained of
which takes effect and becomes operative
within a specified
period after service dependent on the nature
of the complaint.
The Board reserves the right
to extend the time set in the Order if it is
deemed insufficient for the
person or undertaking complained of to
comply with.
After the Order becomes effective, the
person or licensee being complained of must
submit a report to the Board which
explains how compliance with the
Order has been met.
If no report is submitted to show
compliance, the Board will issue an
Enforcement Notice which will specify what
has not been complied with and a further
time
frame within which compliance must be
carried out.
If after an
Enforcement Notice has been issued and still
no report is submitted to show compliance, a
penalty as determined by the Board shall be
levied for noncompliance.
PAYMENT OF
QUERIED/ DISPUTED BILLS
For customers who are still on conventional
meters it is advised that, they pay any
undisputed portion of their bills to avoid
further complications. Sometimes,
the licensee may discontinue rendering the
service. However, a customer cannot pay the
disputed portion of the bill while his/ her
complaint is being investigated.
HOW LEA
SAFEGUARDS CUSTOMER INTERESTS
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Encouraging customers to first
approach the service provider or
undertaking.
-
A
commitment to receive all complaints
however lodged
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A
commitment to investigate and follow
through each complaint
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Informing the complainant of the
status of their complaint
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Carry
out consumer outreach programmes
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