The following information outlines your rights when you do business with the National Water Commission. Summarized are the Guaranteed Standards which are standards of service set by the Office of Utilities Regulations, and backed by a guarantee - you receive payment if we fail to meet these standards.

The NWC guarantees to provide the following standards of service in our day-to-day dealings with you, subject to the exceptions specified.

Connection to Supply

The National Water Commission will connect all new customers, where water is available at the property boundary, within 10 working days after signing the Contract.

Delivery of Bills

Issue of first Bill - The NWC will issue a bill to a new customer within 48 days after connection.

Keeping Appointments

The National Water Commission has a responsibility to satisfy a customer's request for a representative to visit the customer's premises to deal with an identifiable problem. Appointments will be made with the NWC and its field officers for either morning (9:00 a.m. to12:00p.m.) or afternoon (12:00 pm. to 5:00 p.m.).

The NWC guarantees to keep all appointments or to notify the customer prior to the appointed time, if an emergency prevents them from keeping the appointment. If upon arrival at premises, the customer has already left, the field officer should leave details, including time of visit, meter reading and number and contact information on a door hanger. If customer cannot be contacted, the NWC should notify him/her within 5 days and advise of new appointment within 10 days.

Complaints

Response to complaints not related to billing - If a complaint is made in writing to the NWC, the NWC will acknowledge the complaint within 5 working days after receipt (by dispatching letter and any other mode of communication). The Commission shall also undertake, in the response, its intent to conclude its investigation and reply within 30 working days of the receipt of the complaint.

NWC is required to take details of complaints made by telephone or in person, at the time of the call or visit.
If the complaint requires investigation, conclusion of investigation as well as response to customer should be within 30 working days of receipt of complaint.

Response to complaints about Billing Matters

NWC will acknowledge complaints within 5 working days and reply to all complaints whether written or by phone regarding bills within 30 working days of receiving the inquiry.

Account Status

If a customer is moving and requests an account status and/or service to cease, NWC will read the customer's meter on the day the customer is moving, if on a working day, as long as 5 working days' notice of the move is given to the NWC. If customer is moving on a weekend, NWC will read the meter within two days of the move. The Commission will provide the relevant bill within 5 working days of the customer's moving.

Meter Installation

NWC will fit a meter, where an un-metered customer requests one, within 30 working days of receiving the customer's order. If, for some reason, the NWC is unable to meet the request, the NWC will advise the customer and make a commitment as to when the meter will be provided.

Repair or replacement of faulty meters

If a customer's meter is verified by the NWC as faulty, the NWC will repair or replace it within 40 working days of being first informed of defect by the customer, or within 40 working days after detection by NWC if the fault was discovered by NWC.

Meter Reading

NWC guarantees to provide for a maximum of two(2) months between each meter reading and between bill issues.

NWC will reconnect customers, whose supply has been locked off for debt and who have settled their accounts, within 24 or 48 hours (for urban or rural customers respectively) after debt settlement.

This standard does not apply in those circumstances where the supply has been illegally reconnected and the NWC has subsequently removed all infrastructures. In these circumstances a request for reconnection will be treated as a new connection and Guarantee No. 1 would apply.

Payment of Compensation

NWC has 60 days after claim is received to process and make payment due under the Guaranteed Standards scheme. Customer must make claim within 2 billing periods or 60 days (whichever is longer) of the perceived breach.
If the payment due under a particular standard is not paid within the specified period, the NWC is liable to customers after claim is made. This will repeat itself for subsequent periods until payment is made.
Breaches of the individual standards will, however, attract only one payment.

There are exceptional circumstances in which the Guaranteed Standards may not apply. These include bad weather or natural disaster, system conditions such as major breakdown on treatment plants or pumping stations, drought, civil unrest, strike and malicious destruction of property.

The compliance for breach of a guaranteed standard is 4 times the service charge and will be credited to customers' accounts. The message on the bill will be labeled "compensation for breach of guaranteed standard".