Contracting the cheap gas rate, known as TUR, in Spain in recent weeks has become a challenge worthy of the most trained patience. The demand of clients requesting it has multiplied by six in the last month, according to sources from the electricity sector. The attention services of the only four authorized marketers are collapsed, especially the telephone ones, and making the change is almost impossible for many clients. Beyond the initial desperation, choosing the right steps for this process is crucial if the consumer later wants to claim their rights.
Social networks and consumer associations do not stop collecting complaints about waiting times on the phone or at street offices of marketers to be attended to. The tests of the OCU have verified waits of more than 50 minutes to be attended and difficulties with the forms of the web pages. From Facua they recognize that “currently the four marketers with the capacity to offer the regulated rate, which is between 198% and 216% cheaper than current market offers, have all their channels (telephone, office and online) available albeit saturated.
The companies recognize the saturation and some such as Naturgy confirm that they are working to implement the recommendation launched a few days ago by the Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, to expand these services. Iberdrola, for its part, ensures that the impact is very low since the contribution of gas to its business is minimal.
“The law does not oblige them to expand services in case of saturation. But that saturation does not exempt them from the legal obligation to meet the deadlines, “says Rubén Sánchez, from Facua.
For their part, the companies defend themselves. “Naturgy is making every effort to attend to the sharp increase in the number of requests for transfer to the TUR rate from its customers. The company has enabled a digital channel to be able to request the change through the marketer’s website and has multiplied the number of agents to answer telephone calls”, they explain from the gas company.
Industry sources also explain that, despite the efforts of the companies, this process cannot be expected to be immediate. “It’s not just about hiring staff, you have to provide them with a computer, a telephone line and, above all, train them. And that takes time. It is not conceivable to give an order like this by the Government and expect that it can be executed immediately”, argue these sources in the sector.
So even the lucky ones who have managed to be served over the phone, in person and even online should consider that the delay in the process of contracting the regulated rate is inevitable. In addition to requesting the change, it must be processed and in this process saturation also reigns.
Waiting for the investigation opened by the National Commission of Markets and Competition to shed light on whether what is happening is the result of the context or if the companies are deliberately placing impediments, what is beyond doubt is that there are some mandatory deadlines that must be met and failure to do so entails consequences.
“Everyone should be clear that it is possible to claim for the money overcharged during the time that the companies exceed the deadlines,” explains Rubén Sánchez, spokesman for the Facua consumer association.
These terms are six business days for the marketer to validate the contract and another two for the distributor to do so. From that moment on, registration with the regulated market company must be formalized. According to the information provided by Facua, the companies are obliged to activate the contract on the 1st, 11th and 21st of each month. “The closest to those dates. In other words, if the validation occurs on the 8th of the month, the contract must be activated on the 11th, if the validation is on the 12th, it will come into force on the 21st and so on. From that moment on, everything overcharged can be claimed”, explains Rubén Sánchez.
To achieve this, it is essential to be able to duly justify the entire application process and provide the necessary evidence. For this reason, consumer associations recommend carrying out the processes in writing, either through the forms that all companies have on their websites or through emails. In this way, if the deadlines are not met, the consumer can claim before the marketer, the distributor or through the consumer associations themselves. The process will be even safer if you present yourself to the consumer authorities with official proof.
