SERVICES FAIRNESS: AN ASSESSMENT OF THE BENIN ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTION COMPANY IN BENIN METROPOLIS, EDO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated customers’ perception of procedural fairness in Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) service delivery in the Benin metropolis. The study adopted a survey-type research design. The instruments used for the primary data collection were a structured type of research questionnaire and a personal interview guide. To collect the required data for the study, a sample size of 250 respondents was selected using the snowball random sampling technique. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that customers’ perception of BEDC services delivery from 2013 to 2024 was poor, procedurally unfair and below the stipulated electricity regulatory standards.  Based on the findings, the study highlighted the need for BEDC to improve its operational efficiency, review its customer service policies and procedures, and become more transparent by making all the necessary working materials available to its employees, as doing this will make them effective and enable them to address all customer complaints fairly.