Scores battle queues to upgrade meters – Using chatbot Alfred

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Certain South African provinces are currently in a state of panic and chaos as millions of citizens are racing against time to ensure they have upgraded their prepaid electricity meters before the deadline on 24 November 2024.

The pressure seems to be taking it’s toll on many who have reportedly tried to do the necessary upgrades numerous times but failed because of long queues. The Citizen reported on 21 November 2024 that most Eskom customers in Soweto had been in queues for days.

MANY HAVE BEEN IN QUEUES FOR DAYS

One of those interviewed by The Citizen said that “they always cut off the queues” before they are helped. The residents blamed Eskom for the chaos that was happening, saying it was due to the power utility’s poor planning. According to the publication, many have had to sleep outside Eskom offices to be one of the first ones in line when they open so that they are assisted.

MAN REPORTEDLY DIES WHILE WAITING TO UPGRADE PREPAID METER

A video posted by Newzroom Afrika on YouTube on 21 November 2024, revealed that a man reportedly died while in a queue to upgrade in Orlando East, Soweto.

The news station said they were told that a man suddenly fell from his chair and died in the early hours of the morning. The incident left many community members in shock, with a witnessed, who said he knew the deceased, saying it was traumatic.

RAMOKGOPA VISITS SOWETO

Electricity and energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa visited the township of Soweto on 21 November 2024 as part of their information drive, reported TimesLive.

Mail & Guardian reports that the minister said on Wednesday, 20 November 2024, that there would be no extension to the deadline. “[The technology has] got a time stamp and it is ending on 24 November 2024; we can’t extend it. It’s a technical issue and Eskom cannot be blamed for consumers who experience disruptions.”

HOW TO USE ALFRED CHATBOT TO UPGRADE METER

Those who are tech-savvy can avoid queues by making use of Eskom’s chatbot Alfred, which was launched in 2021. It’s accessible 24/7 and can be used to report faults or get other forms of assistance. Alfred can be found on the main page of Eskom’s website, and the power utility’s customers can start chatting with the chatbot using their meter or account number.

Customers get a reference number when using it to check on the progress of their fault. They can start chatting with Alfred by simply typing “HI” or clicking on the options that are provided at the bottom of the website’s page.

For those needing assistance with recoding, these are the instructions:

Enter 1844 6744 0738 4377 2416 on your meter keypad.
If the meter shows 1 or 1.2, your meter still needs to be recoded. Please click on “Prepaid meter token problems” below and “I would like to recode my meter” to get assistance.