Water they say is life but comes at a cost. The Ghana Water Company Limited wish to announce to the general public that they will be dragging 28 of its defaulting customers in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis to court for refusing to pay their water bills which have exceeded three hundred thousand Ghana cedis.
Read the Press release below
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PROSECUTION OF DEFAULTING GWCL CUSTOMERS IN SEKONDI-TAKORADI METROPOLIS
Management of Ghana Water Company Limited in the Western Region has dragged 28 of its defaulting customers in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis to court for refusing to pay their water bills which have exceeded three hundred thousand Ghana cedis.
The 28 customers made up of hotels, churches, government institutions, transport companies, and private individuals/residential customers, owe the GWCL an amount of three hundred and twenty-seven thousand, five hundred and seventy-nine cedis, thirty-nine pesewas (GHC 327,579.39).
These customers are mostly those who have defaulted payment for between two and six years and have even been disconnected but have refused to pay their water bills despite strenuous efforts made, including demand notices and reminders served on them by the company to collect the arrears.
So far, those who were properly served and appeared in court have had judgments delivered against them at the various courts in Sekondi and Takoradi. Others who were served but failed to appear in court still had judgments pronounced against them in their absence.
Even before the lawyers of GWCL activate the execution processes to retrieve the judgment debts, some of the accused customers are running to the company’s offices to either settle their bills in full or make part payments. Thus far, the company has retrieved GHC 66,962.73 with others pleading for payment plans agreeable to GWCL.
These defaulting customers are being made to pay cost between GHC 500 and GHC 1,500 plus interest on the amount owed at the prevailing bank rate for the duration of the arrears. This has sent shivers down the spine of some defaulters.
A major transport company which was owing the company GHC 25,572.49 has rushed to pay GHC 5,000 and agreed to pay additional GHC 5,000 every fortnight until the entire bill is settled. A customer whose arrears was GHC 13,646.56 quickly paid GHC 13,000 out of it, whiles two customers whose separate bills were GHC3,728.73 and GHC2,798.14 settled their entire bills immediately.
A popular hotel at Beach Road in Takoradi which had been disconnected for some time was also compelled to pay more than a third of its arrears following the court processes. Another hotel was also charged GHC 1,200 cost plus interest on the arrears owed in addition to paying its arrears.
A customer who felt highly embarrassed by the court case immediately settled his bill of GHC 9,214.95 but could not get to the court early before his case was called. The court then awarded cost and interest against him. There was an interesting case of a customer whose interest payment alone was more than the arrears for which he was brought before the court.
Another customer who owed the company GHC 7,228.53 settled his bill in full before coming to court on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, but was slapped with GHC 1,000 cost plus GHC1,084 interest on the amount owed for six months.
Management of GWCL hopes to make it a great disincentive for customers to default in the payment of water bills in Western Region. It is, therefore, urging all defaulting customers to bear in mind that, it will spare no efforts in their quest to rid their books of all defaulting customers.
END.
For further enquiries, kindly contact:
Nana Yaw Barima Barnie
Communications Manager
Western & Central Regions
Mob: 0244 622 629
ybarnie@gwcl.com.gh
