Endless complaints

I realise that I`ve been complaining a lot lately. Things just don`t seem to be going my way. I asked around the office if anyone else has been having the same problems as I am keeping life, bills, work and utilities ticking over. They said "no".

But, when I bring up a specific problem, they always have a recent similar story to add to the mix, so I think they`re in denial.

My latest problem has been a recurrence of an old one about which I have previously griped in this column. Over a year ago, I received a R12 000 water bill.

Anyone who has lived in SA for some time knows the pain of having to resolve ludicrous overcharges such as these. To cut a very long story short, just under a year later, they finally removed this amount from our bill.

However, it took them another four months and another visit to the municipality to get them to concede that the interest they had charged on the amount we didn`t owe should also be removed.

Anyone who has lived in SA for some time knows the pain of having to resolve ludicrous overcharges.

Georgina Guedes, Editor, ITWeb Brainstorm

Last month, for the first time, I received my utilities bill without the interest or the overcharge. It was fantastic. I had a new spring in my step. I felt that finally, for the first time since I moved into my new house, I could do a budget with a real reflection of the actual amounts it costs to run the place.

It was with a feeling of great happiness that I opened this month`s utility bill, secure in the confidence that everything has been resolved in my favour, only to discover that I have been charged R43 000 for electricity this month.

All I want to know is how difficult would it be for the council to install an alert system that informs them when an individual`s bill is, say, twice what it should be?

Even if they can`t resolve it immediately, the meter reading service being outsourced, they could send a letter with the bill stating: "We have picked up an error with your bill. Please pay an amount equalling your average monthly bill and we will endeavour to resolve this issue as quickly as possible." Think what that would do for their public relations.

Of course, in my instance, my monthly average is incalculable due to the perpetual stuff-ups on their side, but still.

A friend of mine who consults on the mines in Rustenburg makes the car trip there from Johannesburg roughly four times a week. While the simple solution to his problem might be "don`t speed", in reality he picks up a speeding ticket every so often.

A cheque posted to the address on the tickets was returned by the post office, as the address didn`t exist. The swarming presence of the Metro police on the highway recently got his conscience pricking, and he decided to pay the fines in person.

A convoluted process at the Rustenburg traffic department finally had them revealing that he couldn`t actually pay his particular fine there, he had to go to the courts. The woman behind the counter advised him against going to the courts on that specific day, as they were too busy to see him.

After much discussion about the best route to take, my friend and this woman agreed that it would be best for him to wait until he was arrested by the Metro police, and pay his outstanding fines then.

These days, the Metro police on the highway check for outstanding fines by SMS. With this marvellous technology at their disposal, why doesn`t the traffic department allow its branches to check for an individual`s outstanding fines when he comes to pay them? Imagine what a centralised payment system would do for their public relations.

Which brings me to my point. I am going to endeavour to limit my ire to one column a month. But being the magnanimous sort, I`d like to air your complaints as well.

I`m not launching an Isabelle Jones-type service; I`m interested to hear about how you think simple technology could solve the problems you have encountered in greasing the wheels of the machine of existence in SA.

I will forward the suggestions to the parties in question, and attempt to elicit some sort of response from them. Happy griping!