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It was a normal Saturday; October 4, 2014, when a prepaid meter at Labone Civil Servants� Flat, in Accra started sounding the alarm that units on the device was getting finished. The gentlemen took his card to a power vendor in the neighbourhood for a recharge only to be told the very familiar message that �the network is down so you can leave your card and money and come back later�. At 12 noon the customer called the vendor and was told that there was a problem with his card so he should come for a message. In 45 minutes he got to the vendor and was handed a paper which explained that the prepaid customer owes Electricity Corporation of Ghana (ECG), GH₵240.00 as debit from PNS. Knowing very well that that fateful Saturday was the Muslims feast of sacrifice- Eid-ul- Adha and as such Monday; October 6, had been declared a public holiday, he called ECG�s customer care service number: 0302611611, and very courteous voice suspected to be that of a lady picked the call and listened patiently to the complaint of the customer but happened to be clueless of debit from PNS and offered to cross check with officials on duty. When the anxious customer called back another person picked the phone and asked of the reason for the enquiry and also offered to check. When the ritual went on for the third time, he was told that it was passed noon and so nobody was around to help and Monday being a holiday, help could come from ECG only on Tuesday; October 7. By 1100 hours the customer who had endured power cut for almost 72 hours arrived at the Greater Accra Regional Office and when he explained his mission to the attentive Receptionist, he was directed to Room 6 where he was subjected to a lecture on PNS. The explanation was that even if a customer had purchased his or her normal units there is an internal device that records an additional units one may spend over a period on the PNS meter. After the account, he said he could spread the payment of the PNS debit by at least four installments but could not do so because as usual the net was down, and a check at the customer service hall revealed a long queue of customers whose ordeal was that ECG had installed prepaid meters in their homes and could only get power if they buy power upfront. As to why the network that ensures that customers get the best care of what they are pre financing sometimes could freeze for more than 10 hours is hard to understand. The fine gentleman at Room G 6 directed the customer to see a technical person at the customer care hall for help and was shocked at the ungentlemanly behaviour of somebody earning his income through the money ECG generates through customers who patronise the services. �If he owes PNS let him go and pay, what have I got to do with that?� He yelled at the hearing of customers. The bewildered customer moved to the regional office of Public Utility Regulatory Commission to complain, and after he was told why he had to pay the debit he was directed to ECG to see the Regional Commercial Manager, who spoke with him on phone. Although the gentleman was not in the office, he directed his secretary what to do and after an interaction with a number of officials in another office, the customer was directed to the Head of Prepaid Service who was reassuring but dropped the �bomb� that the GH₵240.00 PNS would have to be paid in installments of GH₵96.00 each. It means if the customer purchases GH₵100.00 power he could only enjoy GH₵4.00 service. The calculation was very disturbing especially due to a debt that was handed down arbitrarily without prior education, information and transparency. It was sheer bullying of a vulnerable customer. What is more confusing is that GH₵96.00 x 3 is GH₵288.00 that is more than the GH₵240.00 PNS debit. Around 5.9 million people in the UK have prepayment energy and in some cases one could switch from a prepayment meter to a standard meter. However a supplier would charge a customer to remove a prepayment meter and install the new meter. In Ghana it was a policy for consumers to switch to prepaid meter. But what makes it worse for the Labone customer was that he moved into his flat where there was already a prepaid meter and therefore had no option for an alternative. In the UK when it comes to prepayment meters, the disadvantages generally outweigh the advantages. Advantages of prepayment meters include: Helping customers to manage their debt and energy usage; preventing large and unexpected bills. In Ghana these simple rules were violated by ECG. What prevents ECG to prompt a customer about a debit challenge and offer enough education or awareness on the issue and facilitate the payment process on flexible terms? For now it is ECG that fully understands PNS and associated debit and when their verdict is handed over to puzzled customers on terms of payment that is final! You either pay or sleep in darkness. However when the mode of getting prepaid services are confronted with technical challenges and you are told �go and come back the network is down�, that is normal for operations and the excuses are convenient. This ECG unfair treatment must end and perhaps the law courts could be an option to end this tyranny.