EDP - Electricidade de Portugal

[Gambrinus]

“News from afpop“– URGENT – EDP debt

Dear Members,

We have been aware of the following situation, which we believe needs your urgent attention.

EDP plans to recover outstanding debts from customers who have not paid their electricity bills by passing on that debt to their other customers. At the moment this debt apparently stands at 12 million euros. The entity which regulates energy distribution is holding a public enquiry, which has not been well publicised, and needs to hear comments from interested parties as part of that process. The public enquiry will decide if this debt is to be paid by EDP clients or not.

At the moment the Consumers’ Rights organisation, DECO, is protesting the situation, as they fear that this could be followed by other public utilities and even Supermarkets employing the same method to recover outstanding debts.

Below is a copy of the example text which is being sent by other EDP customers and the e-mail address which it should be sent to, which basically states your opposition to this situation as an EDP customer.

A similar e-mail has been sent on behalf of the Association expressing our disagreement on behalf of over 6,000 members, but we urge members to add their own individual voice to the enquiry, if of course you do object to being passed a share of EDP’s problem.

Title of e-mail: Protesto à CONSULTA PÚBLICA

Proposed text:

"Exmos Senhores,

Pelo presente e na qualidade de cidadão e de cliente da EDP, num Estado que se pretende de Direito, venho manifestar e comunicar a Vossas Exas. a minha discordância, oposição e mesmo indignação relativamente à "proposta" - que considero absolutamente ilegal e inconstitucional de colocar os cidadãos cumpridores e regulares pagadores a terem que suportar também o valor das dívidas para com a EDP por parte dos incumpridores.

Com os melhores cumprimentos, ___"

Please add your name and send the e-mail to the following address: consultapublica@erse.pt

Michael Reeve

CEO

afpop – ‘Making Life Better for our Members

I had to look at the calendar to check wether it was April 1st.... it is not and they are serious.

Their argument before the energy ministry must have been "it will only be about a euro per consumer"

Imagine taking out a massive loan and then telling the bank that you cannot pay and that they should roll the debt over onto their solvent customers.

[Michael Crane]

I owe money to various persons. I think it would be a great idea if CVO members were to divi it up between them and pay it all off for me

[e-richard]

When you buy items in a department store, the retail mark-up has a built-in allowance for "leakage" (shop-lifters).
When you borrow money from a bank, the interest rate is calculated to cover the bank's losses on unrecoverable debts.
When I used to sell software, our prices and sales forecasts had an allowance for piracy.

The only difference with the EDP is that they failed to predict non-payments (idiotic !), and they have some, presumably legal, obligation to make this recovery public.

We'll pay for it whether we like it or not !

But I'll still vote No on principle