General Manager of the Dominica Water and Sewerage Company (DOWASCO), Bernard Etinoffe, is appealing to consumers who owe the company to “please come to pay your bills.”
Etinoffe says consumers owe the company close to $4 million.
He acknowledges that COVID-19 has worsened the financial situation for Dominicans and the rest of the world, however, he maintains that there are a number of people who just will not pay their bills.
“So we are appealing to those persons to come to pay their bills,” the DOWASCO CEO stated in a radio interview…“We do not want to have to disconnect anyone at this time, but we do need the money and so, we are encouraging persons to come to pay their bills.”
He said although the company sends payment alerts to customers, there are still a number of people who just refuse to pay and use every excuse not to do so.
“[It’s] those persons we are appealing to [to] come to pay,” he explained.
Etinoffe said the company has reconnected quite a few consumers who have been disconnected and is willing to continue to do that if people respect the fact that they have to pay and come to make arrangements to pay their bills.
“Obviously, we have to pay our suppliers; we have to pay our utilities. We have a number of things, our staff, so we need the money,” he argued.
I live in the Kalinago Territory, and I know for a fact that a lot of people not paying their water bills at all, long before Covid-19, and they are the ones wasting the water and talking about water for free. I was even going to make mention of that when I go to pay my bill, because some people cannot be making an effort to pay and others just there not making one effort to put a change on their bill. The government need to do something about that, people need to pay up.
I mean that is just nonsense, although I am not sure what goes on in other parts of Dominica.
Either way, they cannot do that with Domlec.
You would have been more effective, if you went to cabinet and compare the water bill to the current $32000 a month bill and ask that the water bill is paid by the minister of government.
I am trying to ask myself at what point in time will Dominican stand up and say we had enough, just imagine we sending mask to China, we guarantee to stand behind LIAT, we can pay for the PM and his family to live at our expense and in the land of water, cabinet can’t write off a hundred and fifty dollars on average per person, to struggling Dominican, well well well, am sitting by the road shaking my head because am still bathing in the river, now am not against paying your bills, but when we helping others and can’t help ourselves, any blind man can see something is drastically wrong.
Bernard Etnioffe, if you are Northern Moon, you could be from Wesley; don’t mess with me because that could mean you might be from Wesley, and if that is the case, I might just know you; and we may have to cross path sometime in the future.
And if you are grandson of John Francis (head-work country) Etinoffe you may not want to mess with me because he was married to me grandmother you see, and he taught me devious things you doh want to know about!
If you know Della who passed two Fridays ago, you might know this kid!
And if you know Gibson son of Della Etinoffe, him is me biological brother you see; Della told me so long before she died, about two weeks ago.
You there bleeding blood for money im paying my water bill in checkhall Valley i can’t even take a proper shower cause the water pressure is so low sir get your act together went to dowasco how many time and nothing have been done
Do the President and PM have to pay water bill at their official residence. Why not, we pay them enough salary after all. I have to pay for my private use like everybody else.
They would only claim it back from the state under expenses.
All those patrons who owe and have not paid their bills should be disconnected… it is ridiculous that Dominicans expect great/improved services but are never willing to pay their part… things don’t come free…. land of 365 rivers so go collect your own free water how about that… you go to other countries and ensure that your bills are paid before they are due and never complain… you pay your property taxes, your driver license fees, all your utilities and everything else they shove down your throats and never complain understanding that these charges are required not only to maintain services but to fund any necessary improvements…. the same applies in Dominica especially since the population is only a fraction of major metropolitan cities…. get a grip!
Now that the PRO is gone don’t pay another PRO to say the things ‘you’ can say. What you need is a bill collector.
The bill collector will be no good because people can only pay a bill if there is money. The people broke so the bill collector will be useless. Matter of fact DLP supporters will not pay because red clinic close. Country broke !
I understand, and ‘smart’ people should change their gov’t every 10yrs, better chance of keeping politicians on their toes and perform for you. Then why would you want to be the leader of a broke country?
Frankly, Mr. Etinoffe the service your company provides is well below par. If one considers then that we are talking about one of those basic commodities absolutely essential to any human civilisation I believe it’s fair to say that your company owes its customers money and not the other way round. I recently stayed in DA for 12 month and during that time the water supply was more often cut off than on. Days without a shower and water to cook made me move back to the states. I’m sure Skerrit will pick up the bill. After all, he considers $62,000 per month for rental of his palace quite normal.
Boy people playing Circle ……The money coming. Hehehe…..LOLOL!!!
