KUALA LUMPUR: STEPPING into the Kedai Tenaga in Cheras proved to be a wise decision for customers who wanted to seek clarity on their newly received electricity bill issued for usage during the Movement Control Order (MCO) and the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) since March 18.
They were not only attended to swiftly but were also content with the clear explanation provided by customer service personnel of the billing advisory unit, who took time to break down the mechanisms and calculation of their electricity consumption in March, April and May when meter reading activities were suspended amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Thanks to the relentless effort and efficiency of the personnel in attending to the customers, they spent less than 30 minutes at the premises in Bandar Tun Hussein Onn, and went home satisfied after paying their bills on the spot and opting for the online payment platform.
Ku Razak Ku Majid said he was at first confused with the bill he received three days ago and decided it was best to personally go to Kedai Tenaga to understand the matter better.
The 58-year-old, who lives in Taman Cheras Utama, said he was shocked by the slight increase in amount in his electricity bill.
The Kuala Lumpur City Hall assistant engineer said this was because he had diligently paid an average amount of about RM70 in March, April and May respectively , despite not receiving any bills from TNB.
"I did not miss paying over the three months so when I received the bill of RM100 for the period, I was confused with the surge and I had, at first, doubted that the calculation was accurate as I had been settling the charges.
"I was then told that the bill was the lump sum amount over the period. There was also an estimated excess usage for each month worth RM10. So it made sense to me that there were additional charges as my two children and I were working from home and I have another child who studied online, too," said Ku Razak.
Convinced by the explanation, Ku Razak paid his bill on the spot as he did not want any outstanding amount to be reflected on his future statements.
"The 50 per cent discount offered by TNB also helps to alleviate the financial expenses during this time," he said.
While he had not heard of any complaints about overcharging by TNB, retiree Lai Weng Lee wanted to know for himself the reason behind the rise of about RM15 in his monthly bill during the MCO and CMCO.
The 60-year-old resident of Taman Tun Hussein Onn said he compared the charges on the bill that he was issued with yesterday morning and had simply wanted to seek further clarification on it.
On a monthly average, Lai said he forked out about RM50 before the MCO was enforced.
"However, as my family of four stayed home a lot during the MCO and CMCO, the charges rose to between RM55 and RM56 monthly. I feel it is justified and I do not think TNB would resort to calculating incorrectly as they are responsible.
"I am confident that they are also transparent and would not mislead their customers by overcharging," said Lai, adding that he would use the convenience of settling his bill online.
Lai, who was accompanied by his wife, also praised TNB's services as he waited for only 10 minutes before he was attended to by the billing advisory unit.
Meanwhile, pensioner A. Perumal said he was at first surprised when he was served with a RM90 bill recently.
"I was baffled with how it had come up so high and I thought it was too much of consumption as I live with my wife at Taman Koperasi Cuepacs in Kajang.
"But I was then told that the RM90 bill was the usage for April and May. So that was logical as it is about RM45 for one month and that is the average amount that I pay prior to the MCO.
"So the calculation is consistent and there were no spike in my bill. I knew TNB would properly explain the workings of the bills. It is fair and I decided to settle it immediately," said the 73-year-old former soldier.
All Kedai Tenaga outlets in the country reopened on June 1 and operate from Mondays to Fridays from 9am to 4pm. Its payment kiosks are operational daily from 8am to 10pm.
From June 1 to 11, a total of 118,408 customers have visited Kedai Tenaga nationwide, with an average of 1,545 people making enquiries on the calculation method daily.
During the same period at Kedai Tenaga in Cheras, it received a total of 2,053 customers a day with 28 people walking in to clarify matters on their bill.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, had in March, announced the tiered rebate system for electricity bills from 15 up to 50 per cent for domestic users in Peninsular Malaysia.
Close to 90 per cent of domestic users in Peninsular Malaysia are to receive the rebates automatically from April 1 to Sept 30 this year where the Bottom 40 group will benefit from the higher rebate of 50 per cent.
Under the tiered rebate system, three million domestic users (with monthly consumption of below 200kWh) will receive a 50 per cent rebate; 1.5 million users (with monthly consumption between 201kWh and 300kWh) will get a 25 per cent rebate while 2.2 million users (with monthly consumption between 301kWh and 600kWh) will get a 15 per cent rebate.
The rebates, jointly subsidised by the government, TNB as well as funds from Kumpulan Wang Industri Elektrik, will be stated on the electricity bill from May onwards.
To ease the financial burden of the people, TNB has introduced an Easy Payment Plan to aid 7.5 million residential consumers where bills can be paid in instalments until Dec 31 this year, unless one chooses to settle the payment in full.
It also said the late payment surcharge will be waived from March 18 until Sept 30 and disconnection of services will be postponed to July 31.