The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) as lambasted power distribution companies for the "woefully unacceptable" problems with the use of some pre-paid meters.

The Commission is therefore asking the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Northern Electricity Developmet Company (NEDCo) to roll out an action plan on how it intends to address some seething problems reported by customers

Some are retrospective billing, high failure rate of fuses and pre-paid meters at Legon and Kwabenya districts, problematic deployment of pre-paid meters at Bortianor, Teshie-Nungua and inadequate training for frontline staff and credit vendors.

They were identified by the Commission during a monitoring exercise it conducted since it endorsed a 78.9% increase in electricity tariffs.

The unpopular decision to increase water and electricity tariffs has been worsened as consumers have been complaining about high and abnormal deductions of credit they purchase. The ECG has explained, there were additional charges but has been accused of failing to come clean to the true condition of the meters.

Executive Secretary of the PURC Samuel Sarpong at news conference Tuesday, has therefore ordered the ECG and NEDCo to submit an action plan to address these problems by close of this working week.

It has also directed the ECG to resolve the problem of deploying meters at Bortianor and Teshie-Nugua in two weeks.

Outlining 10 benchmarks to be met by these companies, the PURC wants the power companies to install separate meters for multiple household dwelling so that customers who fall within a pro-poor subsidy regime can enjoy some lifeline tariffs.

It is also expected that there will be a reduction in overall outages per customer per year in accordance with Legislative Instrument 1935 and a reduction in transmission losses to meet a 3.5% benchmark set by GRIDCo.

It also wants a reduction in technical and commercial losses to 21%.