CONSUMER BILL OF RIGHTS AND QUALITY OF SERVICE DELIVERY OF ELECTRICITY SUPPLY COMPANIES IN PORT HARCOURT

Abstract

This paper seeks to examine the extent to which the consumer bill of rights affects the quality of service delivery of electricity supply companies in Port Harcourt. Since these rights were intended to bring about quality service delivery, the observation of these rights will no doubt improve service delivery as well as customer satisfaction. The study adopted a random sampling technique in selecting 400 electricity service consumers in Abuloma, Diobu, Elekahia, Trans Amadi, Ogbunabali, Rumuola, D-line, and Rumuomasi areas of Port Harcourt. It also relied solely on descriptive analysis of the primary data collected from a structured questionnaire rated on a 5-point Likert scale. It was found that out of the 15 rights of electricity consumers, only the right to transparent electricity billing (5) and the right to complaints on electricity supply and other billing issues (10) are marginally observed. The result reveals that the right of electricity consumers in Port Harcourt is not observed to a large extent. It is also an indication of poor quality service delivery of electricity supply company in Port Harcourt. The study suggests the creation of consumer rights awareness programs using various mass media, establishing consumers' rights monitoring units to check the activities of service operators, and imposing appropriate disciplinary measures against defaulting operators.