Online survey to evaluate UNELCO Engie services
March 6, 2025 9:54 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook
By Sabrina Tabi.
The Utilities Regulatory Authority (URA) plans to launch an online Customer Survey this month, targeting UNELCO Engie electricity and water customers on Efate.
According to URA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Jesse Benjamin, the survey will last for one month, from March 17th to April 12th, focussing on three main aspects of the regulated service: affordability, safety, and reliability.
CEO Benjamin said that the affordability aspect of the survey focuses on collecting data and information on customers’ knowledge regarding how the electricity and water bills are computed by UNELCO Engie, and on customers’ ability to afford these services.
The safety section of the survey asks customers about their opinion on whether the services provided by UNELCO Engie is safe. This section looks at how UNELCO handles various problems, like fixing flickering lights or addressing issues with high voltage that need to be repaired.
The final section of the survey, which is about reliability, focuses on how reliable the service is. It asks about the quality of UNELCO Engie’s customer service, how well they communicate with customers, and how long it takes them to solve problems, like restoring power after an outage.
It is essential for the public to understand the difference between customer and consumer. URA’s Project Lead staff and Financial Analyst, James Temakon, explained that consumer refers to any individual who uses electricity and water supplied by Unelco Engie, while customer is an individual or a business that has a meter subscription with UNELCO Engie.
Temakon emphasized that the need to carrying out this survey is to evaluate the work that URA has been doing, and to achieve its mission which is “to enhance the quality of life and business growth in Vanuatu by ensuring sustainable, safe, and reliable energy and water services at reasonable prices accessible to all who demand it.”
He said once the online survey is completed, the data collected will be carefully analyzed and compiled, guiding future steps to address any issues or improvements as identified by the customers.
While URA will analyze the findings to assess consumer concerns, it is important to note that this survey is one part of a broader effort to monitor and evaluate utility services. Any future regulatory actions will depend on a range of factors, including policy considerations, operational realities, and stakeholder engagement.
Members of the general public are encouraged, especially those living on Efate, are encouraged to participate in the survey.
