Getting cut off is worse than a trip to the dentist
THE CONSEQUENCES of not paying your electricity bill can be more painful than root canal work by Marathon Man’s Dr. Christian Szell.
Maybe you forgot to pay, maybe the bank screwed up, or perhaps you haven’t got a clue why you have been cut off.
It’s no safe bet to blame the bank, even if it is their fault. If Iberdrola don’t receive their wonga they are about as sympathetic as a jury at a Nazi war crimes trial. Whatever the reason for getting cut off, Sparks can help you get reconnected.
Once a work order has been given to disconnect an electricity supply, it is policy for Iberdrola to remove the electricity meter. This can be done without any notification, before or after the disconnection. Normally the first time a tenant or owner discovers that their electricity has been cut off is when they unsuspectingly arrive at the property to be greeted by a little red sticker in their meter cupboard where the electricity meter once resided. The removal of the electricity meter indicates that Iberdrola have terminated the electricity contract for your property.
To get the electricity supply reconnected, the first thing to do is to ensure that any outstanding debt on the account is cleared, then the re-connection process can begin.
For the lucky ones, payment of the outstanding debt will suffice. They will be reconnected shorty after and billed for a re-connection charge and new contract.
The not-so-lucky will be asked to produce a boletin (electrical installation certificate) before the electricity supply can be reconnected. A boletin is required to issue a new contact on an electrical installation that is over 20 years old (other circumstances may also apply).
This is where the aggro starts… there can be a lot of unforeseen problems that take weeks, even months, to resolve. A survey of the property will be required to check if the installation complies with the Spanish electrical regulations. If the property was built before 2002 it will undoubtedly need upgrading work. The worse case scenario is that you could end up having to completely rewire the property before the electricity supply can be reconnected. Once the installation complies with the current Spanish electrical regulations a boletin can be issued.
Properties with the meter cupboard situated inside their grounds may be asked to re-site it outside the property, so that it can be accessed from the street. Needless to say this can all be expensive and time consuming.
Always check that the electricity bill gets paid every month . Do not presume that the bank is taking care of business because you have a direct debit. You will suffer the consequences if your bank fails to pay the bill.
Contact us if you need help getting your electricity supply reconnected.
7 Comments
Good advice as always Tony !
I can vouch for the whole problems non-payment causes. Although I was lucky not to get cut off completely, and had no charges to pay, they didn’t make things easy for in paying an outstanding Bill !
March 8, 2012
I’m aware of friends experiencing problems with Iberdrola and I’ve suggested to them that it may be worth a legal investigation to find whether they are using anti-competitive strategies to dominate the market and using this dominance to exploit the customers. Both of these would be against the basic articles of the EU.
March 9, 2012
Cutting off an electricity supply without notice certainly seems unfair. Whether or not it’s against EU statutory rights is something for a legal expert to investigate.
I agree with the boletin issue. Fact is the regulations state that a domestic property should have the electrical installation tested every 10 years, but people rarely do. I don´t really have to spell out why, especially here in Spain. Fact is, all installations over 10 years old need some work to make them safe and up to date in accordance with latest regs.
March 9, 2012
Yes you are right, I remember a friend being cut off and then after he settled the bill they claimed they did not have access to reconnect, funny how they found access to disconnect. Fortunately there are other options these days.
March 18, 2012
Hmmmm “other options” are they legal? 🙂
March 27, 2012
Has anyone else had a problem with their electricity supply since having a new ‘smart’ meter installed?
Our was changed last month and we are now plagued by ‘trips’ A single kettle switched on sometimes can trip the main circuit. Before we could use several heating type appliances at once but not now. As we are new home owners this is our first problem with Iberdrola. We live in an old Spanish farm workers cottage if this helps.
March 26, 2013
Sounds like its the ICP tripping out in the Smart Meter. To solve this problem you will need to upgrade your potencia. If you are in the southern Costa Blanca area, please feel free to contact me if you need any further help.
March 26, 2013