Water is to expensive in Dominica aspecial for the people of wotten waven because our water goes to other vallages
Go ask the oneman rogue regime to pay the bills for the people!!!!
Partner when you disconnect everyone there will still be no payments because there will be no customers
Dowasco needs to ask Skerro for a KOOLOUT on behalf of the people. It’s one thing to ask people to come pay up and another for them to really do so when there is no money. The people are broke! They can barely keep a roof over their heads and food on the empty table. Just ask the bankers how many people are in line with heir loans? Only those with compulsory salary deductions. You can’t draw blood from stone! Did your parents not teach you this famous parable? Only the inner circle of the cabal can pay so chew-dowasco-fan.
Dca is in the abyss and only some serious change at the helm can reverse this trend. In the meantime you and dowasco can jump, scream, bawl, haylay but the bills will not get paid. The people are dead broke!
Dowasco needs to get into energy production to boost it’s profits… forget about the customers who are under enough pressure as it is…covid ensures increased water use. Doubled with the economic situation right now….we need thinkers in positions of leadership…don’t just sit there…you guys could have gotten into energy production long time…so much pipes and no turbines, sewage management…no methane production … nothing from you guys..I don’t know who more hopeless…y’all or dswmc…
Dowasco can’t get the basics right and never could. What makes you believe they would be able to make another venture a success. When people are selected to manage companies like Dowasco purely on political loyalty rather than merit, the end result will always be mediocrity.
So, you want me to go and get lost no some Yacht?
Well I am not interested in that; I do not have a Yacht; but I am sure you read where I said I sail a cargo ship into Dominica, and at one time employed seven Dominicans to work on that ship.
I am fully retired, living off my Real Estate investments; though I do not want a yacht; because they are very expensive to buy and maintain; I fear it will take all of my money and I don’t want to become a poor rat.
I been poor, before; however, rather to be rich than to be poor; although I do not have a yacht; on weekends and holidays, my son, daughter and my grandchildren gets into my son pleasure boat and have fun on the ocean.
And I doh saying where on the ocean because I boy farid some jealous evil Dominican come find us and kill us all believing we sailing with money eh!
Hahahahahahahahahah!
Ok, I’m gonna end this now. You are just a little conman who loves to listen to himself. You know Jack s..t. The little bid you pretend to know you all got fresh from Google! You have lived in DA, in the UK, in Germany and in the states and you didn’t make in anywhere. Not surprised really, who puts up with something like you over a prolonged period of time. You are just a lonely sad old man!
If they were leaving in America having a job or not having one, they would find ways to pay their bills. Sometimes taking action eliminates bad habits.
“Etinoffe says consumers owe the company close to $4 million.
He acknowledges that COVID-19 has worsened the financial situation for Dominicans and the rest of the world:”
What the hell is four ($4,000,000.00) million dollars; for you to be crawling on your belly like a mouse trying to grab something from a mouse trap?
When you talk about financial situation, do not compare anything in Dominica with the rest of the world!
Let’s take America where I reside; although millions of people lost their jobs due to COVID-19 people are still reviving a cheque from somewhere.
Personally my life has not change one bit; the amount of money I earned each month prior to COVID-19, it has not changed.
The Federal Government gave money away to people, to spend; laws prohibits foreclosure/rent evictions.
Can you do that in Dominica?
Watch this; they say Dominica’s population is 70 thousand: $4,000,000.00/70,000.00 = $57.14 cents.
How many people are owing part of that few pence?
So, let me focus on this a bit more, and suggest that the entire population do not owe any part of that mega $4, 000,000.00; but assuming thirty-five thousand people owes, if one divide 4,000,000.00 / 35,000 = $114.29So, each person only owes approximately one hundred fourteen dollars and twenty-nine cents.
I don’t know many people in the rest of the world during their worst economic moment with responsibility who would not not have a hundred plus dollars to their name in any language of the word that spells money!
Hahahahahahahahahahahah!
So, here you are Etinoffe, crawling on your belly for a few pence, from the poor who are unable to pay you a few dollars; nevertheless, you people sit back and allow Roosevelt Skerrit the opportunity and privilege to live in a house costing the poor people of Dominica who can’t pay a little over a hundred dollars per month; pay $832,000.00 per year in for Roosevelt Skerrit and his family!
Your surname says it all!
Your equation is nonsense. Consumption is not measured per capita but rather per household/business connected. I estimate we are talking in the region of just over 10,000 Households/businesses which makes it $400.00 each. Also, maybe you want to go back to school and learn how to use a basic calculator. It’s not 57.15 Cent but rather 57.15 Dollar.
