(Kingston, Jamaica; 2026 July 17): Customers of Jamaica’s four major utility providers, Jamaica Public Service Company Ltd. (JPS), National Water Commission (NWC), Digicel, and Flow, continue to face delays, inconsistent communication, and incomplete resolutions when seeking assistance through call centres, website chat platforms, and social media channels.
These shortcomings were a key finding of the Office of Utilities Regulation’s (OUR) 2025 Mystery Shopping Survey, which highlighted gaps in customer service delivery across multiple service channels. The study found that utility customers’ experiences include:
- Long wait times, especially during peak periods.
- Inconsistent answers to basic queries (such as bill explanations, payment updates, service applications, refunds, contract termination).
- Incomplete or contradictory instructions from agents.
- Unclear escalation processes, with shoppers often rerouted or told to “call back”.
Director of Consumer & Public Affairs at the OUR, Yvonne Nicholson, is urging utility service providers to consider recommendations from the OUR, which include: building or expanding a unified customer experience standard that includes maximum wait-time thresholds for call centres, in-store visits, and digital channels, as well as mandatory response-time key performance indices for social media and chat; standardised scripts for complex processes and annual certification of frontline staff.
OUR’s annual Mystery Shopping Survey, conducted by Market Research Services Ltd., involved individuals across … -30-
Contact: OUR’s Public Affairs Unit; publicaffairs@our.org.jm – 876-968-6053
