Meralco Apologizes For Convenience Fee Amid Quarantine
MERALCO APOLOGIZES FOR CONVENIENCE FEE – Amid the coronavirus quarantine, users had to pay a convenience fee of P47 to Merlaco when paying bills through their app.
Admittedly, going outside to pay your bills has become a risk in the Philippines’ current situation. Luckily, Meralco had an app that allows users to pay their bills without stepping out of the door.
However, amid the coronavirus quarantine, Meralco decided to wave a P47 “convenience fee” for those using the app. This outraged several customers who said the decision was exploitative.
As such, according to a report from DZMM, Meralco released a letter of apology to the customers. They explained that the convenience fee does not go directly to Meralco, but to Paymaya.
“MERALCO bills paid via the MERALCO App Online Payment Facility go through a payment gateway operated and maintained by PayMaya (which is linked to the Visa and Mastercard Networks). PayMaya charges the MERALCO customer a “convenience fee” of P47 per transaction”.
Knowing their own errors, MERALCO’s president Ray Espinosa said they would shoulder the convenience fee charged during the ECQ period. Moreover, he added that they would refund to the customers the fees they paid.
Perhaps what MERALCO should have done during the Enhance Community Quarantine (“ECQ”) period was to shoulder the Convenience Fee charged by the payment gateway provider considering that the MERALCO Business Offices and Bayad Center branches and partner outlets were closed during that time.
Afterward, Espinosa sincerely apologized their lapse. Additionally, he said that MERALCO would be more sensitive in the coming future and be mindful of the interest of their customers.
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