Getting a new electricity contract is becoming a tedious, costly, and bureaucratic process that tries the patience of Job. According to Diario Libre, the Electrical Distributors (EDEs) are making things difficult for new clients who want a contract and an electric meter. The potential new client must provide a copy of the national identity card – the “cedula”, and a copy of the property title for the building where the new service is to be provided, if it is the new client’s property or a copy of the lease if the property is rented. Then the potential client has to find a person to serve as a guarantor and deposit a bond, which is determined by inspectors who visit the new client’s property. The minimum is rarely less than RD$1500.00 and this is in addition to the RD$250.00 is tax stamps required by the Edes. For residents in areas where there is a low payment rate, inspections are often carried out by sub-contractors who surreptitiously offer electric meters that report lower consumption. An investigation carried out by Diario Libre showed that some clients had to wait for two months before their electric meters were installed, and that the first bill would often not be delivered, causing electricity to be cut off and costing the client another RD$300 for payment of the reconnection fee.