National

GB Residents Blasts GBPC For Alledged Overcharging

GRAND BAHAMA, BAHAMAS – Bahamas Ambassador to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, Winston Pinnock, is speaking out over what he claims are excessive power bills at his Grand Bahama home. The issue? No one had been at the home for months.

Published

9 months ago

March 7, 2025

Berthony McDermott

Pinnock, who has been posted in Rome as an ambassador, says he has been away from his Grand Bahama home 90% of the time. Yet, that didn’t stop him from receiving power bills over $700.

Winston Pinnock – Bahamas Ambassador, FAO

“At that point, we started to monitor the situation because it was weird, it didn’t make sense. We have a pool at home, but the electrician, who is a three-phase electrician, confirmed that the one-horsepower pool or half-horsepower pool doesn’t burn a lot of electricity, four hours a day. Besides that, it’s really just a refrigerator and security lights. I mean, everything is turned off. We don’t have a heater on the system.”

This prompted Pinnock to approach the Grand Bahama Power Company (GBPC) for answers.

He claims a team was sent to inspect the matter, and according to him, the inspection came back fine. However, Pinnock says daily power usage reports revealed significant electricity consumption when no one was home, leading him to escalate the issue to management.

Winston Pinnock – Bahamas Ambassador, FAO

“At that point, I was really annoyed, and I made it clear that it was cheaper to just pay FOCOL for gas for our generator than to be paying six or seven hundred dollars for power bills. And we were not prepared to pay anymore. I had decided at that point we were going to shut it down.”

He claims the power company agreed not to disconnect the electricity for 60 days to allow for a billing assessment.

But, according to Pinnock, in November, this happened:

Winston Pinnock – Bahamas Ambassador, FAO

“We were in Rome fulfilling our responsibility to the government, and my power got turned off, I realized because we have security cameras. My wife got a notice that the power was cut, and at that time, I was furious. So I called and was really annoyed, and the customer service manager literally told me, because I said to her that at this point, we were going to battle because this is ridiculous, she then decided that she was going to hang up the call.”

We reached out to GBPC, who responded that they remain committed to providing transparent and customer-focused solutions and encourage dialogue when concerns arise. The company also confirmed that they are in direct communication with Pinnock regarding the matter and that an internal investigation is ongoing.

Our News can also confirm that URCA has gotten involved.

Pinnock says the situation has left him angry and frustrated, and he is calling on the government to intervene.

He insists the issue goes beyond just himself—he worries about the thousands of Grand Bahamians who may be facing similar struggles but have no option but to pay their bills.

Winston Pinnock – Bahamas Ambassador, FAO

“My appeal is not just for myself. I think there are clear abuses going on. I don’t think the Grand Bahama Power Company should have the authority to be unregulated. I think the government has to step in.”