If you've got a blender, microwave, or other home appliance that was damaged by the power outages Costa Rica experienced over the past few days and can get together the necessary paperwork, you may not have to get rid of it. The Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP) will be investigating complaints from people with damaged appliances and computers, and power companies will be compensating those whose items are determined to have been damaged by recent electricity irregularities, according to Xinia Herrera, director of ARESEP's User Protection department.
Owners of any damaged appliances or computers should file their complaints with the electricity distributor for their area. For example, most homes in the Central Valley area receive energy from the National Power and Light Company (CNFL), while Coopeguanacaste powers the northwestern Guanacaste province, Herrera said.
Those filing complaints must present a letter describing what is wrong with their appliance, and, if they had it fixed, a receipt showing the costs of the repair.
This receipt must include the name of the person placing the complaint, their cédula or passport number, their address and phone number, the brand, model, serial number and description of the damaged item, the cost of repair and a note from the person who repaired it describing the problem, according to a statement from ARESEP.
If the appliance is broken beyond repair, its owner must present a note from a technician diagnosing that it cannot be fixed, the original receipt and three quotes from different stores showing the current value of the item.
Once the complaint has been filed, an inspector will visit the user's house to determine if, in fact, the damage was caused by the blackouts and not by faulty wiring. If the blackouts were at fault, he or she will receive a credit for the cost of the repair or to buy a new appliance.
Those interested in filing a complaint can call ARESEP at 220-0102 for more information. |
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