By KHRISNA RUSSELL
Deputy Chief Reporter
krussell@tribunemedia.net
BAHAMAS Power and Light executives have urged consumers to submit claims in instances where they believe frequent disruptions might have damaged appliances. And as load shedding is expected to continue for several more days, the company is also making an appeal for consumers to save energy.
Acting Chief Operating Officer Ian Pratt said consumers may find the claims process tedious, but said it must be followed in order to determine whether appliances can be fixed or replaced.
BPL Chairman Donovan Moxey further apologised for such occurrences.
“So the process itself involves submission of a claim form,” Mr Pratt said yesterday. “What sometimes customers have difficulty with is in order for us to actually process the claim we need to have some indication of what happened to the equipment.
“So one of the requirements is to have an appliance repair technician look at the equipment to determine whether or not it can be repaired and that does two things for us: it tells us what happened to the device because you can look at a device and determine if it was a power problem based on the type of damage that you’re seeing and it also indicates to us whether or not it can be repaired or not and therefore we would know what price we have to pay.
“But there are a lot of concerns sometimes from customers about having to go out and find an appliance repair technician company that can provide those services but it’s a necessary part of the process.”
“We have to have the information for us to be able to determine what happened to the device and so that is a necessary part of the process and so we actually encourage you if you incur this cost (for a company to look at appliances) to submit it along with the claim as well so that it can be considered,” Mr Pratt said, when asked if any effort was being made to make the process easier.
For his part, Mr Moxey invited consumers to submit claims to allow BPL to rectify cases as soon as possible.
On the issue of energy conservation, Mr Moxey said power saving measures are also likely to lessen BPL’s need to load shed.
These measures include changing light bulbs, unplugging appliances that aren’t in use and switching off lights.
“If people can conserve energy to the point where that generation capacity that’s required gets reduced, that helps everybody, so it really minimises the load shedding,” Mr Moxey said.
“So one of the things that we are doing within our PR and marketing department is talking to Bahamians about how best to conserve energy and that goes from changing out light bulbs, getting high efficiency appliances, putting insulation in your home so that your air conditioning is not running as long as it should and turning off lights in rooms that are not being utilised.”
He also said: “Again conservation is something that all of us can get involved with and so at the end of the day if we reduce our need for the amount of generation it can help everyone by minimising the load shedding activities and exercises that we go to.”
Regarding efforts at state owned facilities, Mr Moxey said over the next several months officials would be rolling out initiatives to cut back on energy consumption.
He said using solar panels at the Office of the Prime Minister and other government offices will be first on the agenda.
Comments
Clamshell 4 years, 9 months ago
Translation: “If you’d just quit using electricity, we’d be much better at supplying it.” LMAO
ThisIsOurs 4 years, 9 months ago
That's about what they said...
TalRussell 4 years, 9 months ago
Isn't it instances where the wasteful's Out Islanders comrades use luxury modern day appliances likes air conditioning, electric stoves, high capacity water heaters and two-sided doors fridges which frequently resulting electricity disruptions have damaged unnecessary appliances, yes,no
The_Oracle 4 years, 9 months ago
Solar at the P.M.'s office and other Government offices first, at the tax payers cost, how typical. Self service with no hoops to jump through, but let a citizen try to spend his own money to install solar and you get bounced between URCA, Min. of works and BEC/BPL with no end in sight. There have been frequent power cuts in Nassau since I was a teenager, a long time ago! (first inverter install, 1980!)
licks2 4 years, 9 months ago
It sure looks like what you described above means only one thing. . .MONOPOLISTIC CONSPIRACY by officials to continue to provide an essential services at an exorbitant price. Another simple thing I realized that happens and militates against officials doing anything about the situation!! They all have generators. . .I assume!! THEY HAVE NO IDEA OF WHAT WE SPEAK WHEN WE COMPLAIN ABOUT THE MISERY OF LIGHT GOING OUT SO OFTEN AND FOR SO LONG!! THEY DON'T GO THROUGH THAT!!
