Pre-paid Power Cards

ECH714

New member
Mar 12, 2003
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I MENTIONED the following about 18-24 months ago and was all but laughed off the board.Those that responded said it was totally unworkable :classic:
Prepaid cards for power supply
Power distribution companies EdeSur and EdeNorte announced the start of a first 500-client pilot program whereby consumers would use prepaid cards for their power supply. Listin Diario reports that the system will operate in the style of the prepaid telephone calling cards. At the same time, the companies will install a pilot plan to monitor 200 residential, business and industrial users seeking to reduce fraud.
The cost of these programs is US$125,000 and will be invested by US, Israelian and Korean companies interested in selling this technology to the power distribution companies. The promoters say the systems would reduce fraud and non-paying consumers.
According to the report in the Listin, the companies say that of 1.3 million clients, only 800,000 pay for the service.


I was familiar with this situation in South Africa and that is how the problem of non payment was solved. Everyone...and I do mean everyone pays...including the government. Who laughs last now? DOC
 

TEHAMA

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Feb 3, 2004
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I see major headaches ahead. Keep in mind were talking about a Dominican operation (no offense). It took 3 months to get my phone installed by Verizon. I can see someone calling in an order for power and it being charged to another address. With the phone card (as I know it) its charged to phone its called from. So are there going to be phone connections to every Electric Meter now? I think you first have to HAVE meters.

Besides, there no switch to cutoff your power from the office anyway. They send the bullies out who try and bride you! Where will they now get their kickbacks from?

Sorry, but I am poo-pooing this idea for now. You have to have a reliable, functioning power system is first. Just my two pesos.
TEHAMA
 
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ricktoronto

Grande Pollo en Boca Chica
Jan 9, 2002
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Haven't the Brits had coin operated electricity in flats for years? A card is just a coin alternative.
 

leekirkpatrick

New member
Mar 9, 2005
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The Dominicans run their own power cable from the telephone poles on the streets to their homes. Yea, the power companies drive by periodically & cut them down, but as soon as the power companies turn their backs, they're running another cable for power.

Until the police stop accepting bribes & start throwing these folks in jail as soon as they see them reconnecting the power cord &/or the power companies run the power lines underground so they are not so accessible (and that isn't much of a deterant either) & stop billing/charging folks for power eventhough there wasn't any, this situation will not begin to improve. I recently heard a story from my in-laws, that I could not believe. Granted it was a while ago, but in 1975, when Hurricane David took out the hydroelectric power plant in Jarabacoa, the town was without power for more than 3 or 4 months. We're not talking about the normal 2-4-6 hour outage. There was NO electricity, 24/7 for 3-4 months. After the 4th month and I don't recall if the electricity had been restored or not, the electric company sent everyone their electric bill for the previous 4 months. The electric company charged everyone for the electricity they would have used, had there not been a hurricane! Everyone had to pay for electricity even though there hadn't been any for 4 months.

I was born in America. I've lived in the Dominican Republic for a couple of years & go back for several week vacations every year. I love the people & the country. I consider myself more Dominican than American, but had I received an electric bill from the previous 4 months for electricity I never used & had lived without electricity for 4 months, I would likely had gone "POSTAL" during my next visit to the power company office to complain about the bill. :bandit:

Lee
 

leekirkpatrick

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Mar 9, 2005
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Oh, I also forgot to mention in my previous post that my in-laws had to pay for their own electric meter. I own two homes in Arizona, USA and I don't recall paying for the electric meter so the power company could deliver power, measure how much I use & then bill me for it.

Also, just because you have a power meter in the Dominican Republic does not mean the power company charges you for the power you actual use that month. The power company charges everyone whatever they want/can, not for the electricity that was consumed.

I am about to become a co-owner of a home in the Dominican Republic soon. I can't wait for my electric bills! :classic: Currently, we're debating whether to actually hook up electricity from the power companies or just produce our own, (hydroelectric, solar, battery, etc.) The power companies can't guarantee electric service anyways, so why pay for something (electricity) twice/three-times?

Lee
 

Chris

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Oct 21, 2002
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www.caribbetech.com
ECH714 said:
I MENTIONED the following about 18-24 months ago and was all but laughed off the board.Those that responded said it was totally unworkable.......

I was familiar with this situation in South Africa and that is how the problem of non payment was solved. Everyone...and I do mean everyone pays...including the government. Who laughs last now? DOC

I still say that it is totally unworkable. And further, I say that there is no comparison. South Africa has excellent electrical infrastructure. That is why the system works there, and is still working. One simple difference is 'buried' power infrastructure. In the DR, this all hangs in the air. You may have a card reader in your house to measure and cut-off consumption when you?ve reached the limit of your purchased card, but then you just go outside, grab a line, drop another line off off it and hey presto, you have power again. In South Africa, you have to at least dig a hole to get to the line - power consumption to areas are controlled and measured, power stations are modern, staffed with very experienced personnel and any dip in the consumption is immediately picked up. I lived for many years next to Koeberg. I trained Koeberg staff, not in power generation but in management. I know the hydro-electric stations quite, uhm, intimately. I do understand the workings of rural power generators, for instance outside of Witbank and Middleburg. There are measurement systems. Power stations/generators measure what goes where. The difference is in the infrastructure. Without the required infrastructure, this won?t work in the DR, unless they figure out what to do with Johnny down the road who throws his welding equipment line over the muy fuerte power lines and merrily goes on welding.

I'm still laughing you off the board... Not even mentioning the fact that the standard here is 110 Volts. If you tried half the stuff that they try here on 110 with a 220 volt system, you'll be shocked out of your faith totally.
 
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