The exact moment that I decided to go off-grid in Portugal | Hacker News Reader

The exact moment that I decided to go off-grid in Portugal

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21 pointstosh9 comments

> the reason I had to call today was as Kafkaesque as you can imagine: when changing the name on the electricity contract to me, EDP signed me up to their healthcare plan (who knew an electricity provider had healthcare?), they also signed me up to pet insurance (I don't have a pet), and a EUR 600 on-call technician per year (I also don't need that), when all I asked was to change my name on the contract

Absolutely despisable

Sounds like the same thing that happened to Wells Fargo customers a few years ago, prompted by giving customer service people a commission for signing up "customers" to stuff they didn't ask for or want

What a tragedy. Another expat living in Portugal while complaining all the time how much better things are in his/her own country.

https://archive.today/q9qNO

Random techbro ranting about a "portuguese" company while completely oblivious his beloved political heroes forced selling it off to a Chinese state enterprise.

Complaining about CCP bureacracy would not looks as good.

This guy should ask a Portuguese how they make things move there. I'm speculating, but usually it's about greasing the right hand, or finding someone who knows someone, and gift them a nice Porto because they're such a charming person.

He's swimming hard against the current, but he's not a salmon.

No, that's not how it works, and yes you're speculating.

These companies outsourced these services to highly efficient call centers, powered by software designed by these tech bros.

The people working there are incentivized to up sell you all manner of crap. They make a pittance and everything extra on commission.

If you don't speak the language, if you don't know your rights, if you don't know the channels you can use to exercise your rights, they will deceive you, this is what's going to happen.

And no, it's not a bottle of Porto that's going to fix the issue.

It's a letter to the ombudsman.

Speculation aside, there's literally millions of Portuguese people that didn't need to solve their problems by moving off-grid, so they somehow navigate their seemingly Kafkaesque institutions. It doesn't hurt to ask them how they do it.

Do not enter into a contract (or change a contract) over the phone. Demand seeing the written agreement, and being able to take your time.

Be especially careful if you initiated the contact yourself, as if you did, terms may be binding even without written consent. So make it clear you want to do it in writing.

If you're duped over the phone, complain, first to the company, then (maybe in parallel) to the applicable authorities (the market regulator), as it is your right to do so.

Your calls will have been recorded, so if you were duped it's probably in their interest to fold (and move to the next prey).

If it all fails go to the ombudsman.

It's all much harder if you don't speak the language, but all the more reason to ask for documents that you can get through Google Translate.

Also, don't feel bad for being duped, and up sold on crap you don't need. It happens all the time.

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