DDK 4 years, 9 months ago
"BAHAMAS Power and Light executives have urged consumers to submit claims in instances where they believe frequent disruptions might have damaged appliances." TOTAL WASTE OF TIME UNLESS YOU ARE CONNECTED! MORE BS.
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 9 months ago
ROWL
Clamshell 4 years, 9 months ago
By “tedious,” they mean that no Bahamian has ever yet managed to successfully complete the process. There likely are still claims pending for the replacement of black-and-white televisions, and radios that used vacuum tubes.
TalRussell 4 years, 9 months ago
Why is it that Nassau's gigawatt finds itself left so damn far behind in year 2019, when but a quarter gigawatt in energy capacity can provide for powering-up combination 175,000 residential and business establishments which falls way below Freeport's current "underused" by 76% electricity capacity, yes, no.... And, take into account that the entire "official" population Colony of Out Islands Nassau Town comes in at mere 266,000, yes, no.....................
licks2 4 years, 9 months ago
OFL. . .go tal. . .I have not even analyse what you said yet. . .THE WAY YOU SAID THIS IS SO FAR SANE COMPARED TO HOW YOU POSTED IN THE PAST!!! I looking up in the air but i een see no pigs them flying. . .no matter though. . .they must be up there somewhere flying around happy as larks. . .hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!
TalRussell 4 years, 9 months ago
Comrade Licks2, my adding machine has run out its roll paper but pretty sure Freeport's gigawatt capacity is in range 0.137, yes, no.............
licks2 4 years, 9 months ago
Speaking from experience filing for claim for damage is like going to war with BPL!! You get attacked like you are trying to "trick them" to get one new TV or something!! Get this estimate, get that estimate and hire one technician to check it out and write a report to prove we did cause the problem. . .chor chor chor chor chor chor chor chor! I wondered, why the heck you don't let me bring the dang thing to you. . .you have the experts right there!!
The person I spoke actually have an adversarial attitude as if I was bothering them. . .or want to tief from them!! I looked at the old convection oven and said: " bouy ya ole any ha. . .I een on BEC run for a few couple dolles". . .in the garbage went my old baby. . .moving right along!
Well_mudda_take_sic 4 years, 9 months ago
The ongoing economic cost of the persistent power outages throughout our country is humongous to say the very least. But Minnis, who has been in office for over two years now, allowed himself to be side tracked by petty issues, including costly investigations of the previous government that have produced absolutely nothing for the Bahamian people. The Lucayan Hotel was another very costly distraction for Minnis and his greedy cronies....mega millions spent and for what? Absolutely nada! That's the money that should have long ago been used to purchase and install new power generation equipment for BPL. Instead, BPL is renting generators at a current outrageous cost of $3 million plus per month. I smell more than one greedy Bahamian rat behind these exorbitant generator rental costs. Yep, Minnis has a small arrogant nasty ADD mind that is totally incapable of staying focused on the big picture. He just doesn't have a clue about the things that matter most for our country and its people. Never have we had such an incompetent PM!
DWW 4 years, 9 months ago
thanks for the laugh Tribune. good one. is it april fools?
Let me tell a little story all about how my life got twisted upside down. BEC transformer next to the house decided to go messing rown it gave the house only 95 volts and the appliances did a jolt everything got burned up the BEC crew they come jump they fix the transformer and said go get refund went for the refund and got dumbed.
I kid you not the head technician flat out said the problem was theirs, a report would be made and i should be entitled to having all the appliances replaced. the house was only 2 years old so you know i still had receipts, and the appliances were new. Went to the BEC office and they said it would be submitted for review. 6 years later not a peep. followed up and got the run around. Blatant disregard. Thankfully i found all the internal parts on the internet and had them replaced instead of the whole appliance but the TVs, cable boxes, stereo, DVD, coffee maker, were unrepairable and had to be replaced. good job BPL, good job.
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