Is it just me asking or has the Electricity Authority lost the plot completely?

Just before Christmas I received a ludicrously over ‘estimated’ electricity bill. We were all aware of the price hike of 40 per cent promised by the government but my demand was double that expected. In a state of shock that ruined my Christmas (pun intended) I paid, wiping out half of my puny UK state pension payment.

Calming down in January, I took the matter up with the authority. They admitted nothing but the bill for March showed that I owed them – €182 (yes, minus) and that negative amount had a due date! I assumed all would be corrected and €182 would be taken off the next bill. I even did the math for the authority and told them I expected, around €23 to be added squaring up everything nicely.

In taking up the matter, I showed evidence that I take meter readings every week. Filled in a green card, attempted to have it confirmed but the system was down, spoke to a charming Lady who took the reading but failed to record it and we arrived at a negative bill demand!

I now have a bill for May. It is ‘estimated’. The amount is DOUBLE what anyone would expect even accounting for the price hike and furious inflation.

Closer inspection suggests a grossly inaccurate “E” reading. Even a daft little graph suggests that consumption, estimated to be LESS than same time last year. No-one at the authority spotted the glaring anomaly. Well, bless, I guess they wouldn’t, would they?

Humour at ineptitude apart, I fear older pensioners with heart-conditions might react severely to this kind of negligence.

Of course I am taking the matter up with the authority but I just wondered, me only?

Gordon I MacFarlaine, Larnaca