I WANT to share my experience which I recently had with the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA), for the benefit of GDN readers.
Since I came to Bahrain, I have had to deal with the EWA a number of times; it’s been largely pleasant.
Recently, I was shifting my residence, so the first thing to do was to disconnect my old connection. I was happy to know that it could be done online and in advance, even before you leave the residence, by specifying a date.
I went on to bahrain.bh and tried to log into my account but couldn’t because I had forgotten my password (obviously). When I tried to retrieve it, the system said that my current phone number was not registered and I wondered how I could have renewed my CPR and licence, but not registered my current number with the EWA?
Anyway, I had to visit the eGovernment ministry office in Isa Town to get my number registered and set up a password. Eventually, I had to make that trip which I was hoping to avoid by doing everything online.
Now comes the important part: refund of the deposit money. I was informed on EWA helpline that I need to make an appointment on skiplino app. I got the appointment for a time after 10 days and according to the app I was supposed to go to the EWA office near Sultan Mall in Zayed Town.
The app even showed me the location and directions. But as I got there at the appointed time, I found out that I was required to wait for a phone call. How silly of me to trust a mobile app!
Well, the fun didn’t end there, the app even asked me to go to desk 83 before I received the call for the scheduled appointment.
Anyway, the call only took 10 seconds as the representative said that she would send me an email containing the list of required documents and the prescribed form to get the refund.
What I couldn’t understand was why was I made to wait for 10 days for a call that only took 10 seconds, and why was there a need to make this appointment? My email address was already registered. Once my connection was disconnected, I could have received the information about documents with my final bill.
After that, everything went smoothly. The documents which I was required to submit were: both sides of my CPR, EWA refund form, agreement between me and the EWA, and an official bank document stating my IBAN.
Another thing to note is that you need to respond within 24 hours of receiving the email, otherwise your request will be terminated which is also something unnecessary, I believe.
I eventually received the refund in my bank account, after the deduction of final bill, within the following week.
I hope my experience will help others save time and unnecessary calls and trips.
I also hope that the EWA will continue to improve its services in light of customer feedback.
Dr Uneb Gazder
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