Progress in the DR

[windeguy]

An insulator broke a few days ago on the pole down the street. The high tension line fell off and is within inches of the neutral line.
I called for repairs. A repair crew showed up at night, but had no way to replace that insulator. The report number I used was cancelled out.
I was told by the crew leader I had to get a new report number. The next day was farking Altagracia Day.. Nobody answering the phone nor WhatsApp service lines.

Today I am trying to make a report for the days old issue in the land of morons and imbeciles that are the embodiment of Edenorte.
Nobody answering the phone nor responding to WhatsApp...

 

[windeguy]

Customer service in DR, no matter what industry, is run by incompetent, low IQ teams and individuals. I would say the Edes’ operations are mostly run by corrupt actors vs this stupidity model you advocate. I have never seen anything but intentional defrauding of the general customer base, whether it’s a contractor hustle issue, billing scams, or any grid outages. I would say many times perceived incompetence i.e when a poll collapses, antiquated transformers and other equipment or just leaving customers in the dark for unexplained countless hours or days, is pure corruption. All intentional. No one does the “build sh— to break model” better than the power company. How much “stupidity” results in overtime or double time for corrupt contractors? Almost none. The stupid folks are up front on the phones. The IT systems are antiquated and they can’t even maintain a website. But this is by design. If all the systems managing the data and customer information made sense and worked, then they wouldn’t be able to get away with 1/8th of what they do.

You did make your points. I cannot disagree on them. I am still trying to get a report number for a rather dangerous issue to be fixed. Nobody is answering the phone or responding on WhatsApp.

 

[chico bill]

In my hometown we got 24/7 electricity under the last PLD term. People had forgotten about inverters and generators. After Luis took office, power outages came back, along with increased energy bills.

Yep - He has screwed his party's chances of winning the next election.
Instead of a Sky Train disrupting streets in Santiago he could have designated that money to bring in qualified engineers to work on roads, water & power delivery

 

[chico bill]

Improvements to water supplies have been greatly improved for many who before, had no water at all. I've posted many of the projects here over the last two years.

Electrical still has some big obstacles to over come.

Water supplies ? Kind of a function of rain, dams and wells
But Water Delivery - has gone backward and has destroyed many roads from leaking shallow pipes

 

[El Hijo de Manolo]

You did make your points. I cannot disagree on them. I am still trying to get a report number for a rather dangerous issue to be fixed. Nobody is answering the phone or responding on WhatsApp.

I think the WhatsApp method is fairly good. Where it breaks down is having one or two reps monitoring it. I like that model because I can upload pics and docs which, in the past, helped them resolve some of my issues.

 

[chico bill]

Having seen quite a few times how the electrical wires in campos or in not-so-good-barrios are organized and how the houses are attached to those wires, I don't see how would it even be achieved that everyone would pay for their luz. I mean, I doubt it's even possible to track sometimes what wire goes to which meter to which house? Comparing to the obviously organized way of electrical wiring on the street and then entering to the houses in EU for example, that's simply not possible in the DR barrios, so I would really like to understand what are even the planned steps to stop theft and illegal connections permanently. I don't see that happening, but I hope I'm wrong... Yes, on residenciales that's easy, but on campos and barrios, I don't see it...

Count the drops off each pole or between each pole - Count the number of meters and compare to # of drops.
Disconnect every drop not going to a meter and fine the person in the house to which it is connected.
Put secure locks on meters and check every 3 months for lock tampering, broken meter glass or cuts onto the side of the socket or jumpers on the back of the meter (most common method) and measure for flow on the cables after removing meters from the sockets.
Power Companies in the US now have smart meters that send data to computers at least once per day they also can install neighbor-wide pole meters or transformer meters and computers can tell them where they have losses.
With AI - expect it to become near impossible to steal.
They can also pull your meter out of the socket and do a continuity sounding between the power company tangs and you house tangs to tell if there is any continuity - just in case you think you were smarter they they are and connected in the attic surreptitious to a cut-in to the mast or your meter socket has a disguise connection behind the socket (this would be on a wall-mounted socket)
I had a friend that did an attic bi-pass connection.
He paid a $25,000 fine + estimated lost power going back to when he built his house !
It was that or jail plus he could not get his power restored until the fine was paid.

If someone connects off another house that is legitimately metered that would be the meter owner's problem to disconnect or allow.
It doesn't take a genius to steal - especially when you see how electrical is done in DR you realize you are indeed in a 3rd world country with no value for life.

 

[josh2203]

Count the drops off each pole or between each pole - Count the number of meters and compare to # of drops.
Disconnect every drop not going to a meter and fine the person in the house to which it is connected.

Yes, that's the way it's done, but my point is that how much manpower will be made available to do this frequently? And secure locks and anything with the meter, I would say, is useless, as indeed as you say, the connection will be made from the cable before the meter.

I hope this works, I know every customer of EDE is always paying more than they should due to theft, us including, but I also know it's a huge mess what the EDEs have in the DR...

 

[chico bill]

What is ironic is paying customers are turned off for periods (like at my house right now), meaning I can't do my laundry, heat my shower or run my pool pumps.
So the EDEs are loosing revenue from legit customers to punish who ?
Themselves that's who.

Plus sending a message to any potential manufacturers - this country can't provide the juice so it isn't worth the squeeze.
And you don't think companies look at infrastructure and demographics and workforce talent before investing on constructing a new plant ?

Everyone singing the praises of things like tourism numbers or a new Wendy's or Pizza Hut better wake up.
Acapulco once had all the amenities too.

Plus traffic lights are out. If there is a deadly accident (say a school bus gets t-boned by a dump truck) because of intentionally cutting power can the EDEs be sued for negligence ?

