Tran Viet Dung who resides in Dong Hoi City, said his family used more than 18,000kWh in June, meaning he had to pay VND58.5 million (USD2,513), a shocking rise compared to only 248kWh or VND489,000 (USD21) from the previous month.
After being informed, the Central Power Corporation under Vietnam Electricity requested Quang Binh Power Company to verify the electricity consumption of his family.
After checking the figures over the last 12 months, it was found that the household usually consumes 210-300kWh a month and pays VND460-700,000 a month.
The cause of the error was later revealed as, by the end of May, customers had their electric meter replaced periodically. An EVN worker recorded the wrong number for Dung’s family electricity usage.
The Quang Binh Power Company acknowledged the error and apologised to Dung’s family.
General Director of the Central Power Corporation Ngo Tan Cu then decided to suspend Tran Xuan Cong, deputy director of Quang Binh Power Company and Thai Hong Linh, director of Dong Hoi’s Power Company.
Punishment will be considered for other people related to the case.
Cu urged units of the Central Power Corporation to closely tighten control over electric meters to avoid such cases.
EVN has asked its units to review cases of abnormally high electricity bills last month and impose strict disciplinary measures against those who make mistakes while recording customer usage.
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