Cameroon Online Payment of Bills - Customers in Uncomfortable Situations

Many complain of having their electricity or water connection cut because online payment was not effective.

The joy and excitement witnessed amongst many Cameroonians with the coming of on-line payment of mostly electricity and water bills seems to dwindle due to uncomfortable situations emanating from the subsidiary systems of payments.

Cameroon Tribune encountered some customers in Yaounde who expressed frustration over on-line payment of bills because they saw their water or electricity supply disconnected under the pretext that they had not effectively paid their bills. But such clients say they had paid through one of the subsidiary systems of payments that is either Express Union, Express Exchange, MTN Mobile Money, Orange Money or Smobilpay. Melissa Mbassi of Yaounde is one of the unfortunate inhabitants obliged to face a number of days at home in total blackout because she paid her electricity bills via Orange Money and payment was not effective through the subsidiary system of payment.

Melissa explains that she was issued a receipt. But after some days her light was disconnected on the grounds that she had not paid her bills of some FCFA 50,000. Even after presenting her receipt, Melissa's connection was not reinstated until when she had paid the same bill with penalty included. According to Melissa, she has never been able to recover the money first paid via Orange Money. Augustina Pent's situation is not different from that of Melissa although this time it is with another subsidiary system of payment; Express Union.

Augustina was seen at one of the Express Union agencies in Yaounde in total shock because she had just received a notice from the electricity corporation which revealed that she has a bill of over FCFA 100,000 including arrears. She narrates how each month she used to receive a bill of about FCFA10, 000, which she paid through Express Union. Augustina says she does not understand why the payment of her monthly bills was not effective through the subsidiary system of payment