Jones owes BEC $106,000

The Nassau Guardian

Jones owes BEC $106,000

Jones Communications Limited owes the Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) $106,000, The Nassau Guardian can reveal.

But a BEC report reveals that as of July 8, 2014 the corporation’s managers would not take action to disconnect the account, as the disconnection of Jones Communications’ supply in May resulted in BEC Executive Chairman Leslie Miller immediately instructing officials to reconnect the supply.

On May 20, a BEC manager reported to a senior manager that he instructed an employee (an assistant manager) to carry out the disconnection of Jones Communications’ power supply “per the received disconnection list”.

But according to the manager, the employee reported that moments after he executed the disconnection, the executive chairman contacted him on his personal cell phone and told him to reconnect the supply.

The manager said in the report the employee claimed that Miller cursed him and made several other “disconcerting remarks”.

He said the employee also informed him that Jones Communications Limited CEO Wendall Jones visited the disconnection site and allegedly made “unpleasant remarks”.

The manager said it appears disconnection exercises are a “waste of time”.

Speaking about the employee, the manager said, “He asserted as I did previously that a disconnection list should be forwarded to the chairman so that he could approve which customers he feels should be disconnected.

“I am gravely disappointed at the treatment levied towards [the employee]. I have no sensible way to answer him.

“I would prefer not to put my staff members in unpleasant situations like that, which can affect their psyche.

“If we continue these disconnections, I feel that it will be more of the same, and it will amount to a unwise use of our human resources.”

According to a disconnection notice, as of July 8, Jones Communications Ltd. owed the corporation $106,007.56 collectively on its three accounts registered with BEC.

One account registered to Jones Communications Ltd. on East Street showed that the company owed the corporation $92,587.18.

A second account registered as Jones Communications Ltd. on East Street owed the corporation $11,881.54.

A third account registered as Jones Communications Ltd off East Street owed the corporation $1,538.84.

In the July 8 report, another manager advised the senior manager that the credit and collections department was processing the disconnection work orders for Jones Communications.

In response, the senior manager said successive attempts to disconnect the account were unsuccessful as “my people were turned away by the chairman”.

“As such, it is recommended that the chairman be consulted before any attempt is made,” he said.

Jones could not be reached for comment last night, and neither could Miller.

Unpaid bills

Miller made headlines last month after it was revealed he and his family-owned businesses - Sunburst Paints and Mario’s Bowling and Family Entertainment Palace - collectively owed the corporation nearly a quarter of a million dollars.

BEC records showed that a Harrold Road building registered with BEC in Miller’s name owed the corporation $46,373.77.

Those records also showed that a Harrold Road bowling alley, owned by Summer Winds Investments Ltd., owed the corporation $193,159.56.

Both businesses owed BEC a total of $239,533.33.

Neither business was disconnected despite the considerable arrears.

When pressed on why the businesses were allowed to run up such high electricity bills without being disconnected, Miller said many other companies throughout the country are in a similar position with significant arrears with the corporation.

“What we do, the businesses, we employ a lot of Bahamians so you can’t turn them off,” he said.

“You work with them because they employ people. Mario’s and those employ over 50 Bahamians. Its weekly wage bill is around $20,000.”

The executive chairman said his family businesses had experienced financial hardships.

Not long after the story broke, Mario’s paid $100,000 on its nearly $200,000 electricity bill.

It was later found that the payment was made in cash.

Following the revelation about Miller and his family-owned company’s electricity bills, the presidents of the Bahamas Electrical Workers Union and its umbrella union called for his resignation.

Miller has said both businesses will maintain their current bills and make payments toward the outstanding balances until the total bills are paid.

BEC's accounts receivable are in excess of $130 million, according to Miller, who has repeatedly said homeowners are responsible for 70 percent of those arrears.

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