Utilities can now report on customers to credit bureaus

Utility service providers in Jamaica will now supply information on their customers to credit bureaus.   News has come that Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips exercised his power under the Credit Reporting Act and signed an order to this effect on August 7.   The Jamaica Public Service Company, National Water Commission, licensees under the Telecommunications Act as well as entities in the credit business were designated as credit information providers.   According to the notice, broadening the slate of  providers will expand the database of  credit information available to licensees under the Credit Reporting Act.   It says this also has positive implications for the quality of  credit reports which inform risk assessments and credit decision making.  

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Utilities can now report on customers to credit bureaus

NCB warns customers about scams

National Commercial Bank, has issued a warning about phishing and internet scams.
The bank did not say whether its customers have been duped by the scam recently.
But NCB says it has never sent emails asking for updates or confirmation of account details.
The bank said, customers being asked to follow a link to its website or being asked to supply private banking information through an email, should ignore the message and contact it immediately.
Phishing and internet scams have recently been used to deceive persons into providing banking information.

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NCB warns customers about scams

Jamaican electricity customers to get islandwide pre-paid system by year-end

The Jamaica Public Service Company, the country’s sole electricity distributor, is projecting that a new pre-paid billing system will be available island-wide by year end. The system allows customers to pay a set price for a fixed period of  service.
The programme has started, on a pilot basis, in Portmore, a large urban community just outside the capital city, Kingston.

Kelly Tomblin, CEO of JPS, explained on RJR’s “Beyond the Headlines” on Tuesday that the company will use information from the pilot project to prepare for the island-wide expansion.

“We wanted to get in and piloted before our Customer Information System upgrade,” she explained.

Expressing excitement about the initiative, Tomblin said, with the customer being in charge of how much electricity to use on a pre-paid basis, it would put customers “in charge” and no longer at risk of being disconnected by the JPS for failure to pay their bills.

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Jamaican electricity customers to get islandwide pre-paid system by year-end

Jamaican electricity customers to get islandwide pre-paid system by year-end

The Jamaica Public Service Company, the country’s sole electricity distributor, is projecting that a new pre-paid billing system will be available island-wide by year end. The system allows customers to pay a set price for a fixed period of  service.
The programme has started, on a pilot basis, in Portmore, a large urban community just outside the capital city, Kingston.

Kelly Tomblin, CEO of JPS, explained on RJR’s “Beyond the Headlines” on Tuesday that the company will use information from the pilot project to prepare for the island-wide expansion.

“We wanted to get in and piloted before our Customer Information System upgrade,” she explained.

Expressing excitement about the initiative, Tomblin said, with the customer being in charge of how much electricity to use on a pre-paid basis, it would put customers “in charge” and no longer at risk of being disconnected by the JPS for failure to pay their bills.

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Jamaican electricity customers to get islandwide pre-paid system by year-end

Scammers target some NCB customers

The National Commercial Bank (NCB) is probing the circumstances under which scammers compromised one of  its Automated Banking Machines, ABM’s, in Portmore in the central parish of  St. Catherine, fleecing hundreds of thousands of  dollars from customers.

The bank has deactivated debit cards of  customers who conducted transactions at its ABM at Portmore Pines Plaza between last Thursday and Sunday.

It’s reported, that the bank discovered that members of  a criminal network placed a special device inside the ABM, which collected the personal identification numbers of customers.

A senior investigator told RJR News, that three members of  the network, including the alleged leader, were recently arrested and charged with fraud.

However, he said other members of  the network have continued the scam.

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Scammers target some NCB customers

LIME cuts cost for mobile internet customers

LIME has cut the calling cost for all customers with mobile internet by 30 percent.The company said since Wednesday, its mobile customers with internet on their phones will pay $1.99 to make calls from the instrument. To qualify customers will just have to activate any 30 day mobile internet plan.LIME said the move, which is not a promotion, is in recognition that the future of mobile networks lies in data. In April, LIME began upgrades to its network to enhance its data offerings. The company is currently spending 8 billion dollars on that project.

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LIME cuts cost for mobile internet customers

$1.99 for LIME"s prepaid mobile Internet customers

Carlo Redwood

Telecoms value provider LIME has introduced a lower call rate of $1.99 per minute for prepaid mobile Internet customers.

