Electricity problems

This is my story . Can you help?  We arrived at our apartment to find a letter from the electicity company stating that they intended to cut us off . We had belived that they had been taking the standing charge on direct debit ,but they had decided that they did not want to take our money . We immediately made a visit to the electricity company and they gave us a form that we took to the post office .

Then we went to the bank and told them that the money had not been going out .she filled a few forms in and we left .

Will that solve our problem for the future ? or do we need some-one who speaks Spanish to talk to the electiricty company and ensure that they take the money or will the bank have sorted that for us.? It just niggles in your head.

Also how do we get all our bills sent to the UK . not easy when your Spanish is not good.

All simple problems ,but here they seem so difficult.

We are here longer than we expected ,so this is the opportunity . Sorry about the rambling ,just talking my thoughts.

Not sure which Electric company you are with, but if it Iberdrola you can get the bills on line. It is easy to sign up. They then email you when a bills ready to view. The bank should have re-set your direct debit.

Guy

 Kenshaz,

                   This quite a common occurrence. Sometimes something is lost in translation and sometimes the Spanish bureaucracy/ banking system is the problem. Of course it doesn't help if you can't speak Spanish or understand the system. This sort of thing has happened to me several times and although worrying please don't panic.

I presume you have paid the arrears at the post office or bank and have a receipt. If so that should put pay to that particular part.

Fortunately we now speak reasonable Spanish but in the past I have got a Spanish friend to come with me to the company and then the bank and 'forcefully' explain the situation. Having a Spanish national explain it has usually done the trick.

Please keep your bank/post office receipt safe and readily available.

As regards getting bills sent to the UK I am not sure. It is many years since we were in the UK for long periods of time but I do recall arranging with my bank to have statements sent to me. This may be an option for you so you can check DD's are being paid.

For your peace of mind I suggest you have at least a Spanish speaker go with you to the company and bank.

Best Wishes

Mick

Hi

We are not far from you on the golf course

We sorted online banking out a while ago and keep a track of D,D;s from there. We can also veiw our electric online, i guess your with Endessa, but thats another story

All the best and enjoy your extra time

David

Al Andalus Thalassa is supplied by CHC Energia, formerly Portillo.

Like you, we used to be able to view the whole bill, including usage etc via our online banking with Caja Murcia.

However, since the changeover almost 18months ago, the attachment online only shows the amount taken, with no other details.

Ken, you could try going into the office in Palomares & asking for bills to be sent to you in the UK.

Regards

Noreen

Noreen,

              Will try your suggestion.  We will also give our keyholders access to our post box here .

The sun is shining here and all is well in Thalassa.

                                                                Ken

Hi,

I am writing on behalf of a property management company, Homecareontheweb, based on the Costa del Sol and the Costa Brava.

We have considerable experience of dealing with the various utility companies for our clients and yes, they can be a nightmare!

Firstly, the problem with the bank not paying is an infuriatingly common one and frequently a fruitless task to try get to the bottom of. We suggest that our clients redirect the bills to our offices, that way we are instantly aware if any payments are missed and we can act accordingly.

You can definitely get your bills sent to the UK, but bear in mind that you may receive the bills or warning letters long after their expiry dates. Clearly, you have internet access, you may want to consider using the "e-factura" online billing services that most companies offer, likewise by using internet banking you can check to see what is coming out of your account.

It is worth noting that Endesa will accept credit card payments over the phone, but be prepared to stay on hold for a good while, make sure you have your contract details or a copy of an old bill. Endesa have some English speaking staff - I even spoke to one once! - but again, you may have to hold for a good while to speak to them.

When bills go unpaid for a few months the electricity companies can remove the meter and cancel the contract. In many cases the contract can be revived once the debt is cleared, but sometimes you will be required to provide a new "boletín" or installation certificate, to get one of these your property will have to meet the requirements in force on that day. This can prove very expensive on older properties as it may mean starting the whole installation again from scratch, right up to the electricity meter. The certificate itself can cost hundreds of Euros and has to be issued by a Spanish registered electrician. Best not to let things reach that stage if at all possible.

Another issue is that many people don’t even realise that there is a problem until they arrive to find the electricity cut off. Murphy’s law states that this will be the night before a bank holiday weekend. That is where having a good management company is essential. One of the many services we offer our clients is that of inspections. Our inspectors visit the property once or twice a month (depending on the contract) and report their findings via the internet. This way they pick up quickly if the electricity has been cut off and we can act quickly to get it reinstated.

If it is any consolation, the electricity suppliers are large national companies with procedures in place to deal with these matters. The water companies however,  tend to be small local firms and frequently the only way that you can pay them if a bank payment has been missed, is to go to their offices bearing cash. Not easy from the UK, but all in a day’s work for us!

Spot on it's a nightmare if you get disconnected - so don't!

For an apartment it could cost up to EUR1,500 and for a villa ERU15,000. All to do with new regulation.

To get a bolitin for an apartment you mostly need to do a lot of work such as pull in new 10mm non-smoldering cable - replace old consumer unit - needs isolating switch - surge protector - double pole breakers etc  etc etc

Villa is probably on 3 phase - so you will need to run in new 25mm non-smoldering cable from meter box and do as above  - replace/resite meter box - hire sevillana sub-contracter to run in new 50mm cable from transformer to metre box including errect new pylons along the way. There are reasons why they will not re-connect you to where you were connected and insist on new routings (they need the work!). This will involve technicians from Endesa and Sevillana (responsible for overhead cables) arguing among themselves for months - informe and so on .....

OK - before someone says what's he on about these are extreme examples but all true cases!!!!

One time they used to come out and re-connect but now seem to insist on bolitin nuevo or bolitin revisions - either way it will cost you money with these ever changing standards - even an installation done 2 years ago needs some work!