Leopard crawling and exhausted after what seems to be an endless 27 month battle with City of Jo’burg Billing Department, our family can no longer continue. Since November 2009 we have been pushed from one incompetent employee to some or other inadequate department head. On the receiving end of countless, pointless reference numbers which amount to absolutely nothing apart from, being handed some more. Inane suggestions from uninformed minions as how we should simply pay up to solve the problem have come our way in abundance. Well, as volunteer workers, our budget simply cannot accommodate an exorbitant bill of what now stands at a whopping R150 000.00! In November 2009 our water bill shot from an average of R350.00 per month to what we believed at that point was an astounding R33000.00.
We have driven from one office to another where the ‘powers that be’ have little or no understanding or ability to rectify their mistake, countless telephone calls, change in systems, training for said system changes and a mass action strike have been but a few obstacles to overcome. We have submitted photographs our meter, handed over billing records and anything else that has been required of us. We have been pleasant, understanding even friendly, passing the time of day with City of Jo’burg officials in the helpless hope of getting the attention needed to get things sorted. We are now regular recipients of threatening text messages to pay the outstanding monies, where initially we were advised not to pay anything until it was corrected. The outstanding bill is nearly equal to what we paid for our property initially and the cost on our family’s well being and health has been beyond that. Who would be able to cope with a staggering bill like this hanging over their heads like the Sword of Damocles? We desperately need for someone to step forward and truly help us here. (Either that or a personal trainer who specialises in endurance training).
To City of Jo’burg Billing department: Our invoice is being billed for a meter which is located over the road from ours. Yes, before you make the suggestion again, we have checked and ascertained which is our meter. Now, with a few strokes on your system’s keyboard, you should be able to change the details on your incomplete records, one does not need to be a space engineer to do this.
We have driven from one office to another where the ‘powers that be’ have little or no understanding or ability to rectify their mistake, countless telephone calls, change in systems, training for said system changes and a mass action strike have been but a few obstacles to overcome. We have submitted photographs our meter, handed over billing records and anything else that has been required of us. We have been pleasant, understanding even friendly, passing the time of day with City of Jo’burg officials in the helpless hope of getting the attention needed to get things sorted. We are now regular recipients of threatening text messages to pay the outstanding monies, where initially we were advised not to pay anything until it was corrected. The outstanding bill is nearly equal to what we paid for our property initially and the cost on our family’s well being and health has been beyond that. Who would be able to cope with a staggering bill like this hanging over their heads like the Sword of Damocles? We desperately need for someone to step forward and truly help us here. (Either that or a personal trainer who specialises in endurance training).
To City of Jo’burg Billing department: Our invoice is being billed for a meter which is located over the road from ours. Yes, before you make the suggestion again, we have checked and ascertained which is our meter. Now, with a few strokes on your system’s keyboard, you should be able to change the details on your incomplete records, one does not need to be a space engineer to do this.
