Iberswitch

 Well written JackieB. My old dads, been conned as well. I also read that in the small print of Iberswitchs contract, they will take there money off your credit card if the bank stops payment.

They also do not have a physical office where you can visit to complain.

eljefe,

The debit or credit card payment was a suggestion by Iberswitch in case of problems with your direct debit to the electricity provider but is not compulsory.  I certainly did not provide such payment details and would warn anybody against doing so. The agrreement with them is purely that, an agreement and can be cancelled at anytime/

Do not use this company- I doubt they are doing anything at all, contracted with them nearly 12 months ago to arrange switch and still nothing happened they don't respond to e mails and haven't returned my fee! In fact the only thing they are good at is taking your fee the day you contract with them!

jeffw,

Same thing happened to my neighbour, how many others have they done this to?  It would appear they're just a bunch of 'get rich quick merchants'  I have warned people on this and other forums in the past - stay well clear!

We joined Iberswitch, it took them 9 months to actually change our provider.....we got a bill in yesterday, and we are paying nealy 2 cents more per kw than Iberdrola are charging.....WHEN I finally got a call back from them, on the pretence of being a new customer ....I was told that they only got 15 days notice from the new electric company......yeah right!!!....and when I asked about this box you can have put in...where between 10pm and 12 noon in the winter you only pay .07 cent a kw and .17cent the rest of the time.....they said we can do that.....they had the cheek to tell me it would cost me 30 euro....when my neighbour has just paid 10 euro with Iberdrola.....they are PROFFESSIONAL CON ARTISTS...AND WHEN YOU SPEAK WITH THEM ...THEY REALLY DO BELEIVE THEY ARE DOING YOU A FAVOUR...and what you do save they take!!!...so you dont save anything...your just lining there pockets!!

The market for electricity and gas has been deregulated in Spain BUT wholsale elctricity prices are a government dictat and teh companies that distribute do not compete... come to think of it just like many businesses in Spain... competition has not become entrenched in the economy yet and most certainly not for the basic necessities.

This company probably thought they could become the Uswitch of Spain, it is not going to happen until complete deregulation takes place and the Spanish economic structure accepts the priciple of real competition.

Sorry but this company can do nothing for you.

Barry

I saw in a paper last week an "article" wherein in described a box they were selling that reduced power consumption by 5 percent when you plugged it in. Perhaps they have discovered something Einstein wasn't aware of. I am amazed how people fall for this stuff.!

Guy

 You would be amazed at how often people as me about this.... I tell them its a scam and they still struggle to believe it... the physics behind it just isnt possible.

For a large industrial factory these devices can work (but not like these domestic ones.. think bigger) however the savings are still minimum, especially taking into account the cost of the device. Steer well clear.

 I know this thread is getting old but I thought I would offer my opinion on the matter from personal experiences.

As you may know I am an electrician covering the Costa Del Sol and Almeria, so I meet many different clients and they tell me thier experiences, as of yet, I am yet to meet one satisfied Iberswitch customer. Why? Well, to start with the savings they advertise never reflect what  you can actually physically get. I was with a client today and she was discussing with me that she wanted to change provider, and I talked her through it, and Ill take you guys through it as well;

There is a MINIMUM that power by Kw/h can be sold at, currently i THINK 0.1423 cents. It cannot be sold cheaper, stipulated by the goverment, however, companies can offer you a discount on your Potencia Contratada, your TARIFF. This however is approximately only 10euros a month for a 5.75kw property (25amp).

Iberdrola offer 5% off that charge, equalling 50 cents a month discount on that. Also, as of me checking today, they will not raise prices at all for 12 months, so you will continue to pay 0.1423cents all year, now price rises are discussed every 6 months here in Spain, It didnt increase at Christmas so you can be fairly sure it will increase in June. My educated guess from experience is that it will raise to nearly 0.1600 cents KW/h. Now, if you work it out. if you use 500kw/h at the moment for the month of FEB, you would be charged the following:

500KW/h x 0.1423 = €71.15

With a price increase to .1600cents, you would pay

500KW/h x 0.1600 = €80.00 

So effectively you CAN save nearly 9€ a month during the 6 months with no price rises which equals a total saving over a year of

(54€ + .50centsdiscount on power tarriff x 12months = 6€) 

So you would save €60 a year. Exactly what Iberswitch cost in the first place.

Now I am not one to bash a company, look, Iberswitch, I understand you are a business and businesses are to make money and be profitable. Thats fine, I really dont mind. However, I am just putting across the facts that I have and know are true. You DO supply a service, switching people over, and yes, if people want they pay you for that service. But you must not promise savings that are impossible. Its possible to save different amounts with different suppliers, but to say you can half your bill, is just not right.

