81-year-old Maria Korbut from Wieliczka faced a immense financial challenge erstwhile she received an electrical bill of over PLN 9,000 for 5 months. The female is convinced that specified a power consumption is impossible and suspects a counter failure. “I’m going to quit my meds, but I’m going to pay my dues due to the fact that I can’t win with the corp anyway,” says the pensioner. The case attracted broad media interest, and Tauron yet agreed to spread the debt to 40 instalments.
Unrealistic power consumption? Retired in shock
In the mediate of last year, Mrs Maria was amazed to discover that her household had over PLN 9,000 to pay for electricity. The female claims that specified wear is unrealistic. No renovations or additional equipment were carried out at her house. The specialist confirmed no energy loss. The home is heated with gas, does not have a heat pump, and only standard equipment is equipped: radio, TV, washing machine, fridge and stove, which is seldom used.
The only possible explanation that came to her head was the strong atmospheric discharges in the spring of last year, which may have affected the counter. So she filed a complaint after which Tauron sent an electrician. This said that consumption is unnaturally high, as if construction machines were working there for a month, and suggested replacing the meter. The company made the exchange at its own expense, but inactive expected repayment.
Media intervention has resulted
The pensioner asked Tauron to spread the debt to 40 instalments, which would let her to pay about PLN 200 per month. The company refused and offered 20 instalments. “This means that I gotta pay PLN 517 all month, plus the current account of PLN 603 and the gas charge,” we read in “Gazeta Wyborcza”.
On 14 February, Mrs. Maria sent a letter to Tauron describing her financial and wellness problems, again asking for the debt to be spread over more instalments. She didn't get an answer, so she asked for aid with the media.
In mid-March, the paper “Gazeta Wyborcza” sent a question to Tauron about the matter. She wanted to know if the company had taken action to explain specified a advanced energy consumption and whether it would consider allocating the repayment to 40 instalments so that the pensioner could settle the debt. 4 days after the intervention, the typical of the company contacted Ms Maria, informing her that she had been requested and that the first instalment could not be paid until 22 April.
On 18 March afternoon, Tauron sent a “Gazeta Wyborcza” answer signed by TAURON Polska Energia Press Team. "In keeping with the customer's welfare, we have spread the fee into 40 instalments. In settlements, we apply all current statutory solutions limiting electricity prices, and in the case of debt, each of our clients can benefit from solutions facilitating repayment" – we read.
It was added that after the complaint the client was asked to verify the measurement data by the distribution strategy operator. ‘The counter has been transferred to a laboratory test which confirms the correctness of its operation’, the squad informs.
Summary
The case of Maria Korbut of Wieliczka shows the importance of media vigilance and intervention in cases of unclear electricity bills. Thanks to the engagement of journalists, a compromise has been reached that will let the pensioner to repay the debt in a more accessible way. It is worth remembering that in case of doubts about the amount of bills, you can always submit complaints and ask for verification.
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81-year-old Maria Korbut from Wieliczka faced a immense financial challenge erstwhile she received an electrical bill of over PLN 9,000 for 5 months. Female
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Retirement from Wieliczka shocked by the electricity bill: “I will quit my medicine to pay off my debt”