In a written statement Friday, Senate Majority Leader Kenneth L. Gittens said that he has written to Water and Power Authority Chief Executive Officer Karl Knight to help find answers amid chronic complaints of persistent unreliability and outrageous rates that have been plaguing residents of the territory, adding that now those issues are coupled with
consumers being faced with billing issues.
“Over the past few months, numerous residents have experienced significant
discrepancies in their utility bills, which have caused considerable stress and financial
strain. I wrote to formally request that WAPA cease and desist from its ongoing practice
of estimating utility bills and imposing back bills on customers,” he said. “These
practices are in clear violation of our local laws, which govern the proper methods of
billing and customer rights.”
Gittens said WAPA has been estimating bills without adequate justification or proper notification and this method of estimating not only undermines the accuracy of billing but also places an unfair burden on customers. “Back billing for services previously rendered but not accurately billed undermines consumer trust and violates the principles of fairness and transparency that should guide utility operations,” he said.
Gittens said customers have contacted his office to express that despite numerous attempts to resolve their issue through WAPA’s Customer Service Department, the problems persist, leaving many frustrated and unsupported. He said these billing practices are occurring during a time when WAPA’s reliability in providing consistent water and power services has been questionable at best.
“It is unacceptable for customers to bear the financial consequences of an unreliable service. If these illegal practices continue, I will have no choice but to pursue legal action
to protect the rights of all affected customers,” Senator Gittens said. “I urged WAPA, in my letter, to rectify these issues immediately and to adopt more transparent and accurate billing practices in accordance with the law.
