La Bolletta
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 174
La Bolletta
Well I guess I should be used to it by now but I have just received the electricity bill for two months at 56.18 euros. Cheap I hear you cry except that the house has been empty. Now I know that the grid does not maintain itself but that seems expensive to me. So my question is, with the free markey coming in, can anyone suggest a cheaper alternative or is the standing charge going to be standard throughout this new industry?
#4
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 252
Re: La Bolletta
Morning all,
Considering all the inflationary processes and price gouging we've all experienced over the last few years, the sum of 56.18 doesn't seem all that much when I consider what we paid as a bi-monthly standing charge before we sold up in 2020. At that time during the periods when the house was empty and no energy was being used, we were charged 48 euros every two months, which, at the time I considered something of a rip off. As you say, the grid doesn't maintain itself, but when extrapolated to every house/customer, the standing charge must represent a massive profit for ENEL. Still, as I said, it's not much of an increase considering.... And if you compare it to UK standing charge increases since 2020, it's peanuts. In the UK, across the board standing charges have increased by 250% over the period.
Considering all the inflationary processes and price gouging we've all experienced over the last few years, the sum of 56.18 doesn't seem all that much when I consider what we paid as a bi-monthly standing charge before we sold up in 2020. At that time during the periods when the house was empty and no energy was being used, we were charged 48 euros every two months, which, at the time I considered something of a rip off. As you say, the grid doesn't maintain itself, but when extrapolated to every house/customer, the standing charge must represent a massive profit for ENEL. Still, as I said, it's not much of an increase considering.... And if you compare it to UK standing charge increases since 2020, it's peanuts. In the UK, across the board standing charges have increased by 250% over the period.
#5
Re: La Bolletta
Morning all,
Considering all the inflationary processes and price gouging we've all experienced over the last few years, the sum of 56.18 doesn't seem all that much when I consider what we paid as a bi-monthly standing charge before we sold up in 2020. At that time during the periods when the house was empty and no energy was being used, we were charged 48 euros every two months, which, at the time I considered something of a rip off. As you say, the grid doesn't maintain itself, but when extrapolated to every house/customer, the standing charge must represent a massive profit for ENEL. Still, as I said, it's not much of an increase considering.... And if you compare it to UK standing charge increases since 2020, it's peanuts. In the UK, across the board standing charges have increased by 250% over the period.
Considering all the inflationary processes and price gouging we've all experienced over the last few years, the sum of 56.18 doesn't seem all that much when I consider what we paid as a bi-monthly standing charge before we sold up in 2020. At that time during the periods when the house was empty and no energy was being used, we were charged 48 euros every two months, which, at the time I considered something of a rip off. As you say, the grid doesn't maintain itself, but when extrapolated to every house/customer, the standing charge must represent a massive profit for ENEL. Still, as I said, it's not much of an increase considering.... And if you compare it to UK standing charge increases since 2020, it's peanuts. In the UK, across the board standing charges have increased by 250% over the period.
#6
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 133
Re: La Bolletta
The quotes do look much cheaper than our current Enel and Butagas suppliers.
#7
#9
#10
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 133
#12
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 346
Re: La Bolletta
Did you not get bills from Eni during that period... just the Enel ones?
We have been with Enel for gas and electric for over 5 years and been paying by direct debit, and then a few months ago my wife said "Hang on we haven't had an electricity bill for more than 6 months." (The gas was continuing as normal).
She contacted them (which is 3 words that are the modern equivalent of saying "Odysseus went home", but I'll spare you the details!)... and they said that the contract had been cancelled and never really explained why. They did say that the details had changed and the contract was with another provider in another name, but we had no knowledge of this, and have received no communication whatsoever. And we're still getting electricity. So a few weeks ago my wife set up a new contract with Enel (roughly equivalent to one of Hercules's tasks!), and we continue to receive electricity... but as yet we have still not received a bill.
All of this can of course be explained. In fact even expected. It's Italy!
We have been with Enel for gas and electric for over 5 years and been paying by direct debit, and then a few months ago my wife said "Hang on we haven't had an electricity bill for more than 6 months." (The gas was continuing as normal).
She contacted them (which is 3 words that are the modern equivalent of saying "Odysseus went home", but I'll spare you the details!)... and they said that the contract had been cancelled and never really explained why. They did say that the details had changed and the contract was with another provider in another name, but we had no knowledge of this, and have received no communication whatsoever. And we're still getting electricity. So a few weeks ago my wife set up a new contract with Enel (roughly equivalent to one of Hercules's tasks!), and we continue to receive electricity... but as yet we have still not received a bill.
All of this can of course be explained. In fact even expected. It's Italy!
#13
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 133
Re: La Bolletta
Did you not get bills from Eni during that period... just the Enel ones?
We have been with Enel for gas and electric for over 5 years and been paying by direct debit, and then a few months ago my wife said "Hang on we haven't had an electricity bill for more than 6 months." (The gas was continuing as normal).
She contacted them (which is 3 words that are the modern equivalent of saying "Odysseus went home", but I'll spare you the details!)... and they said that the contract had been cancelled and never really explained why. They did say that the details had changed and the contract was with another provider in another name, but we had no knowledge of this, and have received no communication whatsoever. And we're still getting electricity. So a few weeks ago my wife set up a new contract with Enel (roughly equivalent to one of Hercules's tasks!), and we continue to receive electricity... but as yet we have still not received a bill.
All of this can of course be explained. In fact even expected. It's Italy!
We have been with Enel for gas and electric for over 5 years and been paying by direct debit, and then a few months ago my wife said "Hang on we haven't had an electricity bill for more than 6 months." (The gas was continuing as normal).
She contacted them (which is 3 words that are the modern equivalent of saying "Odysseus went home", but I'll spare you the details!)... and they said that the contract had been cancelled and never really explained why. They did say that the details had changed and the contract was with another provider in another name, but we had no knowledge of this, and have received no communication whatsoever. And we're still getting electricity. So a few weeks ago my wife set up a new contract with Enel (roughly equivalent to one of Hercules's tasks!), and we continue to receive electricity... but as yet we have still not received a bill.
All of this can of course be explained. In fact even expected. It's Italy!
I think I will leave well alone
I'm glad we only come and go each 3 months, couldn't put up with this for long.
#14
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,513
Re: La Bolletta
You have to be careful with this. As in the Uk when the opened up the market, here there are lots of unscrupulous operators who switch suppliers 'on your behalf' with you knowing little or nothing about it. If anyone calls you saying they're from ENEL just hang up. Paying bills to a supplier a year after you switch is not possible unless you were on a yearly fixed price, and there is a backdated adjustment to sort out. For most people the final bill should come after 2 months. From July this year Servizio Elettrico Nazionale ceases to exist and you will be assigned a new supplier according to your residnce. Or change before June and you will at least have some say in who supplies your leccy.
#15
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2019
Posts: 346
Re: La Bolletta
Hmmm....yes, it's very strange. As I said my wife has been dealing with it as best she can, but they said that the account was now in someone else's name and that of course they couldn't reveal that info because of data protection (!), and so she proved to them that we own the house and it's not let to anyone, and they changed it back to her name. I suspect it's either a clerical error (someone input the wrong meter number perhaps?) or some kind of scam... except from our point of view we are receiving electricity and not paying for it, so how would that work as a scam?? It's possible I guess that 'agents' receive some sort of commission when they convince someone to switch and so maybe they're scamming the providers somehow?