Residents in Southern Providence can no longer tolerate it – after suffering in silence as they endured countless power outages throughout the week, these irate Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) customers vented their frustration to the Bahama Journal and called for the immediate removal of BEC’s Executive Chairman Leslie Miller.

Golden Gates resident Tanya Cash said the mounting power outages were the worst that she had ever experienced.

“Explain to the Bahamian people, what is really going on with BEC, there’s much more going on that they are letting up on and we have had it, our electricity in this area have been off 14 times yesterday (Thursday) twice today (Friday) for hours, how much more do they want us to take,” she asked.

“Who is going to speak up for the Bahamian people this is ridiculous, school just open, children have homework – you can’t iron, you can’t really bathe on time, you have to be totting water, you have the electrical pump which goes out and is now being damaged, other appliances being damaged by BEC and all you hear from the executive chairman is this generator and that generator, this engine, that engine, who is fixing these generators? These are the very same people who have been affected by power outages for years but this is the worst it has ever been at that is why Mr. Miller (BEC Chairman) needs to be removed because they care absolutely nothing about the Bahamian people, Mr. Phillip Davis (Deputy Prime Minister and Works Minister) must be moved and BEC’s general manager, we have had it.”

Ms. Cash whose lights were disconnected from February to July of this year due to her family’s inability to meet their $4,000 light bill accused BEC of illegal practices and billing for services during their period of disconnection now that her lights are back on she says that she is now faced with a $400 bill per month despite countless power outages.

“They say that we owe them all of this money but yet they don’t read your meters, they’re estimating which is an illegal practice according to the Electricity Act, how could BEC just estimate and say we owe this,” she asked.

“They can say we owe thousands of dollars and don’t owe it.”

Ms. Cash’s has launched a petition in an effort to get the government to conduct an investigation into BEC’s billing procedures.

The petition with some 74 signatures can be found at http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-scam-at-bec-now.html

Social media sites were lighting up on Friday with not so kind statuses, tweets and even Instagram pictures of a black screen depicting darkness, customers publicly airing their concerns about the power company.

Another irate customer living in the Carmichael area said she has endured power outages on a daily basis, with at least 8 outages per day last week.

“Sometimes it cut on for about a minute or two, it goes off for about a half hour, the entire week has been like this, like I say I know they’re having their challenges but my God one area shouldn’t have to suffer this much, today I’m talking to you in the dark,” she said.

Power outages have become all too common – residents and business owners have been voicing their concern for weeks.

BEC Chairman Leslie Miller explained that the company experienced three engine failures on Friday.

He also said that a new power plant worth some $200 million plant is needed to meet the country’s ever increasing demand for electricity.

Last month Mr. Miller explained to The Bahama Journal that the demand for electricity is usually higher than normal during the summer months and encouraged Bahamians to conserve as much electricity as possible.