Solomon Star News

 DEAR EDITOR – Last year during the open week of SIEA, the Manager Distribution came on the newspaper about the rising illegal connections to SIEA power lines.  A warning was also raised to those who are found doing such practices will face appropriate consequences, in particular I think, those who had the know how to do such things.

What I want SIEA to know here are the practices which I think were carried out by the company’s staffs. I would like the Manager Distribution to take note of the following:

• Failure of reading meters for months

 •Over charging 

•Disconnection of power as a result of overcharging 

•Stringing/connection of service/power lines without proper procedures 

•Staff failure to string/connect service/power lines for those who have paid 

•KWhr (power) meters and cash power meters bypassed or adjusted by SIEA staffs for wantoks or rewards, or as directed by SIEA staffs 

• Connecting KWhr meters (live) without inspections

 Sometimes when the over charged customers enquired with the SIEA, the staffs are poorly informed and ignorant. It seem like they doesn’t understand things. What they said many times was give us your current reading and your bills will be adjusted. 

But when our new bills arrive nothing changed. This has also resulted in disconnection of power. Some other times our meter readings were adjusted but the amount of money from over charging was not removed from our new bills. 

Could we call these robbing customers? I hope the Manager Distribution will address such practices and train up the company staffs properly first before go looking for those who may do illegal connections.  

Brian Rapeta
Honiara