The new ‘MVP’ or Mobile Internet Voice Plan rate became effective last Wednesday. It gives customers on its popular ‘Talk EZ’ prepaid plan a reduction of more than 30 per cent on all local calls and to the USA, Canada and landlines in the UK, once they have activated any 30-day mobile Internet plan.

Carlo Redwood, LIME’s VP, marketing, said the move represents the company’s continued commitment to offer the best value in the market for telecoms services.

“Research has told us that more and more Jamaicans have a growing appetite for data services and this move will make it even easier for our customers to avail themselves of the power of mobile internet, while still being able to keep in touch with friends and family for one low affordable rate – now the lowest prepaid calling rate on the market,” Redwood said.

In April, LIME began upgrades to its mobile network valued at more than J$8 billion that will see the company offering enhance 4G HSPA+ data services across the island.

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$1.99 for LIME"s prepaid mobile Internet customers

NWC eyeing stronger measures to collect $12b owed by customers

BY ALICIA DUNKLEY-WILLIS Senior staff reporter dunkleya@jamaicaobserver.com

Tuesday, February 04, 2014    

WITH over $12 billion owed to it by delinquent consumers, hundreds of whom are now before the courts, the National Water Commission (NWC) has warned that it might have to take even harsher steps to recover the arrears.

“Included in the court process is the legal course the commission has where we can take out caveats against properties so a person can be prevented from selling or otherwise utilise their property because of failure to pay their water supply bill; that’s a strong provision,” corporate public relations manager at the NWC, Charles Buchanan, told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview.

“We also have provision where the commission can have the property sold to recover the amounts owed. That is even stronger. The commission has indicated that it will be pursuing these; it is something we would rather not pursue, but it is something we may be forced to use,” Buchanan said.

“Every month the Revenue Recovery Division has brought dozens of new cases of persons who are being prosecuted for trespassing on the works of the commission and we have also brought dozens of others every month for failure to honour their NWC bills over extended periods of time. There are hundreds of such cases before the courts,” Buchanan told the Observer.

In the meantime, he said the NWC, while trying to make its debtors pay, has itself been incurring costs.

“It is a time-consuming and costly strategy… for example, we have incurred costs from our own lawyers having to dedicate a lot of their time to go to court, as well as other employees having to spend a lot of time developing these cases and, as you know, there is a significant backlog in the courts, so it can be quite time-consuming. So you do a prosecution and you have to go to court repeatedly,” Buchanan noted.

“In addition, even when the court decision is made, the commission may have to take further civil action to get anything specifically because if the court says 30 days in prison or x fine, that’s a payment, as I understand it, to the courts,” he said, pointing out that “the issue of the commission getting a court order to say, ‘pay over x amount by such time’ is another process that itself takes more time”.

Admitting that he was “not sure” that the amounts recovered compensated for the legal costs incurred or even covered the full sums owed to the NWC, Buchanan said it is still “a necessary part of our attempt to encourage persons to pay for what they have utilised”.

“It’s important for us to show that it does not pay, it’s wrong, it’s embarrassing, it’s a crime, that’s a large part of what we want to do and to encourage persons to recognise that there is a moral imperative for them to honour their obligations and to not illegally connect to our systems,” he added.

Asked the amount owed to date he said, “It’s in the billions, over $12 billion, it’s a dynamic figure.”

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NWC eyeing stronger measures to collect $12b owed by customers

Customers owe NWC J$15b in arrears

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Customers owe NWC J$15b in arrears

Customers owe NWC J$15b in arrears

News

Sunday, August 25, 2013 | 1:13 PM

ST JAMES, Jamaica — State Minister for Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, Ian Hayles, is urging National Water Commission (NWC) customers, currently in arrears amounting to over $15 billion, to settle their accounts. Speaking during a recent tour of water systems in sections of St James, Hayles said that given the government’s current fiscal constraints, accumulation of outstanding payments to the NWC will pose a challenge for the entity to implement projects designed to provide consistent reliable services islandwide.“The planned extension and improvements to the water system in western Jamaica (for example), does not only stop in St James; it will continue into Lucea, in Hanover to the tune of US$1.7 billion. If consumers do not pay their water bills now then there is no way that we can extend these pipe lines,” said Hayles.The State Minister also noted challenges related to construction activities that he contended occur too close to NWC systems. These, he pointed out, “often create health problems and, sometimes, disruptions in the supply programmes.”“We will, therefore have to talk more to our people in an effort to educate them on these infringements,” Hayles said.

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Customers owe NWC J$15b in arrears