Power company moves to ease bill concerns

SHANGHAI'S power supplier has offered on its website to give household analyses of power consumption if -residents believe that their bill is inaccurate. Although Shanghai Electric Power Co Ltd explained that one cause of the higher electricity bills was the unusually cold weather, but skepticism about new electricity meters remains among many residents. Some have started to monitor their meters to check if there is a malfunction. The company said they would provide relative statistics and information if residents want to compare the bill from the new meter with the one from the old meter. If there are still doubts, they would send professionals to analyze appliance usage in the households and give advice. The company said last week that residents can get a third-party company to check their meters and will repay the 10 yuan (US$1.52) fee if there is a problem with the meter. If there is a fault found on the company's side which caused the higher bill, the company will refund the overcharged bills immediately, it said. Residents can go to -company outlets or dial the hotline - 95598 - to make the arrangements. The company added that the time of meter readings was delayed to February 8 because of the Spring Festival - readings are usually done on the third of every month. This could also be a cause of the increased charges, as five more days were counted in last month's bill.

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