Eletropaulo fined R$ 13 million for poor service.

Daniel Mello
Reporter from Agência Brasil

São Paulo – Eletropaulo, the concessionaire that supplies electricity to 24 municipalities in São Paulo state, including the capital, has received R$ 13,56 in fines from the São Paulo Procon Foundation since 2011 for poor service. There were three fines: the first and largest was applied in 2011 (R$ 6,48 million).

In 2012 and in January of this year, two more fines were issued totaling R$ 3,54 million for problems including power outages and failure to reimburse consumers who suffered losses due to power cuts. The company appealed all penalties, and none have been paid to date.

Following the power supply problems in Greater São Paulo reported on February 14th, Procon (the consumer protection agency) has opened another case that could result in a fine of up to R$ 6 million. On that occasion, in addition to leaving consumers without power for up to 17 hours, a failure took the customer service hotline offline for about six hours.

Eletropaulo blamed the company that manages the SAC's (Customer Service Center) information systems for the failure. The utility company also stated that it made other service channels available to customers, such as text messaging, physical stores, and its website. "But it's obvious that if the consumer doesn't have power in their home, how are they going to access the internet?" asks Márcio Marcucci, Director of Inspection at Procon (Consumer Protection Agency). "Regardless of the cause of the SAC's unavailability, Eletropaulo is responsible to consumers," he added regarding the utility company's justifications.

Procon recommends that in case of damage caused by a power outage, consumers should contact the company responsible for the service to file a complaint. Damages that can be claimed include burnt-out electronic devices, spoiled refrigerated products, and problems delivering work that depended on electricity.

Eletropaulo advises that compensation claims be made through their website or using forms distributed at participating stores. Consumers should gather as much information as possible about the case, including details about the damaged appliance, the time of the incident, and the problem with the equipment. After a technical assessment, the company will grant compensation or provide a written justification explaining why the claim was denied.

If the channels offered by the company do not adequately serve the consumer, the person who feels harmed can contact Procon or the National Electric Energy Agency (Aneel).