Unelco ordered to re-invoice

A reader wrote recently:

"I read with interest an article in Island Connections newspaper about Unelco estimating very low bills in December and then over-charging the 'real' reading in January to gain millions of euros at the new rate for units used in December.  I have spoken to some friends and we have ALL been victims - I wonder if you have an insight into this matter.  Apparently the Governments on the mainland are investigating the electricity companies.  Is Tenerife going to follow suit?"

It seems that the Canarian Government - or it's Energy Directorate - has done the right thing (there's always a first time for everything), having sent "electricity suppliers in the archipelago" (er, Unelco is the monopoly), a resolution ordering them to re-bill consumers for electricity consumed in 2008 that they had invoiced in 2009 at the new (thus wrong, higher) tariffs. The Department of Energy's decision was in response to many complaints they had received after monthly billing was introduced on November 1st, 2008.

Theirs was certainly not the only complaint about the new billing system and the biggest shock to that change, write LosGigantes.com was an unexpected bill between Xmas and New Year. As timing goes, they couldn't have made it more painful for the already crisis affected consumer, could they? Are they sadists?

Earlier reports indicated that island councils were demanding explanations over the increases in tariffs and that the Canarian Government were negotiating  the return of the amounts taken in payment of electricity bills.

The news item on the resolution, dated yesterday, says, "Furthermore, the Directorate General of Energy states that the results of this [new] calculation should be incorporated in the first bill to be issued from April 1 2009, which will consist of an easily understandable to the user, the concepts of that bill, as well as an explicit reference to compliance with this resolution."

Yes, we're wondering about the "easily understandable to the user" concept.

(Don't read anything into the April 1st timing though, as December 28th is the day for such foolishness in Spain. And there was no point me holding the news until tomorrow, Friday 13th either, because Spain does Tuesday 13th.)

Anyway, the Canary Islands Government decided to take the initiative to respond to all users, without the need for individual claims, so it's probably reasonable to assume this will be adjusted automatically, however if you don't see your adjustment or have a similar issue (with Unelco, or any other supplier or service), your best bet is to go to your local town hall's consumer office, Oficina Municipal o Insular de Información al Consumidor (OMIC/OIIC).

Photo: by otrasislas. The sign reads, "Unelco, la próxima vez... descuéntamelo de la factura" (Unelco, next time ... discount it from my invoice). This was referring to their failings during the Tropical Storm Delta in 2005.

And my spell checker still wants to change Unelco to Unwelcome.