You need to shut you damn mouth and stop making a fool out of yourself!
I did not do any calculation based on per captia of anything. I am not the idiot you have perceive me to be; if that’s the case your perception of me is flawed.
Nobody, I can chew you up educationally; spew you out of my mouth, trample you under my feet, and pile you unto a decaying pile of dog feces to decay!
Here you are some nobody writing under a fictitious name: I am Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque, out of the village of Wesley; a tower of strength; with every confidence not afraid of critics; you are pulling figures out of thin-air which makes absolutely no sense.
I am into simple kindergarten arithmetic; and you come with your crap!
As if I don’t know!
Per capita is a term used in economic and statistical analysis that means per person.
Per capita is used when comparing a certain economic metric to a population.
Shut up!
You know I regret I responded to your foolishness, because the more I look for a substantial reason for your attack, it’s the more I discover you are an uneducated want to be nobody!
” $57.14 cents.”
How many people are owing part of that few pence?
What would be wrong If I wrote $57 dollars and 14 cents?
What is wrong if I erred, and wrote $57.14 cents; you making an issue out of that?
Man shut up you are just an nobody blowing bag of wind; I dare you to attack me using your real name.
You can’t because you are nothing more than a bit of scum, I am identified by my given name, I am not a fake ghost!
Northern Moon; your behind should be in jail!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!
You can pout, your crap has no effect on me!
And I don’t use calculators often, I leave that to people like you who are unable to compute figures; we did not have that in Wesley in the 1960’s, in College we were not allow to use it in the 80’s/90’s; in America.
You are a raving lunatic that wants us to believe you are very educated person and you are very rich. Let me tell you something, you probably got all your education from the same school Skerrit got his. As far as your wealth is concerned you are about as wealthy as Skerrit before he went into politics. All you have is a big mouth. Now shut up and go and stand in that corner until you are told to get out again!
Telemaque, why don’t you do us all a favour and relax on your private yacht with some 50 year old rum instead of making a complete fool of yourself on here on a daily basis. You are very unsavoury character. I warned you before about it!! You are exactly in the same category as that barking dog, that crazy clown and that block kid to mention just a few. Get a grip man!
I don’t pretend to be educated and rich; what you see is what you get!
There are Dominicans who knows me; If I was trying to impress anyone; knowing our people someone would have already exposed me.
You are a nobody; with a stupid fictitious name like Northern Moon!
There is no such thing as a Northern Moon, the moon rises from the East and sets in the West.
And mind you; I have been to the farthest part on the ocean to the North, in the North Sea; I am sure there are no Stars in certain parts in the Northern Sky, so too there is no Moon!
When people live in an asylum in poverty, they want everyone else to be like them; sorry, I am not a dunce, and I do not live in poverty.
I don’t know where Roosevelt got his education from; I have an idea where he got his money; but keep in mind my money is not stolen:
I not a thief!
And let me tell you; by profession I am an Electronic/Electrical Engineer you see with a sound medical background, one who did not graduate because I dropped out from medical School.
Anybody capable of obtaining Bs degrees in the field of electronic engineering, compounded with an electrical engineering degree, must be a brilliant person.
In addition I accomplish an Associate in Science in Electronic Engineering, and you can add an Associate in Arts, in the Liberal Arts too; take note, that’s why am not fictitious!
Turn Real Estate investor, so you can eat you heart out, for you to be like me you will have to grab the East in one hand, and the West with the other and pull them together, and connect them.
Don’t envy my brain, don’t envy my academics, don’t compare me with any thief because I have never stolen (thief) anything in my entire life!
Hahahahahahahahaha!
You don’t need to question whether I’m smart or not; I know I am smart!
That’s exactly what I said, Telemaque. You must be a super rich man if you are a property investor and hence I suggested to you you should retire to your private yacht and sip a 50 year old rum. As far as education is concerned, I only have to read through your numerous uttering to see that you are a very educated man. All I suggested to you was, to leave us alone with your daily crap and general nonsense. I do not know one person you have impressed to far. I hope you know how to navigate your yacht!
Go to your political master, I’m sure he will find the money. This is only the beginning of things to come!
You do have a point. Dowasco is 100% owned by the government. And I assume that figure includes vat, although Reggie did not call it that when he introduce price increase exactly the same percentage as vat and I understand he did not really want to do that at the time. I feel sorry for Bernard, not much he can do. If he cuts off customers it is Dowasco that takes the blame but not government. All legal as S.C. would say.