The seriousness of the D'Alessandro vs. Jodesur

Mr. D'Alessandro received a bill from Jodesur for almost 5 times his normal electrical consumption (BTW: Jodesur is a Dominicanism that combines that classic anglo-saxon word with the last part of the commercial name of the local electric company, Edesur) See? No vulgarity, yet!

When Mr. D'A. went to complain, it was pay up or else. He refused and his electricity was cut off. Since January, they have used a medium sized generator and an inverter for their needs.

Yet they keep getting these astronomical electrical bills!
Nearly US$10,000 is in play here. Mr D'A. has sued the Jodesur for RD$5 mill. Jodesur has said: "We are going to send your credit reports to all the agencies in the US and to the Consulate so that you are refused a visa." Blackmail, pure and simple.

I can think of three possibilities:
1) Mr. d'A's electricity is being hijacked by a neighbor.
2) There is a short circuit somewhere
3)Jodesur are outright thieves and should be drummed out of the country.

HB

MommC: Another perfect case for a suit. O&C it is tough

MommC you really have to get a Dominican lawyer to go to bat for you beginning now! Demand that inspectors come to your house and see that there is no one there, that all the appliances have been unpluges and that there in only maybe one bulb on...whatever.

Otherwise they will cut off the power and when you return-hopefuly soon- you have another battle on your hands..

O&C. I really wish I could get 5 cents and word and publish a treatise on this. Ever since the "privatization" of the CDE the scandals have rolled in like the tide, never-ending, never ceasing.

Theoretically, there is a Superintendency of Electricity that is supposed to do what its name suggests, but it still hasn't broken any balls yet, and until it does and there are a few Spaniards in jail, the abuses won't stop. There was a a story in the paper today about the fraudes the Spanish energy companies are commiting in SPAIN, for God's sake!!Huge scandal.

Until there is some violence, I really don't think that anything will be done. Burn a few trucks, break a few hundred meters, stuff like that. I am not kidding, these are people with the age old mentality : We are in the land of the Indios so we can do whatever we please, since they are all just "little people" anyway.

Hb, all riled up