Edesur replaces a damaged meter and then charges a fine of RD$12,739

The merchant claims that the equipment stopped working due to power fluctuations and rejects the charge for an alleged irregularity.

Edesur replaced the damaged meter of a beauty salon and weeks later imposed a fine of RD$12,739.63, a charge that the owner rejects because, as she claims, the equipment stopped working due to voltage fluctuations that she herself had reported.

Noemí Elizabeth Reyes Cabrera presented the case in a Bajo el Foco report, where she showed documents, photographs, and the decision that PROTECOM issued regarding her claim.

According to his account, an Edesur brigade went to the hall, checked the meter, and determined that it was burnt out. “They checked the meter and told me: ‘No, but the meter is burnt out.’ They removed it, made the report in front of me, and told me to keep it because they were going to report it,” he recounted. Days later, personnel from the distributor returned, removed the damaged equipment, and installed a new one.

The surprise came with the next billing: an additional charge of RD$12,739.63 that the crew, according to the merchant, never mentioned during the visit. “When I called, they told me I had two invoices. One was for the month’s consumption and the other was a fine. I asked: ‘A fine for what?’“, she recounted.

You can also read: Beauty salon accuses Edesur and PROTECOM of failing to resolve years of complaints

Among the documents provided to Bajo el Foco is the decision from PROTECOM, in which it is acknowledged that the meter had a damaged electronic board, a condition that prevented it from correctly recording consumption. Despite this finding, the agency declared the user’s claim inadmissible, without, according to her, an inspection being carried out at the establishment to verify the reported conditions.

Reyes Cabrera attributes the equipment damage to the voltage fluctuations he reported for months and denies that there was any meter tampering. “They have burned out two of my meters due to the same situation. But this time they issued me a fine,” he stated, and announced that he will not pay the charge: “I haven’t paid it and I don’t intend to pay it. I am not going to pay it.”