Some customers paying their electricity bills were taken by surprise when apparently BEL decided to arbitrarily impose an additional fee on their bill.
In speaking with former fire chief, Henry Baizer he explains that he went to pay an electricity bill for the Baptist Association Retreat Center which is located in Sand Hill when he was informed that he was to pay an additional 58 dollars on the bill. Baizer says that when he queried the new fee he was told that the increase is as a result of some policy in which customers who are disconnected more than three times for any given year are being required to pay an increase on their deposit. Baizer says, “it seems unfair especially for poor people who are the ones who most frequently have their electricity cut out.”
In speaking with BEL’s Corporate Communications Manager, Dawn Sampson, she explained that any customer who applies for services from the Belize Electricity Limited is required to make a financial deposit. She also said that it is not a new practice that customers who are constantly disconnected are required to pay a larger deposit.
