SESB should improve customer services

Kota Kinabalu, 14 May 2009: Sabah Electricity Sdn. Bhd., (SESB) has caused lots of inconveniences for failing to notify the consumers on load shedding and power failures in advance.

Luyang Assemblywoman Melanie Chia said consumers, in particular, those residing at the city and nearby areas were caught with surprises yesterday when they were hit with black out once again without early notification.

"The SESB should place advance notices in the newspapers of power failures that might hit certain areas. A resident who happened to be a café operator, here, complaint that she was unable to do the baking for the day when black out struck at about 10am until 1pm and have nothing to sell for the day," she said in a statement, here, yesterday.

"Who is going to bear the losses suffered by the proprietor? she asked.

She said the café operator had called on SESB Hotline to query reasons behind the power failure and were received with rude answers from the Hotline operator.

Melanie said the Hotline operator claimed SESB has placed advance notices in the newspapers on April 21, However, a check revealed that the notice, which appeared in a local English daily on April 21, was only on scheduled power disruption in the Inanam area.

"It was regretted when the Hotline operator had to act in such unpleasant manner. I hoped the SESB could teach their front line staffs on how to handle customers with good public relation skills," she said.

She said bad public relation handling could anger and frustrate the consumers more whenever there are power failures and SESB should take notice about it.

Melanie also said that the recent unscheduled power failures caused by breakdowns are worrying.

"Has SESB adhered to a comprehensive maintenance programme? How is it that breakdowns seen to be the norm of the day? She further asked.

She hopes that SESB will ensure that their frontline customer service staff will discharge their duty diligently and politely in order not to further aggravate customers' frustrations.