Angry consumer blasts TNB on Twitter about sky-high bill
Enraged by his electricity bill suddenly skyrocketing during the Covid-19 lockdown, an independent marketing advisor posted on Twitter his complaints against Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).
Tagging the Energy Commission's official Twitter handle, the consumer, who wanted to be identified as Steven M, said it was not logical for his electricity bill to jump from around RM500 a month to a whopping RM1,898 in June.
Enraged by his electricity bill suddenly skyrocketing during the Covid-19 lockdown, an independent marketing advisor posted on Twitter his complaints against Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).
Tagging the Energy Commission's official Twitter handle, the consumer, who wanted to be identified as Steven M, said it was not logical for his electricity bill to jump from around RM500 a month to a whopping RM1,898 in June.
He said he had been working from his home, which doubled as his office, for years before the movement control order (MCO) was implemented in March.
"Yesterday, I received the June TNB bill asking for RM1,898.20.
"How can this be when I have been paying all my dues during the MCO months, and my home routine is exactly the same for the past 10 years as it makes no difference to me, be it MCO or not MCO, because I am working from home for years," he tweeted on Wednesday.
Malaysiakini has reached out to Steven for his permission to produce this article based on his Tweets and for further details on his complaints.
He said TNB contacted him twice via social media to resolve the issue, but they merely informed him of how the charges were calculated.
"In my view, they're saying it’s like that. You have to pay it or else power cut," he said.
Two officers from TNB also visited his apartment today and checked his electric meter before concluding that the device was functioning correctly.
Steven said that he was again given an explanation about how the electricity bill was calculated and advised to get a contractor to check the electrical appliances inside the house.
"Meaning the ball is back in my court. It remains a puzzle how my June bill shot up almost four times to almost RM1,900," he said.
Malaysiakini has asked TNB to comment on Steven's complaint. A spokesperson said they would issue a response after getting all the facts from the relevant departments.
The issue of a sudden spike in electricity charges by TNB had sparked outrage among the public, many of whom took to social media to vent their frustrations.
However, TNB denied they were imposing extra charges on consumers for bill estimations made during the MCO after all meter-reading activities were halted from March 20 until May 14 due to the lockdown.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Shamsul Anuar Nasarah was reported to have said that TNB briefed him on the method to calculate the electricity bills during the MCO, and the mechanism was also checked and agreed upon by the Energy Commission which was also present during the meeting.
On June 15, it was reported that the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources summoned TNB to clarify the increase in electricity bills.
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