~Revenue Manager says E-billing can reduce hassle and make payments easier

REVENUE Manager of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) Miss. Tomesia Dundas is urging all Guyanese across the country to make use of the company’s updated technology to monitor meters and make payments on time.

The appeal was made when Dundas appeared on the MAAD 97.5 afternoon radio programme last week.
She stated that amid the COVID-19 pandemic and keeping up with the ever-revolving world of technology, GWI has been working to have the majority of its services available to customers via the internet, “As you know, the world is moving towards having paperless transactions; we have been working to have some of our services available online, one of that is the e-billing.”

Dundas added that one of the greatest advantages of the electronic billing service is that not only is it environmentally friendly, but it also spares customers the time and hassle of having to stand in a line to pay their bills.

“So some of the advantage [sic] our customers would have by subscribing to receive their bills electronically, is that it is hassle-free; you can be on vacation and it’s one click away. Let’s say we ran our billing batch tonight, the customer will receive that email the next day,” she said.
She noted that the technology also spares customers postal and delivery delays, as well as mix-ups with addresses, as often customers would miss their bill payments due to bills being delivered at the wrong address.

Aside from the E-billing service, customers can also send their meter readings to the company via their WhatsApp numbers to assist in accurate readings.
Dundas stated that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the company had suspended meter readings for the months of April and May, which saw customers receiving estimated bills.

However, while meter readings have recommenced, field workers (meter readers) from time to time are faced with challenges and are unable to do their jobs in an effective manner; this is where she said the WhatsApp messaging will be helpful.

“Customers also have the option of taking a photo of their meter reading and sending it to the company via WhatsApp or the GWI App,” she said.
Dundas stressed that it is extremely important for customers to have their meters read to have an accurate figure or estimate on their monthly bill. Explaining how estimating works, she disclosed that the calculation process is not done manually, but electronically, which sees reversals and adjustments being made to the estimated levels of consumption.

“Basically it is a standard consumption amount for residential and non-residential, for residential customers that amount is 20 cubic metres and for non-residential its 30 cubic metres. We weren’t reading meters for April and May due to COVID-19, so customers would have received the estimated bills for the two months, so what the system would do on the last reading is reverse those two estimated bills dating back from your last actual reading, dating [back] to the one we took recently,” she explained.
Additionally, Dundas stated that if customers are unable to visit GWI’s offices to make payments, they have the option of using payment agencies such as Mobile Money Guyana (MMG), Sure Pay, Western Union etc. that allows the company to receive payments withing a day or two.

To WhatsApp your meter readings send your information to the numbers 6232995 or 6201667 or visit GWI’s website to sign up for Electronic billing at https://gwiguyana.gy//