Instead of receiving a response to his complaint about "astronomical" water bills, a resident of Donje Kokoti experienced an unpleasant surprise at the end of last month - he was disconnected from the water supply network due to an alleged debt of 118 euros.
That citizen contacted the editorial office, submitting all documentation, including comparative invoices for last year and this year, as well as a complaint from March that he sent to the company "Water Supply and Sewerage", to which he never received a response.
He claims that he had been paying his bills regularly, but in March he received a bill for February of almost 80 euros, which he objected to. After, he claims, he was disconnected without warning, he personally contacted "Vodovod".
"They were very unpleasant at the counter. When I asked for a response to the complaint, they claimed that it was sent on August 19, and when I asked why it never arrived, they replied that it was none of their business, but a matter for the Post of Montenegro. And the fact that the warning before disconnection, allegedly sent on August 8, never arrived, and that the Post is to blame for that. They also explain to me that the meters are supposedly not being read properly, but that I should check with the head of the collection agency. So should I do the work of the 'Vodovod' administration?" asks the citizen.
He emphasizes that he did not receive an answer to a single question that would be in his favor and that "the employees at the counter are not interested in that."
"In the end, I paid the alleged debt because I was forced to, because at that time I had two people with health problems in the house. But I also had to emphasize their unprofessionalism and rudeness," he said.
However, the director of Podgorica's "Waterworks and Sewerage" Aleksandar Nišavić emphasizes that all requests for bill complaints are processed in detail, and that a control of the metering point is mandatory.
"Due to the need for mandatory control of the metering point with the teams of our company, we are unable to provide a timely response to some of the complaints, taking into account the large number of requests. However, all consumers receive a response to the complaint. Responses are forwarded via the postal operator. This consumer's complaint was answered on August 19. Also, consumers can obtain all information about the current status of the complaint and other issues via the call center at 020 440 355," said Nišavić, adding that "no one has complained about the work of the employees so far."
Nišavić points out that “Water and Sewerage” engages the Post of Montenegro “as the only licensed institution for delivering bills.” He also reminded that consumers who have a debt for water are informed about it in two ways - by calling and sending reminders via the postal operator.
"The Montenegrin Post Office has delivery notes as proof of documents delivered to a specific address. In order for all documents to be delivered properly, our company makes additional efforts and continuously updates data on consumers, and we would like to point out that, according to the law, the consumer is obliged to conclude a contract with 'Vodovod' and to regularly submit accurate data. We also note that all consumers to whom a reminder was sent were previously informed by phone about the status of the debt and the obligation to settle it," he said.
Responding to a question from "Vijesti" whether the city utility has more understanding for regular payers or treats them the same as those who owe 1.000 euros, Nišavić said that they approach all consumers in the same way:
“In the sense that business is conducted in accordance with the adopted regulations and procedures. Temporary disconnection measures and forced collection measures are implemented for consumers who have three or more unpaid bills. No measure was implemented without prior notification to the consumer.”
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