Edesur Thieves charging me every month when I am not even there!

I

incredible

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Jul 9, 2006
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Okay here is the deal...

I have been renting a 250 meter luxury apartment for the past 25 months in Santo domingo, and i am there half the time, meaning I live in SD 1 month, then NY 1 month etc

Well, no matter what for the past 2 years I get charged appx $1,100 - $1,300 USD, a month for electricity. Even when I am not there!

So as of now, Edesur owes me well over $12,000 in overbilled fees.
If I ever tried to argue and did not pay they immediately shut my electric off!

I have taken the following steps without success!

1) turned off my breaker box and took video and photos
2) I got afidvaits from my maid & the administrators of the building stating I was never in the apartment during the aforementioned stays!
3) Had eletricians check for anyone that may be illegally tapping in my electric line...
4) I made a copy of my passport proving i was out of the country the 12 months i was not there...
5) Hired an abogodo to handle this

The attorney stated Edesur would not give me a refund cuz I am American and can afford to pay, CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS! This is no BS...

This is really unfair and I am sure I couldnt be the only one in this situation! I am getting VERY upset at this point..

1) What can I do to get my money back?

2) can the company do this to me legally?

3) What options do I have? A

4) Are there any attorneys that specialize in preventing this type of thievery?

I am thinking about just buying a 20k generator now, i am sick of these thieves!

Any help is greatly appreciated... :cheeky:
 
M

Mirador

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Apr 15, 2004
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According to Law 125-01, you are allowed to challenge electrical distribuidors for excess charges to your electricity bill. Here's a link for basic information on the process and steps to obtain redress....


Superintendencia de Electricidad
 
2

2LeftFeet

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Dec 1, 2006
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1,200 -1,300 a month for electricity??? Oh my God!!! That's outrageous! I'd want to kill somebody. That's an incredible amount of money in the US.

Do you realize that that that is someone's salary for 10 years???
 
M

miguel

I didn't last long...
Jul 2, 2003
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Un error.....

2LeftFeet said:
1,200 -1,300 a month for electricity??? Oh my God!!! That's outrageous! I'd want to kill somebody. That's an incredible amount of money in the US.

Do you realize that that that is someone's salary for 10 years???
Click to expand...
I believe there's an error somewhere in his post.

I wonder if he meant DRP instead of USD.

Schit, for that amount I would gladly rent him my home in Charles De Gaulle, EVERYTHING INCLUDED, even the maids!!.
 
I

incredible

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Jul 9, 2006
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miguel said:
I believe there's an error somewhere in his post.

I wonder if he meant DRP instead of USD.

Schit, for that amount I would gladly rent him my home in Charles De Gaulle, EVERYTHING INCLUDED, even the maids!!.
Click to expand...

Nope its in $1,100 - $1,300 USD... I konw its completely nuts! :eek:gre:
 
J

johne

Silver
Jun 28, 2003
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They owe you more

than $12,000. When you think about the part of your stomach they tore out of you, the cells of your brain they robbed, and your hair loss, they probably owe you about 10 years of your life.
john
 
J

johne

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Jun 28, 2003
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A suggestion

"Shut the account off", meaning give them formal notice to shut it off. Have a meter reading taken. Have it done while you are in NY. Before you return have the account reopened in a different name. Maybe the name of a corp or ...
Purpose-stop the bleeding. There is obviously something wrong that perhaps you will NEVER fix with the course of action you are taking.Start a new day with a new account and zero on the meter.
Good Luck
 
M

miguel

I didn't last long...
Jul 2, 2003
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Uno nace cada segundo.....

incredible said:
Nope its in $1,100 - $1,300 USD... I konw its completely nuts! :eek:gre:
Click to expand...
With all seriousness, if you are paying that much for so many months and NOW you are complaining about it:

Any chance for you to adopt a "92" y/o senile old man?. PLEEEEEASE!. LOL.

Read my first post and just give me 25,000 pesos and let's talk business!. I LOOOOOVE tenants like you, lol.
 
L

Ladybird

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Dec 15, 2003
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It wonts work

johne said:
"Shut the account off", meaning give them formal notice to shut it off. Have a meter reading taken. Have it done while you are in NY. Before you return have the account reopened in a different name. Maybe the name of a corp or ...
Purpose-stop the bleeding. There is obviously something wrong that perhaps you will NEVER fix with the course of action you are taking.Start a new day with a new account and zero on the meter.
Good Luck
Click to expand...

