It is unacceptable that customers of Malta’s utility providers are expected to pay for the inefficiencies of utility providers and its sub-contractors, Alternattiva Demokratika yesterday said.

All sorts of complaints were being made by customers, ranging from incorrect energy bills to never-ending queues of clients querying their bills, AD chairman Michael Briguglio said.

“It is obvious that with all the rhetoric in favour of the efficiency of privatisation, ARMS (which has been subcontracted to administer water and electricity bills) is in an administrative shambles,” he said.

He said that unless the company got its act together, the six per cent interest charge applicable to ‘overdue’ water and electricity bills should be suspended.

AD said this “fiasco” reflected the crude abuse of consumers by Enemalta and the Water Services Corporation due to their monopolistic market domination.