Some residents of Ikorodu in Lagos State on Friday expressed displeasure over services provided by Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company in their communities.
The residents complained of untimely attention and poor customer service accorded them at the electricity distribution company.
The resident told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that customers were currently facing challenges with loading their token as a result of system migration into the new tariff by Ikeja Disco.
This development left most prepaid meter users with no choice than to patronise the DISCO’s customer care service centre located at Sholebo and Alegba Estate in Ikorodu.
However, in separate interviews, the residents complained of unpleasant treatment and service meted out to them at the centre.
They alleged that the customer centre we’re always crowded with consumers waiting to be serviced.
They also alleged that the Disco’s customer service mail address and phone numbers were not effective.
Mr Akeem Debodun, 58, a civil servant, said that he had been coming to the centre for the past four days and was yet to be allowed to see any of the officers.
Debodun said the matter was compounded by the fact that the centre’s staff closed at 2p.m. and not 3p.m. as scheduled.
“I had to boycott my work today again, even under this rain we were not allowed to enter into their premises, we had to queue under a tent at a neighbouring shop because of rain.
“It is not certain that I will be able to lodge my complaints today again, and that means I won’t have access to electricity until I am attended to,” he said.
Mr Akeem Ola, another resident and a lawyer, said he got to the centre at exactly 6.15 a.m. and was yet to be attended to at around 10.00a.m.
“I have been here since 6 o’clock, and I was given No 9 on the queue but amazingly up till this moment I haven’t been attended to.
“Some of their staff got here late, what I see is negligence of duty on their part.
“How can they have just three front desk officers to attend to hundreds of people at this trying time, It is really bad customer service,” Ola lamented.
A trader, Mrs Selimo Uche, said the number of people chosen to attend to daily was too small compared to the large numbers of consumers who came to complain.
“I have been coming here since last week and anytime I get here they would say they have exceeded the numbers of people they want to attend to.
“I kept coming daily, I have no light at home and I can’t even access the customer service, they lock us outside the gate, despite the fact that we are paying for our services.
“When will I lodge my complaints?” Uche queried.
However, an Ikeja electricity staff who spoke to NAN on condition of anonymity, said that changes in the number of people they attended to daily was because they had to obey the rule of social distancing.
“It is not our fault, before COVID-19 we close 5p.m. but presently we close 3p.m. and by 2p.m, we are logged out of the system from the headquarters.
“So, we cannot attend to more than 50 people in a day, ” the Disco’s staff explained.
NAN also reports that only three desk officers are scheduled by the company to receive complaints daily. (NAN)
