Iberdrola, the state electricity supplier here in Spain has no hesitation when it comes to cutting people off. Yesterday, a block of apartments in Alfaz del Pi had it power cut off  ... and according to one resident it is not just the "crisis" as its been going on for years.

The main issue with the 132 block "Arabi Park, situated behind Arabi Park is that there is only one meter that serves the entire complex! This was not uncommon when the building was being constructed some three decades ago, but has caused many problems since.

Each floor has a counter but someone has to manually collate the information and divide the single bill up. The problem is that some of the apartments are only used as holiday accommodation or are rentals which are unoccupied, but they still have a standing charge. With no-one to bill the cost has to be absorbed by other residents, but with the economic situation the way it is many are now refusing.

The block has approached Iberdrola to install individual metres to each apartment but the cost is prohibitive, so the stalemate continues. To add to the misery, once the power is cut off they also loose the water supply, as it is driven by an electric pump. Many residents feel helpless in this situation - there are many families with young children and elderly that live there.

The law allows the distribution company to cut the power to individuals who do not pay. This is understandable up to a point but they give no warning. I remember many years ago having our gas cut off through no fault of our own. There was an error at the bank with the direct debit and instead of contacting the customer to query the situation they just cut you off - we then had to pay a reconnection charge on top even though we could prove it was a bank error!

Earlier this year Iberdrola had no morals as it cut the power to many schools due to unpaid bills... is no-one safe, next they will be cutting off the local hospital! Unfortunately they have the monopoly here - and appear to do what they like. In order to be connected you have to give bank details for a direct debit. I know a case where 700 euros was incorrectly debited for an electricity bill - the actual bill was in the region of 60 euros. When queried it was found that it was an estimated bill! The correct reading was given but it took over 9 months to get the money credited back - with no interest or compensation obviously!

I word of advice to anyone looking to buy here in Spain. Ensure that the property, especially if it is an apartment within a block, has its own individual meter for electricity, gas and water otherwise you too could be in a similar situation.

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