State Electric Company (STELCO) on Monday, June 03, confirmed attending to over 6,700 customer complaints regarding the recent utility bills.
The utility provider launched a customer-complaint window hot in the heels of widespread public criticism owing to the significantly higher bills for May 2024.
According to a media official from STELCO, confirming to the WhatsApp channel of local media outlets, the utility provider has received, and subsequently attended to a total of 659 phone calls.
In addition to direct calls, STELCO has received a total of 6,135 customer queries and complaints via the hotline’s various mediums – WhatsApp, Viber, and Telegram – as well as through its Facebook page and website.
STELCO’s media official further added that the utility provider remains committed in responding to all the queries within a maximum of 24 hours, from the time they receive the complaints.
The recent May 2024 utility bills reflected significantly higher charges, compared to what was levied in previous months. This had led to criticisms and complaints by general consumers, many of whom, inquired the reason for this surge.
Earlier, STELCO had extended discounts on the bills issued for March and April – which coincided with both the hot season and the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. As part of Maldives President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s pledge on charging general consumers at the standard rate in Ramadan, STELCO provided discounts on these bills; incurring an expense of over MVR 61 million.