How do you get compensated for the damages of equipment due to abnormal voltages and phase reversals in the electricity distribution systems,

It is very important to comply following requirements to be eligible for the compensation

1. You should be the tariff customer who owned the supply of electricity of the premises 1. You should be the tariff customer who owned the supply of electricity of the premises
2. If you are not the owner of the premises and uses the supply of a tariff customer’s premises and you want to claim for compensation, before using the electricity, written permission from the tariff customer to use the electricity supply at his premises should be obtained and the tariff customer should have informed  the electricity distribution licensees (CEB / LECO) on the use of supply (You won’t be able to claim the compensation if you have not informed the relevant licensees about the supply of electricity)

1. Report the incident immediately to the Customer Service Centre (CSC) or Call Centre quoting the account number of your electricity bill and obtain a reference number.1. Report the incident immediately to the Customer Service Centre (CSC) or Call Centre quoting the account number of your electricity bill and obtain a reference number.
2. Submit a claim for compensation to the Area Engineer or Branch Manager of the Distribution Licensee within seven days of the occurrence of the incident.

Don’t repair or dispose damaged items without the prior written approval from the relevant Distribution Licensee.

Pertinent Documents that you should submit in claiming compensation

Compensation Claiming Form

The form contains a table to include information about the damaged items and the information required about each item that has been damaged should be filled each time before each table.

You should also submit,

Quotations for repairs, receipts of purchases or other evidence in support of the claim for compensation along with the completed form.

The completed form should be delivered to the representative of the Distribution Licensee by hand, electronic mail or by registered post.

The Representative

Representative of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) – Area Engineer
Representative of the Lanka Electricity Company (LECO) – Branch Manager

The Investigation

The investigation officer can be selected according to your choice

1. Investigation – By Independent Professional
   • You can select an independent professional from the list of Independent Professionals  (Charted  Engineer) that will be announced by the distribution licensee
   • You can select an independent professional from the list of Independent Professionals  (Charted  Engineer) that will be announced by the distribution licensee
   • If you wish to obtain the services  of an independent professional to carry out the investigation, you  should pay a deposit to the Distribution Licensee in accordance with the allowed charges
   • If the investigation reveals that the damage to appliances, equipment or property is caused by abnormal voltages or phase reversals of the Distribution Licensee’s electricity supply, the deposit shall be refunded
   • But if the investigation indicates otherwise, the deposit shall be used for the payment of professional fees.
2. Investigation – By Distribution Licensee
   • If the customer requests that the investigation to be carried out by any member of the staff of the Distribution Licensee, a fee or a deposit should not be charged from the customer.
   • If the customer requests that the investigation to be carried out by any member of the staff of the Distribution Licensee, a fee or a deposit should not be charged from the customer.
   • The investigation officer would be an officer that serve outside of your service area
   • The Distribution Licensee shall not request any payment for the services rendered, even if the investigations reveal that the damage to property or appliances is not related to the distribution system supply voltage.

Processing of the Claim

• On receipt of an application, the Distribution Licensee shall assign a reference number to the application with the date, time and the name of the Distribution Licensee’s office that process the application
• On receipt of an application, the Distribution Licensee shall assign a reference number to the application with the date, time and the name of the Distribution Licensee’s office that process the application
• If you like to receive the service of an independent professional, the Distribution Licensee shall forward the application to the independent professional or a member of the staff within three working days.
• The investigating officer shall  make a prior appointment with the customer within three working days from the date he has consented to conduct the investigation
• The investigation should be conducted the same day it is proposed
• The investigation officer should complete the investigation within two weeks in accordance with these regulations and the Licensee may allow a request for an extension for a maximum period of four weeks.
• The investigation officer should submit a report to the Distribution Licensee within seven working days from the completion of the investigation.
• Within one week of the receipt of the report, the Distribution Licensee shall communicate the outcome of the inquiry to the customer and pay compensation depending on the recommendations and conclusions stated in the report, provided the Distribution Licensee agrees with the same.
• If the Distribution Licensee disagrees with the decision of the investigation officer, such Licensee shall inform the customer and the PUCSL about the decision and the PUCSL shall take steps to settle the dispute in accordance with the Electricity (Dispute Resolution Procedure) Rules.

Compensation

The compensation will be determined by investigating the damage to the property or the product and considering the current value of the product at the time of the damage and you should not expect a compensation as same as the value of a new product of the damaged product.

If there is any dispute on the compensation recommended by the investigating officer or on the decision of the Distribution Licensee’s representative, the aggrieved party may appeal to the PUCSL in accordance with the Electricity (Dispute Resolution Procedure) Rules.

(Refer to Dispute Resolution Procedure)