electric bill

[MaidenScotland]

The problem is no one will discuss it with her, she has the readings, this is just a bill from April until October of this year. When she makes a call to discuss the bill she is told.... no that is what you owe. There is no, we will come and check your meter etc. Last year for the full year she paid approx 2000 euros. It is not even if she is right or wrong about the bill it's the fact no one will discuss it, she does speak Spanish and if she gets stuck she has a Spanish friend who will make the call.....just someone saying they will look into it would be a help.
Post is delivered sporadically so she had no idea what her bill was before it was taken out of her account. Internet banking is fine if you have a good connection, she lives out in the countryside and there are days on end when she doesn't have a signal and days when it just goes off and on all day.
Many thanks for the help and suggestions given.

[libove]

If she can walk in to an office of the Electric utility company - preferably one of their own locations, or else one of their contracted representatives - my experience is that when you're in someone's face they usually find it easier to actually try to help you, than to sit there and take abuse deserved by someone else!

Since part of the problem appears to be that she has one 6-month lump bill, without detailed utilisation reports, her first question (via any contact channel, including the phone) ought to be simply for a replacement (or first, if the company doesn't usually provide) copy of the more detailed usage accounting, including when meter readings were actual vs estimated, over the period in question. This is information which the utility company pretty much has to provide, and shouldn't want to argue about.

With those greater details in hand, the analysis which excellent earlier posts have suggestion, then a contact with the Consumer protection agency of her region would be a great idea. Here in Catalunya that's the Agència Catalana del Consum at Web de l'Agència Catalana del Consum. I assume there must be something similar in her region.

Good luck!
Jay
Barcelona

[MaidenScotland]

Thanks.. Im frightened to ask her anything else in case she is looking for a loan lol
Candles for Christmas it is,

[Xose]

Originally Posted by MaidenScotland

The problem is no one will discuss it with her, she has the readings, this is just a bill from April until October of this year. When she makes a call to discuss the bill she is told.... no that is what you owe. There is no, we will come and check your meter etc. Last year for the full year she paid approx 2000 euros. It is not even if she is right or wrong about the bill it's the fact no one will discuss it, she does speak Spanish and if she gets stuck she has a Spanish friend who will make the call.....just someone saying they will look into it would be a help.
Post is delivered sporadically so she had no idea what her bill was before it was taken out of her account. Internet banking is fine if you have a good connection, she lives out in the countryside and there are days on end when she doesn't have a signal and days when it just goes off and on all day.
Many thanks for the help and suggestions given.

Hi,
Who's she with?

I'm fairly sure that if she is armed with the information, and her metered consumption is, let's say €1200 for the 6 months based on Kw the meter says she used, they will not ignore that. So clearly this is not the contention.

What, as she has all the readings, should the bill have been? - or is the bill she has also calculated correct, but she is saying that she "couldn't have used that much" or some such, making them less interested in looking for earthing leaks, neighbour theft etc., etc.

The startig point must be their reading minus the last reading. If these do not agree (her readings V. their's) they won't simply ignore her.

I phoned my company with a similar issue (the now famous Estimated month). Only when I presented them with the facts - i.e. they knew I was able to argue the case based on facts and my readings of their equipment, and they simply re-submitted the bill with my reading.

You're not really telling us what the contentious issue is. Is she in pocession of the actual calculations showing that they overcharged her - or is she simply saying "but it can't be that much!" ?

Xose

[MaidenScotland]

Yes she has worked out what she owes, she has done the readings and the calculations, but no one listens, she has worked out that she owes 1500 euros.
Getting to her nearest electricity office is something she will just have to manage to do, but it is not easy as you will all know, she works and she has 3 children at school, who all start and finish at different times so her time is at a premium, but she cannot afford to loose 1500 euros.

[Xose]

Originally Posted by MaidenScotland

Yes she has worked out what she owes, she has done the readings and the calculations, but no one listens, she has worked out that she owes 1500 euros.
Getting to her nearest electricity office is something she will just have to manage to do, but it is not easy as you will all know, she works and she has 3 children at school, who all start and finish at different times so her time is at a premium, but she cannot afford to loose 1500 euros.

That sounds incredible - the "no one listens" bit. Meter readers make mistakes (and they know that!!)

Has she told them that te meter reader has made a mistake and that the reading is XXXXXX ?

She needs to also ask them for a "modelo de reclamaciones".

Here's abit about Andalucia where people were making claims that the Elec company were charging Jan 09 rates for Dec 08 usage. A big complaint all over as I recall. The following text says that she needs to ask them for a Modelo de reclamacion and then go to their office to file it officially. Hopefully, once she asks them for this on the phone, they might take more notice of her claim which, having read the meter herself and seen a clear error, is not the same as the above mention legal issue of charging increased rates in Jan for Dec usage.... her case is a straight forward case of wrongful charge and thus, much more a case of them ignoring her than debating what is or isn't legal.

Hope she manages to convince them that they're on to a looser and she isn't about to drop this and wait for the next 6 months to be free whilst she subs their cashflow.


La Oficina Municipal de Información al Consumidor (OMIC) está atendiendo en los últimos días un gran número de consultas de los consumidores relativas a la facturación por consumos eléctricos de la compañía eléctrica Sevillana-Endesa, motivadas por la aplicación a consumos realizados en el mes de diciembre de la tarifa aprobada en enero de 2009, con el consiguiente perjuicio económico para los clientes.


Los consumidores están acudiendo a la OMIC porque, al parecer, Sevillana-Endesa los remite a esta Oficina municipal, cuando la reclamación debe plantearse ante la propia compañía suministradora, como ocurre con todas las reclamaciones de los consumidores.

En este sentido, desde la OMIC se quiere aclarar que, conforme a lo establecido en la Ley 13/2003, de 17 de Diciembre, de Defensa y Protección de los Consumidores y Usuarios en Andalucía, y en el Decreto 72/2008, de 4 de Marzo, por el que se regulan las hojas de quejas y reclamaciones en Andalucía, “las reclamaciones deben presentarse en el modelo oficial de hojas de reclamaciones en el establecimiento objeto de la queja o reclamación”, es decir, en las Oficinas de la Compañía Sevillana-Endesa sitas en la Avenida del Cisne.

[MaidenScotland]

She can't afford to drop it so she will plod on the good thing is she is like a dog with a bone and won't give up without a fight.
Thanks again.

[Stravinsky]

Originally Posted by MaidenScotland

She can't afford to drop it so she will plod on the good thing is she is like a dog with a bone and won't give up without a fight.
Thanks again.

If they ignore her requests to check the meter, cant she issue a denuncia against the company.

Also, has she tried turning absolutely everything off in the house and then checking the meter to make sure someone else hasnt cut into her supply?