Consumer complaints soar by 50 percent, phone and power firms in spotlight

PALMA
TELEPHONE and electricity services topped the list of consumer complaints in the Balearics during the first half of 2009, confirmed a government report issued yesterday.

The Consumer department said there had been 3'821 official complaints made during this period, an increase of 49 percent in comparison to the first half of 2008 when 2'547 were received. Majorca accounted for 2'900 of this year's complaints, 277 were attributed to Minorca, 356 to Ibiza and 22 to Formentera. Additionally, another 266 consumers from other regions of Spain lodged their complaints in the Balearics.

Regional Consumer Director, Diego Gonzalez said that the majority of complaints amongst island residents related to both fixed and mobile telephones and to internet services. Around 1'000 or so were received for this category, 24.2 percent of the total. The next most numerous area of complaint related to electricity bills - 800 cases were registered against power supply company GESA-Endesa. The majority of these grievances which went to make up 20.97 percent of the total, were related to tariffs.