Never stop paying the whole bill

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If your municipal bill is wrong, dispute it. But keep paying the part you don't dispute.

That one move takes away the municipality's lawful grounds to cut off your water or electricity while the dispute drags on, and these disputes drag on for months.

Do it properly. Put your dispute in writing, keep every reference number, and check that your account has been formally flagged as disputed.

And when you hit a wall, copy in your ward councillor. They are drowning in billing complaints, but in the cases I've dealt with they are often the only ones who actually pick up the phone to an official.
11 Sep English South Africa Education · Self-Improvement

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