When it comes to Yaka some customers complain of units running so fast and others complain of getting less units than they paid for. Amidst the complaints some Yaka customers are happy and applaud the Yaka innovation as the best thing from UMEME Whatever complaints you might have, We have compiled 5 ways to help you make sure you aren’t cheated. We believe that you will find them useful. If you are not yet on Umeme’s Yaka, here are 5 things you need to know before you are switched because Umeme is on a drive to get as many people on Yaka as possible. If you were already switched, lets dive right in.
Ensure that your Yaka meter is actually yours
One of the ways you can get cheated is when the Customer Interface Unit (CIU) in your house (what we call the Yaka meter ) is actually not yours. Mistakes happen especially if you live in apartments where there are multiple units within the area. In the process of switching you from the analog to the prepaid meter, its possible that a customer interface unit (CIU) is placed in the wrong house. The mix up can get you paying someone else’s bill which I am sure no one would want. To resolve this, you have to ensure that the CIU is yours. To do this, turn on a light buld near your CIU an then press #001#. The power/your light bulb will go off temporarily for a about a second or two and then come back. If it doesn’t go off at all after you input that code into the CIU, then that meter is not yours and you will need to contact Umeme customer care immediately to help out.
Ensure that there were no previous arrears before the transition to Yaka
This usually happens when you shift into a new house. Make sure that all previous bills are settled to zero by the landlord. This can really be deceptive so let me explain. If you had an analog meter with a bill of 100,000 Ugx and then you were transitioned from the analog meter to Yaka, The Yaka will continue to work but Umeme will be deducting a fixed fee on all your Yaka payments until the arrears from the analog meter are settled. So lets take a scenario where you have a bill of 100,000 Ugx on your analog meter and you are connected to Yaka. You shift before paying the 100k arrears. Whoever shifts to that house may not be aware of the arrears from the previous analog meter but will be forced to pay a percentage of the arrears from every Yaka purchase they make till the arrears are cleared. To avoid paying someone else’s arrears when you shift into the new house, ask the landlord to clear any previous arrears but you can carry out some due diligence by getting your current meter number and calling Umeme to find out if that account has any arrears. That way you are only paying for what you use.
Ensure that there is no power leakage
Do your units run faster than normal? Is your consumption higher than you expect? Your consumption will definitely be too high if you have a power leakage. A leakage can be due to poor wiring or using of very old appliances. I experienced this when I had poor wiring in my house. I was spending 20,000 Ugx per week on Umeme Yaka units yet I used to spend 30,000 Ugx per month on the analog meter. This was due to poor wiring that was causing power leakage. The good news is that you can gauge if there is a power leakage at your house without calling an electrician. You can do this by switching off all the appliances in your house and checking the meter for any activity. On the left side of your meter display, there will be bars that look like signal bars except that these indicate the load you have on your meter. Load is the amount of power you are using at a given time. If you are heating, ironing and cooking at the same time, you will notice that the load bar will show more bars – this means that your units will be running faster at this point. If you switch off all the appliances in your house and you still see a load bar on your meter, that means that something is still using your power and its probably a leakage.
Calculate and monitor your Umeme Yaka usage
One of the ways you can make sure you never get cheated is by knowing how to monitor and calculate your usage. It’s the only way you can detect any anomaly in your consumption. We have written a comprehensive step by step guide on how to calculate and monitor your usage that you will find very useful.
Learn Umeme Yaka tips and tricks
We have also taken time to compile some Umeme Yaka tips and tricks that any power user will find useful. These tips range from how to silence the Yaka buzzer, finding out how check your Yaka meter number or the reason for the last disconnect among others. These tips and tricks will help you avoid being cheated or make the best of Umeme yaka. Image: deviantart.net by user claine89-d5atyij
