The country’s two regulated public utility companies have improved their level of compliance for guaranteed standards of service they provide the public, according to data released yesterday by the Fair Trading Commission (FTC).
During the period April 2009 to March 2010, the Barbados Light & Power Company (BL&P) achieved 99.6 per cent average compliance for restoration of supply after a fault on a customer’s service is reported. The target that BL&P has guaranteed to fix this fault is within 12 hours.
To provide a simple service connection, the BL&P has guaranteed customers that it would provide the connection within 12 working days. According to the FTC, the utility company achieved compliance in this area 90.4 per cent of the time.
Under the guaranteed standards, the utility companies are required to make a prescribed compensation payment to each customer who is affected by the company’s failure to meet the defined target for a particular standard.
And in the case of Cable & Wireless, the telecommunications company said it would process applications for service within15 working days for residential customers. The FTC said C&W achieved this target 93 per cent of the time.
In the case of business applications, C&W met the seven-working-days target only 79.5 per cent of the time.When it came to fixing faults due to failure in C&W equipment or systems, C&W?promised to fix these problems within 12 working hours during the dry season (December 1 to May 31) for residential customers. It met this target 90.81 per cent of the time.
When it came to businesses, C&W promised to fix these faults within eight working hours during the dry season. The FTC said that on average 87.90 per cent of the time the telecoms company met the target.
During the wet season (June 1 to November 30), however, C&W’s ability to meet its targets fell to 64.46 per cent of the time for residential customers and 62.7 per cent of the time for commercial clients. (GE)
