The Fair Trading Commission Act, Cap. 326B of the Laws of Barbados

• Jurisdiction: Barbados
• Court: Fair Trading Commission (Barbados)
• Judge: Mr. Jefferson Cumberbatch,Dr. Philmore Alleyne,Mr. Andrew Willoughby,Mr. Kendrid Sargeant,Mr. Donley Carrington
• Judgment Date: 01 January 2017
• Docket Number: NO. FTCURD/DECSOS/BWA-2017-01

In the Matter of the Fair Trading Commission Act, Cap. 326B of the Laws of Barbados;

And in the Matter of the Utilities Regulation Act, Cap. 282 of the Laws of Barbados;

And in the Matter of the Utilities Regulation (Procedural) Rules, 2003 and the Utilities Regulation (Procedural) (Amendment) Rules, 2009;

And in the Matter of the Consultation and Determination of the Standards of Service for the Barbados Water Authority pursuant to Section 3(1)(d) of the Utilities Regulation Act, CAP. 282 of the Laws of Barbados.

Before:

Mr. Jefferson Cumberbatch Chairman

Dr. Philmore Alleyne Commissioner

Mr. Andrew Willoughby Commissioner

Mr. Kendrid Sargeant Commissioner

Mr. Donley Carrington Commissioner

NO. FTCURD/DECSOS/BWA-2017-01

FAIR TRADING COMMISSION

ORDER

ORDER

1 This Order is made pursuant to Section 38(c) (ii) of the Utilities Regulation Act (URA) CAP. 282 of the Laws of Barbados.

2 WHEREAS in recognition of the issues that have been considered and determined throughout the consultation and determination of the Standards of Service for the Barbados Water Authority.

3 UPON CONSIDERING the submissions of the Barbados Water Authority on the Consultation Paper for the Standards of Service for the Barbados Water Authority dated June 6, 2016;

4 UPON CONSIDERING the public's comments on the issues raised in the said Consultation Paper for the Standards of Service for the Barbados Water Authority;

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT:-

• 1. The Barbados Water Authority shall comply with the prescribed Standards of Service set out at Tables 1 and 2 of the Schedule below subject to the exemptions set out in the Standards of Service Decision dated May 31st, 2017;

• 2. The Barbados Water Authority shall pay the prescribed amounts set out at Table 1 of the Schedule below to any person who is affected by its failure to provide the utility service in accordance with the prescribed Standards of Service and in the manner set out in the Standards of Service Decision dated May 31st, 2017; and

• 3. This Order shall take effect as of January 1 ^st, 2018 until December 31st, 2020.

Dated this day of May 2017

……………………………….. Jefferson Cumberbatch Chairman	………………………………….. Philmore A. Alleyne Commissioner
………………………………… Andrew W. Willoughby Commissioner	…………………………………… Kendrid Sargeant Commissioner
………………………………. Donley Carrington Commissioner

SCHEDULE

5 Table 1 — Guaranteed Standards of Service

STANDARD	SERVICE CATEGORY	TARGET	COMPENSATION
GWS 1	Installation of Service. 1a. This refers to the time it should take between application, payment for service and the installation, for a standard connection in a Zone other than a Zone 1 area.	Residential 1 — 14 days Commercial 2 – 10 days	Refund of the standard domestic 30 day minimum charge. (R) Refund of double the standard domestic 30day minimum charge. (C)
1b. This refers to the time to complete an investigation on receipt of an application for service in a Zone 1 area.	Residential — 14 days Commercial — 10 days
1c. This refers to the installation time after the completion of the investigation and approval in a Zone 1 area.	Residential — 14 days Commercial — 10 days
(Zones are as defined by the BWA)
GWS 2	Issuance of First Bill This refers to the time elapsing between the installation of water service and the issuance of the first water bill. ( Interim bill to be issued if read bill cannot be generated)	No more than 30 days after installation of service.	$15 (R) $30 (C)
GWS 3	Response to Complaints This refers to the time frame in which the BWA must acknowledge a customer's complaint about billings or other Standards of Service issues.	Acknowledgement provided within 7 days of receipt of complaint. Investigation of complaint and findings provided within 20 days of receipt of complaint. (Inclusive of acknowledgement time)	$15 (R) $30 (C) $15 (R) $30 (C)
GWS 4	Wrongful Disconnections This refers to the loss of service where the customer has been disconnected in error.	Reconnected within 10 hours after notification of the error.	$50 (R) $100 (C)
GWS 5	Meter Installations (Existing Service) This refers to the time frame in which the BWA will install a meter on the customer's request. ( Customers with a fixed rate requesting a meter).	Meter to be installed within 45 days of receipt of request.	$15 (R) $30 (C)
GWS 6	Repair/Replacement of Faulty Meter This refers to the time taken, after the report of a fault, for the BWA to assess and repair/replace a faulty meter, where applicable.	Assess and determine operational status of meter and report findings to the customer within 15 days. Replace/repair faulty meter within 30 days of confirmation of defect.	$15 (R) $30 (C) $15 (R) $30 (C)
GWS 7	Reconnection After Payment of Overdue Amount and Reconnection Fee This refers to the timely reconnection of a customer's service after satisfactory settlement of overdue amounts and reconnection fee at the BWA's offices.	Maximum of 24 hours to restore supply.	$15 (R) $30 (C)
GWS 8	Scheduling of Field Appointments This refers to appointments scheduled by BWA representatives. Where the BWA is unable to keep an appointment with a customer, the BWA will contact the customer at least 24 hours before the scheduled appointment to cancel and notify of a new date. ( Monday to Friday) The customer should be given a work order number as confirmation of a scheduled appointment.	All scheduled appointments shall be honoured. Appointments may be scheduled: Morning (8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon) or afternoon (12:01 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.)	$15 (R) $30 (C)
GWS 9	Reliability of Supply This refers to the provision of a minimum quantity of running water over a 30 day period (a billing period).	Customers shall be supplied with at least 8m 3 of running water over a 30 day period (a billing period).	Refund of the standard domestic 30 day minimum charge. (R) Refund of double the standard domestic 30 day minimum charge. (C)

6 Table 2 — Overall Standards of Service

STANDARD	SERVICE CATEGORY	TARGET
OWS 1	Meter Reading This refers to the time frame between each meter reading.	100% of accessible meters to be read monthly.
OWS 2	Investigation of Water Quality This...