 

[windeguy]

I think the WhatsApp method is fairly good. Where it breaks down is having one or two reps monitoring it. I like that model because I can upload pics and docs which, in the past, helped them resolve some of my issues.

It took days for Sarita to come and finally fix the problem. WhatsApp did not work. No rep ever responded.

The online report was the only way to get a report and that finally worked. Sarita remounted the high tension line moments ago. Like pulling teeth dealing with these Edenorte douchebags.

 

[chico bill]

Yes, that's the way it's done, but my point is that how much manpower will be made available to do this frequently? And secure locks and anything with the meter, I would say, is useless, as indeed as you say, the connection will be made from the cable before the meter.

I hope this works, I know every customer of EDE is always paying more than they should due to theft, us including, but I also know it's a huge mess what the EDEs have in the DR...

It is common knowledge that if you live in one of the fancier 'gringo' areas your rate per KWH is more than in the campo.
Service areas are broken down by rating. Those deemed higher level of service (such as 24/7 which never existed) are charged more for the same level of usage and it jumps even higher over threshold usage amounts.
And even though paying higher rates you don't see many, if any, stealing power in those fancier areas.
But in the CAMPO or tigre-urbanizaciones it's almost a status symbol to steal power or water. They are symbols of defiance against 'the man' - like the hubcabs from West Side Story

 

[windeguy]

I have only heard of evidence of different payment schedules when some pay a flat rate no matter how much power they use, since they don't have meters.

Metered customers pay a scaled rate, which I think is the same, for all EDE users.

Keeping the power on remains that biggest problem as I see it.

 

[josh2203]

It is common knowledge that if you live in one of the fancier 'gringo' areas your rate per KWH is more than in the campo.
Service areas are broken down by rating. Those deemed higher level of service (such as 24/7 which never existed) are charged more for the same level of usage and it jumps even higher over threshold usage amounts.
And even though paying higher rates you don't see many, if any, stealing power in those fancier areas.
But in the CAMPO or tigre-urbanizaciones it's almost a status symbol to steal power or water. They are symbols of defiance against 'the man' - like the hubcabs from West Side Story

If I may kindly ask, do you have any proof of that different kwh rates? I have to agree with Windy above, I only know of this scaled rating, and based on all the things I have heard how much people pay for luz, regardless of the location, it usually does make sense and would be as per the same scale. If this "gringo" pricing is common knowledge, then I'm definitely apparently out of the loop... I have also seen EDE invoices from different types of areas, and they do not support your claim unfortunately.

From our last invoice, the rates may be different now:

So the cheapest rate is up to 200kwh, then the next up to 300kwh and 13.83 pesos for every kwh consumed above the 300kwh. That was August, we were blasting the A/Cs...

Energía
200 kWh X RD$ 5.97 RD$
100 kWh X RD$ 8.51 RD$
168 kWh X RD$ 13.83 RD$

 

[El Hijo de Manolo]

If I may kindly ask, do you have any proof of that different kwh rates? I have to agree with Windy above, I only know of this scaled rating, and based on all the things I have heard how much people pay for luz, regardless of the location, it usually does make sense and would be as per the same scale. If this "gringo" pricing is common knowledge, then I'm definitely apparently out of the loop... I have also seen EDE invoices from different types of areas, and they do not support your claim unfortunately.

From our last invoice, the rates may be different now:

So the cheapest rate is up to 200kwh, then the next up to 300kwh and 13.83 pesos for every kwh consumed above the 300kwh. That was August, we were blasting the A/Cs...

Energía
200 kWh X RD$ 5.97 RD$
100 kWh X RD$ 8.51 RD$
168 kWh X RD$ 13.83 RD$

Cab sees up to 18 like in a condo area.

 

[PCMike]

Of course the DR improved under Luis.
Look what it had before that.

While the country improves, the goose that lays the golden eggs has been all but forgotten. Punta Cana is the whore that pays the pimp 100% of the money and gets nothing back.

 

[drstock]

While the country improves, the goose that lays the golden eggs has been all but forgotten. Punta Cana is the whore that pays the pimp 100% of the money and gets nothing back.

I didn't know that. What is it that you think Punta Cana should get that it doesn't?

 

[PCMike]

I didn't know that. What is it that you think Punta Cana should get that it doesn't?

How about pavement that is not like a motocross track. Lights that don't turn green all at the same time. Roads that are not under a foot of water after a 15 minute shower. More than 3 roads to allow movement for more than 150,000 residents, excluding tourists. PC is supposed to be the "model" of what we can become. Show the tourists how we can play at an international level. What we have is a totally neglected destination...Puerto Plata 2.0.

 

[windeguy]

Cab sees up to 18 like in a condo area.

Some developments control the electricity and charge more based upon having a generator for blackouts

I have no evidence of Edes charging 18

 

[josh2203]

Cab sees up to 18 like in a condo area.

So the rates I posted are either outdated or POP city center is considered a campo... Is the 18 from EDEnorte?

 

[josh2203]

Some developments control the electricity and charge more based upon having a generator for blackouts

I have no evidence of Edes charging 18

Good point, could be that, we've always purchased luz directly from EDEnorte without any middlemen.

 

[josh2203]

How about pavement that is not like a motocross track. Lights that don't turn green all at the same time. Roads that are not under a foot of water after a 15 minute shower. More than 3 roads to allow movement for more than 150,000 residents, excluding tourists. PC is supposed to be the "model" of what we can become. Show the tourists how we can play at an international level. What we have is a totally neglected destination...Puerto Plata 2.0.

This is news to me. I have always thought people refer to the PC as being the number one in development in the country, and the "best place to be"... This is all second hand information - never been to PC other than the airport...