Shutting it off wont work. I had the same problems in my large house, charged exactly the same when I wasnt there. I had it cut - no good-I had the metre removed - no good, I then had them completely remove all cable connection to the mains from the road - no good. My bill in SD continued every month for 17 months. I didnt pay it, they couldnt cut me off??
We sussed it, Edenorte had done checks to see if someone was stealing my electric. No illegal connections were found, then I found an angel who went out at around 4-4.30am and examined underground by the metre pole (this was before they cut the connection from the road) he found illegal wiring from another property. By about 5.30 someone had crept back and disconnected this wiring only to reconnect in the late hours of the night.
I started to think like a Dominican so after my cable was disconnected from the road I waited a while and then returned the "favour" for months.
He looked and me one day, smiled, and I laughed we have remained good friends to this day. Hes Dominican.
But I never paid that bill. When I sold the house Edenorte would not reconnect the new owner until they said the bill was paid. This is the normal procedure with them. An agreement was reached and I NEVER paid, the new owner was connected. You cannot start a new account on the same property if money is owing. You need to find such an angel in your area.
Best of luck.
 
2

2LeftFeet

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Dec 1, 2006
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Well, I guess you know what you have to do!

You've been paying the electricity for the whole neighborhood for 2 years!!!!!!!
 
J

johne

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Jun 28, 2003
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Interesting

Ladybird said:
Shutting it off wont work. I had the same problems in my large house, charged exactly the same when I wasnt there. I had it cut - no good-I had the metre removed - no good, I then had them completely remove all cable connection to the mains from the road - no good. My bill in SD continued every month for 17 months. I didnt pay it, they couldnt cut me off??
We sussed it, Edenorte had done checks to see if someone was stealing my electric. No illegal connections were found, then I found an angel who went out at around 4-4.30am and examined underground by the metre pole (this was before they cut the connection from the road) he found illegal wiring from another property. By about 5.30 someone had crept back and disconnected this wiring only to reconnect in the late hours of the night.
I started to think like a Dominican so after my cable was disconnected from the road I waited a while and then returned the "favour" for months.
He looked and me one day, smiled, and I laughed we have remained good friends to this day. Hes Dominican.
But I never paid that bill. When I sold the house Edenorte would not reconnect the new owner until they said the bill was paid. This is the normal procedure with them. An agreement was reached and I NEVER paid, the new owner was connected. You cannot start a new account on the same property if money is owing. You need to find such an angel in your area.
Best of luck.
Click to expand...
Do you know for sure that the same rules apply to houses and rental apt?
The reason I ask is that a similar process can be applied here in the US ie: a lien against a property BUT how would one do that against a property (other than holding the prime lease holder or the owner of the property liable?) Is that the procedure in the DR?
john
 
I

incredible

Member
Jul 9, 2006
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JDJones said:
There is something a little wierd here, to say the least.
This has been going on for 25 months??? And you've been paying???

Your bill is 30-40 thousand pesos a month??

Why in heavens name didn't you let them cut the electricity after the first month's bill that you weren't here??

There's two sides to every story, I'd love to hear the other side on this one.

And for what it's worth, I've had the same sort of problem, and have also been told the old "you're a gringo, you can afford it" line as well, but something doesn't sound kosher with your story.

In any case, go to the superintendent of Electricity. I have two cases pending with them, and it stops your electricity from being cut.

Also, start reading your meter, every day. Write it down. I have done that for the last 6 years, and it's invaluable when you sit down to read your bill. Have someone do it when you're not here.

If the meter is showing that much consumption, you've got someone hooking up on a temp. basis, probably at night, running A/C's on your nickle.

for what it's worth, I have all the normal appliances(with a hugh Reefer), 3 split A/C, and electric gadgets all over the house, plus an electric gate, and I pay around 2500 pesos a month.(And I think that's high)
Click to expand...

Hnest i am being 100% sincere and completely kosher, I have central air which I do use and never seldom turn it off, only when I leave the apartment and it is a rather large 4 bedroom apartment.

I am a busy person with many businesses that I run so i do appreciate all the advice and will contact the proper authorities through my attorney...

Thanks again and I will keep al posted on the results...

In te meantime would it be possible to just purchase a large generator so I never have to deal with the electric company? Even if I have to spend more
I would rather do so out of pure princiapl than iving edesur another dime.

How much so generators cost to handle a 2,500 sq foot apt? Who sells them and who provides installation?

thanks
 
L

Ladybird

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Dec 15, 2003
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incredible said:
Hnest i am being 100% sincere and completely kosher, I have central air which I do use and never seldom turn it off, only when I leave the apartment and it is a rather large 4 bedroom apartment.

I am a busy person with many businesses that I run so i do appreciate all the advice and will contact the proper authorities through my attorney...

Thanks again and I will keep al posted on the results...

In te meantime would it be possible to just purchase a large generator so I never have to deal with the electric company? Even if I have to spend more
I would rather do so out of pure princiapl than iving edesur another dime.

