The business owners, mostly in the service sector such as cafes and mobile phone shops, sought the help of Johor MCA SME Bureau chairman Teh Kee Sin after the utility company cut off the electricity supply to their premises about two weeks ago. TNB also claimed some of these business owners had tampered with the meters at their shops.

“The business operators have been told to pay their bills of between RM700 and RM90,000 which are much higher than their usual bills,” Teh was quoted as saying by the daily.

He added that one of the operators, whose usual electricity bill was RM800 a month, was told to pay RM2,900 after TNB alleged he had tampered with the meter.

According to Teh, the operators were given a cut-off notice under Subsection 38(1) of the Electricity Supply Act 1990 before the power supply was cut off.

“I met with TNB officials last week to highlight the plight of the business owners,” he said, adding that he hoped for an amicable solution for both parties.

On another note, Teh also advised TNB to always ensure that any cut-off notices are handed to the right person in the respective businesses, and not workers who may not be aware of the implications.

“Business operators must also take cut-off notices and other letters from utility companies seriously to avoid having their supply cut off in future,” Teh said, according to The Star.

He said this was because once a notice was given, a grace period would be granted to the operator to take the necessary action, but there was no room for negotiation if the notice is ignored and the supply has been terminated.