MANILA, Philippines – The social media post of a woman who complained about Meralco’s ‘estimated’ meter reading went viral after netizens agreed that theirs were most likely estimated by the meter reader, too.
Myren De Chavez Fajardo posted last August 22 to share her experience with Meralco.
According to Fajardo, she and her family recently moved to a new home just this April 2019. Their bill averaged Php3,500 at the new location despite it being just around Php2,800 at their previous home.
While they had similar appliances as the ones in their old home, Fajardo said that she was not puzzled with the new amount since they bought a fridge (inverter) for use at their new home.
Throughout the summer, the family used the aircon for longer hours; this was expected due to the hot weather.
But as the rainy season started, Fajardo noticed that there were no changes in their electricity bill. The bill from June 12 to July 13 amounted to Php3,470.99 even though they did not use the aircon for 4 days. She thought that perhaps they just used the other electrical appliances more.
From July 28 to August 11, the family did not use the aircon because of the rainy days. Yet even with 2 weeks of not using the aircon, their bill still amounted to Php3,263.81! While her husband commented that it might be due to an increase in the electricity rates, Fajardo refused to accept that their bill remains the same despite not using the aircon for half the month.
So, she hired an electrician to check the meter and to determine whether there were problems in their line. The electrician confirmed that there was nothing wrong with their line and their meter. Though the meter glass was a bit dirty, the digital numbers inside were still visible.
The post would go viral, with several people also sharing a similar experience. Many agreed that the meter reader was surely just estimating the numbers or did not even go to their place and simply copied the previous numbers.
Fajardo later updated the post, sharing that after she complained at Meralco, she got a new reading – and the amount she needs to pay was only Php2,900 instead of the Php3,263.81 on her bill. The adjustments will take effect in the next bill.
“Mabilis naman action nila, 1 week lang. May bumisita nadin sa bahay para icheck ang metro, at confirm na walang problem ang metro, pinunasan lang nila at ayun sobrang linaw na. Nagtataka din daw sila kung bakit hnd nabasa ng reader, kahit nakatayo ka lang sa gate nababasa naman,” Fajardo explained.
“Again, kaya ko po ito pinost ay para, kagaya ko, malaman ng tao na may chances pala na nag eestimate lang si Meralco. Personally kasi sa paniniwala ko, pandadaya ang singilin ka sa hindi mo naman ginamit.”
— Joy Adalia, The Summit Express
Myren De Chavez Fajardo posted last August 22 to share her experience with Meralco.
According to Fajardo, she and her family recently moved to a new home just this April 2019. Their bill averaged Php3,500 at the new location despite it being just around Php2,800 at their previous home.
While they had similar appliances as the ones in their old home, Fajardo said that she was not puzzled with the new amount since they bought a fridge (inverter) for use at their new home.
Throughout the summer, the family used the aircon for longer hours; this was expected due to the hot weather.
But as the rainy season started, Fajardo noticed that there were no changes in their electricity bill. The bill from June 12 to July 13 amounted to Php3,470.99 even though they did not use the aircon for 4 days. She thought that perhaps they just used the other electrical appliances more.
From July 28 to August 11, the family did not use the aircon because of the rainy days. Yet even with 2 weeks of not using the aircon, their bill still amounted to Php3,263.81! While her husband commented that it might be due to an increase in the electricity rates, Fajardo refused to accept that their bill remains the same despite not using the aircon for half the month.
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| Photo credit: Myren De Chavez Fajardo / Facebook |
So, she hired an electrician to check the meter and to determine whether there were problems in their line. The electrician confirmed that there was nothing wrong with their line and their meter. Though the meter glass was a bit dirty, the digital numbers inside were still visible.
The post would go viral, with several people also sharing a similar experience. Many agreed that the meter reader was surely just estimating the numbers or did not even go to their place and simply copied the previous numbers.
Fajardo later updated the post, sharing that after she complained at Meralco, she got a new reading – and the amount she needs to pay was only Php2,900 instead of the Php3,263.81 on her bill. The adjustments will take effect in the next bill.
“Mabilis naman action nila, 1 week lang. May bumisita nadin sa bahay para icheck ang metro, at confirm na walang problem ang metro, pinunasan lang nila at ayun sobrang linaw na. Nagtataka din daw sila kung bakit hnd nabasa ng reader, kahit nakatayo ka lang sa gate nababasa naman,” Fajardo explained.
“Again, kaya ko po ito pinost ay para, kagaya ko, malaman ng tao na may chances pala na nag eestimate lang si Meralco. Personally kasi sa paniniwala ko, pandadaya ang singilin ka sa hindi mo naman ginamit.”
— Joy Adalia, The Summit Express