How much so generators cost to handle a 2,500 sq foot apt? Who sells them and who provides installation?

AZBBBBBBBB saw how big my house and cottages were in Sosua (all one property) and what it was like for me to run it, after my problem I installed one large inverter and a large planta to charge it and xxxxx Edenorte, my sincere advice to you is talk to other people that live in SD and find a good installer for an inverter and to buy a planta for you. For a 4 bed apartment you would only need a 5K inverter or even a 3.5K depending on what you have and batteries and a small planta to charge it. I have excellent contacts here, one German and one Dominican - sep companies for inverters and plantas that were honest and very reliable without taking the normal rip-off commission to help you as so many do.

When I first started on DR1 I had great help and advice, but I, like all of those that have lived here for years, have learned wisedom through experience of our own individual problems

Good luck
Click to expand...
 
R

rubio_higuey

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Feb 7, 2007
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If you have dominican friends, they can talk on your behalf to some Edesur technician, to do a "work" on your meter. The meter would still run, but at MUUUUUUCH lower rate of usage. Consequently, your bills would be smaller.
Also, consider getting a 220V line, as it also adds lowering your bills.

But to do that (the "work"), you would need to start clean (a new account as was suggested earlier). Why? Because your bill would come under 1000 pesos monthly, and it would be suspicios when it drops down to 1000 pesos from 1000 DOLLARS per month. Depending on what you have in your apt, an appropriate resistance would be put in the meter - the "work", and the meter would be selaed back into its case. You can have this done by many "entrepreneuring" EDE-technicians.

The work should cost you under RD$ 10.000 (when your Dominican friends negotiate on your behalf) so you don't get charged a "gringo" rate.
 
L

Ladybird

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rubio_higuey said:
If you have dominican friends, they can talk on your behalf to some Edesur technician, to do a "work" on your meter. The meter would still run, but at MUUUUUUCH lower rate of usage. Consequently, your bills would be smaller.
Also, consider getting a 220V line, as it also adds lowering your bills.

But to do that (the "work"), you would need to start clean (a new account as was suggested earlier). Why? Because your bill would come under 1000 pesos monthly, and it would be suspicios when it drops down to 1000 pesos from 1000 DOLLARS per month. Depending on what you have in your apt, an appropriate resistance would be put in the meter - the "work", and the meter would be selaed back into its case. You can have this done by many "entrepreneuring" EDE-technicians.

The work should cost you under RD$ 10.000 (when your Dominican friends negotiate on your behalf) so you don't get charged a "gringo" rate.
Click to expand...

Oh please you are soooooooo innocent and your inexperience shows, this is bad advice, you give only 9% of correct advice and that is damaging and unhelpful and dangerous to newcomers. I have no intention of expanding on my words, but those of us here that know are probably either cross or smiling at your post.
 
R

rubio_higuey

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Feb 7, 2007
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Ladybird said:
Oh please you are soooooooo innocent and your inexperience shows, this is bad advice, you give only 9% of correct advice and that is damaging and unhelpful and dangerous to newcomers. I have no intention of expanding on my words, but those of us here that know are probably either cross or smiling at your post.
Click to expand...

I am not going to argue with you Ladyb.tch, errr sorry, Ladybird.

I may be quite new to DR1, but I am not new to DR! I have been here 2 years, getting close to 3, and I am not that inexperienced as you might think. Speaking very perfect non-accented dominican spanish and deeply immersed within the local culture, I have gotten quite some experience AND acceptance.

When you are SOOOOO smart that you don't even need to talk/write and everyone here supposedly knows what you are talking about, why don't you explain yourself to ME? Everyone can just b.tch around and be a smartass as you have been with your recent post in RE to my post, BUT, PLEASE illuminate us (or at least ME).

Thank you!
 
L

Lambada

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Mar 4, 2004
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I need illumination too

I'll join you in the illumination class rubio_higuey. I've been here nearly 15 years but.............I've never had a meter 'fixed'. Never needed to. But always willing to learn. :)

Can we get another 4 or 5 then Ladybird can talk to a full house?
 
J

johne

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Jun 28, 2003
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one more suggestion

Take a meter reading and in fact take a picture of the meter. There is generally a dial revolving on the meter running counterclockwise(?).Then shut everything in the apartment. Disconnect every appliance . Pull out the plugs. Be sure to pull the plugs on anything that can be running an internal clock.
Recheck the meter. Is the dial still running? Is the number still advancing?
If it is you have one of the following problems:
1) someone else is hooked up to you.
2) Faulty meter
3) Faulty wiring of some sort (short, unintentional wiring of unit which is not yours)

This is a very simple thing to do. Legal and requires less than a half hour and you will know right away what is going on.
john
 
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