Electricity/water disconnections

[ians]

As of the 1 September 2021 ... the president of SA has notified all municipalities that they can start disconnecting you services with immediate effect.

I was told by the private contractor that the list is so long he will be making an absolute fortune with the amount of disconnects ... thanks to the council not reading my meter for so long the actual reading is in the tens of thousands.

Looks like we will not be given the benefit of writing off our bills like Eskom did for people of Soweto.

[ians]

It will be cheaper for me to install a full PV system than pay my electricity account.

[adrianh]

The municipality will turn your water off to a trickle....They've done it to me a couple of times. You then get nailed with a fat fee when they turn it back on. My electricity is on a meter so if I don't pay for electricity I live in the dark!

[ians]

I applied for a pre paid meter years ago ... I am still waiting ... I think they dont like installing pre paid in side of the world ... because then they cant cut your electricity.

It seems many people are going to get home to a nasty surprise ... the contractor said he has hundreds of disconnection to do over the next fews days.

[Andromeda]

In my suburb, the DBs no longer lock. My neighbour noticed that combined with a stupidly high bill, his meter carried on turning even though he switched his supply off.

They pitched up to disconnect his electricity and he showed them the problem. They left and instead pitched up the next day with a member of the Red Ants. When my wife took a photo of their unmarked vehicle and my neighbour and his brother in law (two traditionally large dudes) proceeded to explain what would happen to them if the continued along that path they thought better of it.

[Andromeda]

The municipality will turn your water off to a trickle....They've done it to me a couple of times. You then get nailed with a fat fee when they turn it back on. My electricity is on a meter so if I don't pay for electricity I live in the dark!

In my neck of the woods, RWB have already reduced the water pressure by 20% .... to the municipality. The wonderful municipality owes RWB more than R3 billion.

[Derlyn]

I applied for a pre paid meter years ago ... I am still waiting ... I think they dont like installing pre paid in side of the world ... because then they cant cut your electricity.

It seems many people are going to get home to a nasty surprise ... the contractor said he has hundreds of disconnection to do over the next fews days.

It is not legal to cut off your electricity if you have already paid for it ( prepaid ) so the Munic, instead of cutting your electricity, they just block the meter so that you cannot buy more when the existing units run out and the meter shuts off. It's actually simpler and cheaper than having a contractor physically go and cut and reconnect.

Peace out .. Derek.

[ians]

This drive by the council to cut water and electricity from the people in the suburbs might just be what will break people ... I had no option but to go and beg to try get the power switched back on today.

Trying to settle a R58 000.00 account with the council is no easy task ... they dont give shyte ... the power is off until the 25 % is paid up and only then will they negotiate a settlement.

Today I can understand why a person would go into the garage ... close all the windows and doors start the engine and drift off into a deep sleep ... my policies are up to date and the family would be a lot better off financially without me.

I would need to find a smaller garage ... my garage is too big ... by the time I drift off the vehicle would already be out of fuel ...knowing my luck ... I would forget to close a window

Thank goodness all the other shyte like the bond ... the overdrafts and credit cards are all sorted out.

[adrianh]

Trying to settle a R58 000.00 account with the council is no easy task ... they dont give shyte ... the power is off until the 25 % is paid up and only then will they negotiate a settlement.tter off financially without me.

I am really surprised that they let it go that far. Here in Cape Town if your water is 3 months overdue they cut you off. You can then go and negotiate but you still end up paying huge fees to clear it up.

[adrianh]

Today I can understand why a person would go into the garage ... close all the windows and doors start the engine and drift off into a deep sleep ... my policies are up to date and the family would be a lot better off financially without me.

Ag nonsense - treat it as just another annoying problem to sort out - It took my accountants 7 months to sort our taxes out and it cost quite a bit. Its just life... if it isn't one thing its another.

Never let money get you down! - Ian - Its k@k and I know how it feels but the bottom line is that it is just an annoyance - don't get depressed - say after me "FxCK THEM" and then make a plan.

...and besides...no policies will pay out if you do yourself in! The greedy insurance companies will eat all your payments!

[ians]

Dont worry Adrian ... I am still gonna to be here for a while ... you okes are not going to get rid of me that easy ... All the previous attempts to take my own life have failed ... so you have nothing to worry about ... I am still here and I have good news ... the total outstanding balancing (R58923.90)including the R290 disconnection fee is paid in full.

[ians]

By the way ... I am still waiting for Standard bank business banker to return my call ... so I decided F%ck it ... I had a delivery to do ... so I stopped off at FNB ... a half an hour later I have a cheque account ... a savings account ... a card issued and initialised at the ATM ... the FNB banking app and already transferred money into the account.

I will give it 3 months and see how it goes ... then I will move everything from Standard to FNB.

By the way ... I walked up the steps by the time I got to the door I had a young lad ask what I required ... half and hour later I walked out with a new bank account and his details to contact him direct if I have any questions or need anything.

What an awesome banking experience ... I would probably still be in the que at Standard bank waiting for a business banker ... sometime you just got the grab the bull by the horns and move.

[Blurock]

@ian I almost said, "I told you so." As Adrian says, life is worth living. Sometimes we just have to follow another route to get to where we want to be. How can we expect change and something better if we just do what we have always been doing?

FNB has a business help desk which operates 24/7 0877 FNB 247. I have found them to be very helpful and saves you going to a branch and sitting in a queue. (at FNB you don't stand).

[Blurock]

Why trust the municipality to read your water or electricity meter with a good chance of getting the numbers wrong or inflating the consumption. The government and municipalities are bankrupt and now they are looking for other sources of revenue.

By installing an AUS-iot monitor you get meter readings on the hour and warnings of excessive consumption, leaks and bursts. Keep records that can stand up in court. Property admins have the convenience of reading meters on any of their managed sites anywhere in the country. Usage profiles enables statistical analysis and accurate future budgeting. The system is compatible with all major accounting systems or data can be downloaded as a CSV or excel file. Available for water, gas and electricity.

[ians]

I have already saved a couple of thousand rand ... every minute I sit in a que I cant be working ... I received my license renewal ... banking with Standard bank ... it means half a day wasted in a que at the post office or licensing department ... with FNB you go to the app on your phone click click scan your vehicle license disk and image that it done ... you dont even have to fill out the details ...

Standard "moving forward 1 pebble at a time"

And just when I thought it couldnt get any better ... I am told I qualify as a senior ... big deal ... it actually is ... because I get a cheque account for R35 and a savings account absolutely free.

My son decides to use the home affairs feature at Standard bank ... what a joke ... if they are not off line ... you have to sit like a fool and wait or come back later and try again ... no big deal ... actually it is and why I say this ... they cannot contact you to inform you that they are online because dont have facilities to do that.

And I have even used the card yet ... there are still ebucks and other things which Standard dont have ... I starting to kick myself for not moving a lot sooner.