Kurt Sansone
Consumers have 45 days to pay water and electricity bills
Consumers taken aback by water and electricity bills, which stipulated a payment time window of just 15 days rather than 45, can breathe a sigh of relief because the incongruence will be "revised", according to the Finance Ministry.
Bills issued by the newly-formed billing company Arms Ltd, a joint venture between Water Services Corporation and Enemalta, had a payment date printed beneath the amount due that was only 15 days away from the invoice date. However, at the back it was stipulated that the bill could be paid up to 45 days from the date of invoice.
Confirming the payment time window was still 45 days, the Finance Ministry said instructions were given so that the payment date would be revised to reflect this. The company had received a number of complaints on the matter as did The Times.
A spokesman said the invoices issued by Arms Ltd were not erroneous but reflected the wording of the Electricity Supply Regulations.
The regulations stipulate: "If an account or a request for payment, duly presented to a consumer, is not paid within 14 days of its presentation, or if the deposit required in terms of regulation eight is not made within 14 days of the request, the supply of current to any account held by the said consumer may be suspended without any previous notice being given."
However, the same regulations give consumers 45 days from date of invoice to pay their bills but if they don't, interest on outstanding payments will be charged from the 15th day onwards.
The legalese has only helped to confuse consumers and now the company is in the process of changing its invoices to reflect the 45 day time window.
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D Vella
Mar 4th 2010, 08:32
What about their insistence on paying estimated bills?.Have they revised that unethical and probably illegal rule?
E. Azzopardi
Mar 3rd 2010, 19:18
Customer Care !! does not answer the telephone and they never reply to e-mails. They have a standard automatic reply and they leave you at that. Website "under development" for a month!! How's that for Customer Care??
Peter Borg
Mar 3rd 2010, 16:47
@A Vassallo.
The rate will most probably be calculated for every day that the bill is overdue, even though it is stated that it is 6% per annum.
Peter Borg
Mar 3rd 2010, 16:44
Yes it is true that their phone service is lame. With regards to internet banking and payments, HSBC sent an email (accessed via internet banking) which gives information about how to go about and affect payments via their service. It seems that first you have to use "manage payees" and delete the current WSC account. Then you need to add the new one from the list available. This is labelled ARMS something. There you are asked to enter the new account number after which you can affect the payments.
Hugh Morris
Mar 3rd 2010, 16:34
@John Bugeja
You are absolutely right - Their service is an unfunny joke to say the least. When you do actually get through, they don't even ask you what u need before they pass you on to another phone which never picks up.
I managed to find out by myself how to pay online. You have to use your old account number, but they forgot to include the last number of the account.
You can get your correct account number from a previous bill and you can proceed with the payment.
john Bugeja
Mar 3rd 2010, 15:24
I tried to pay using internet banking, however when I set the new ARMs Account No. an error was given, stopping me from proceeding. I phoned customer free phone help line 80072222 (waited about 25min for an answer) and asked whether I could still use the old account no. The reply of the polite lady answering was that she was not sure whether I could use the old Account number. I tried as well to enquire about this through customercare e-mail, again here I received and automatic reply that I would be given an answer, but after a week I am still awaiting a reply.
A. Vassallo
Mar 3rd 2010, 12:47
@ ARMS
"However, the same regulations give consumers 45 days from date of invoice to pay their bills but if they don't, interest on outstanding payments will be charged from the 15th day onwards."
Can somebody from ARMS clearly explain: Is the rate of interest 6% and if yes, is the 6% interest per ANNUM or per MONTH?
Godfrey Camilleri
Mar 3rd 2010, 12:25
This Arms Ltd seems to be taking ages to gear up. A simple question as to how to claim the €3 discount if payment is made promptly on line has only been acknowledged but not answered for over two weeks!
anne cassar
Mar 3rd 2010, 11:44
They have to adjust the software.the invoces are printed automatically