If anyone IS interested in changing company, I dont wish to sound to much like im selling here or anything, but I at Costa Del Sky offer a electrical installation saftey test, which takes around an hour, testing all your electrics, making sure everything is safe and repairing any faults, and also, after its finished, I will happily take a look over your bill, and work out with you what you could save by changing provider. Basically Ill show you the math I just did above but for your situation. If you fancy changing company, its included in the 40€, so really you dont pay just for changing company, you get me to go to your house, check your electrics, repair any problems AND talk you through changing suppliers and do it for you if you like, all for that 40€.

If you would just like to change companies and nothing more, than, perhaps you may be interested in Iberswitch, at 30€ + IVA, they can change you over, then if you no longer want to pay thier monthly charge, scrap them, they did thier service you initially paid them for.

I hope this is informative, it took a while to write and I hope that clears up what can be saved by changing providers.

 Why would anyone wish to pay Iberswitch or anybody else for that matter just for changing your electric power provider?  At least Costa del Sky will include this service in the cost of a safety inspection,

All it takes is two or three phone calls to the different providers requesting their tariffs and then organizing by telephone the switch to the one of your choice all by yourself or with the help of someone fluent in Spanish if you are not.  The latter is not really necessary but perhaps it will assist in avoinding any misunderstandings of the actual offering.

On Dec. 17, I phoned Iberdrola and asked to be switched to them (I was with Endesa up to then but their client service team actually hung up the phone on me while I was inquiring about my last bill).  It took all of 5 minutes on the phone and the change took place on January 3.

Iberdrola offered me a reduction in price of 16% over a one year period and I took it.  So far it seems to be working perfectly.  It is really very simple.

My advice is not to touch Iberswitch with a bargepole. Come to that why waste a good bargepole. Their agent came to see us nearly 18 months ago, with a promise that all would be sorted in 3 months. 7 months later they took €35 from my bank account. After 13 months I e mailed them to say I was no longer interested in changing over and I wanted to stay with Iberdrola. After a further 2 e mails without reply I telephoned them a month ago and was told that someone from the customer care department would ring me back. I am still waiting for that call. I have now written to them, but am not holding my breath for a reply. All I want is my money returned as they have done nothing. Be warned steer well clear.

yep...seemingly the goverment set the charges not the electric companies!!...so they talk a load of crap!!

 The electric companies can make offers such as a discount on your Potencia contract, which amounts to very little savings, or they can freeze your prices for a fixed term

I was wi8th Iberdrola but changed to cesel through iberswitch.

Now realise i'm not making any savings but how do i go back to iberdrola?

Oscar15 The only way you get through to them is by pretending to be a potencial customer!!

If any of you are from the Costa Blanca area, go to your local shop, ours is an electrical shop in Pilar Horradada, there is also at Easyadds in La Zenia an agent for Iberswitch.....so you can cancel!! but the most important thing is cancel your direct debit!!..or Iberswitch will still take you for a ride!!

Thanks Bloomie for the info. I have already cancelled the direct debit in favour of Iberswitch so there's no way they can con me out of any more money. I just want my €35 back that they have done nothing to earn.

jay6gee. If you want to revert to Iberdrola I believe they charge you (Iberdrola that is) but I don't know how much.

 jay6gee, you should be saving a small amount with CESEL.  I was in the same position, I realised Iberswitch were a con and cancelled my DD to Iberswitch.  I then contacted CESEL direct and told them I wished to stay with them and to send my bills directly to me.  They have a discount which is slightly less than Iberdrola for 12 months so you may as well stay put until the end of the 12 month period then see what's on offer.  The amount Iberswitch charge per month wipes out any savings that you make so no point in paying them.  Iberswitch will never save anyone any money, they know this but continue to advertise for customers.  They should be closed down by the government at the earliest opportunity.  The way the regulations are set up in Spain at the moment ensures that there is no real free market competion, therefore no opportunity to save money.  The initial 35€ I paid to Iberswicth plus, 4.17€ per month for the 8 months I was with them, has resulted in my costs for the 12 months being more than if I had stay with Iberdrola.  I know of several people that switched via Iberswith and not one of them has saved anything - in fact I asked last year via this forum if there was any Iberswitch customer that had saved any money and I am still awaitng answers.  Anyone out there contemplating signintg up with them, be warned

 It is CONFIRMED today that electricity prices will be rising on April 1st. So if anyone is thinking of switching, switch now because you will get your price frozen for 12 months for example with iberdrola. Make sure your new provider offers to keep with Kwh price at .1425 cents!

If you need someone to change companys for you, for example if you dont speak much spanish, remember costadelsky offer an electrical installation saftey check and the switch is free. I had it published in The News today actually. Hope that doesnt sound like too much of an advert, but a saftey check never hurt anyone and I take care of your electrical company changeover.

 Iberswitch were using companies that were not putting the correct reading on the bill....so when we went  back with Iberdrola ...we had a bill for 164 euro...again con artists!!