Mahanagar Gas — Not fixing faulty meter for over a year - forced to pay TWICE normal bill amount

Address:

Mumbai City, Maharashtra

I am a resident of a building society Andheri (W), Mumbai. My family and I have been staying at this residence since June 2013. Our MGL BP number is [protected]. Over the last year, the amount of charges we have been seeing on our bills has been abnormally high. Quick checks through the building (comprising over 500 apartments and families) have CONFIRMED that our charges are TWICE that of normal. Every month, a representative from MGL would come and present the bill, and we would have a prolonged discussion on why the bill amount is so high. Instead of escalating the problem for a quick resolution, several of these representatives threaten to cut the connection if the bills are not paid. They have even declared that MGL as a company will take NO STEPS to resolve our problem. We have therefore been arm-twisted, month after month, to pay these high bills to keep our connection alive. Over 2014, we have made MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS to MGL’s customer care. We have forced our collection guy, as well as the technician sent by MGL, to check our connection. Here are the possibilities they highlighted so far: • Our gas pipe is leaking – After hearing this, we have replaced the gas pipe a few months back at our own cost, but the problem continues. • We consume more gas than most families – Me, my wife and my little child are a small family of three, who actually use much LESS gas than most families in our building. • The meter is faulty – This has been verified by MGL's OWN TECHNICIAN and the collection guy, TWICE! They have informed us after testing in front o[censored]s that the meter reading moves much more quickly when the gas is on, compared to normal meters. So far, we have been forced to pay our bills. However, we have been away from our apartment for a full TWO MONTHS, in May and June 2014. Our gas bills continue to be huge! There has been NO RESOLUTION from MGL in this matter. We are NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ISSUE LIGHTLY ANY MORE. MGL, as a consumer services company, NEED TO RESOLVE THIS by replacing/ fixing our meter by sending their technician ASAP. We choose not to be threatened by their collection guys every time. The extra amount paid by us is estimated at thousands of rupees from our hard-earned money, so I sincerely suggest that they take this up seriously. This is no way to treat their customers. I am now forced to consult a lawyer and go to consumer court. I have been assured by my building administration through the strength of 500+ consumers of MGL here, that they will fully support these next steps. I am eagerly looking forward to your support in helping me resolve this impasse. Arjun Ghose