I recently moved to Malaga Capital from Granada province.  In Granada I had a duo ADSL and fixed line.  The day before I left I telephoned Telefonica to request a transfer to Malaga. They told me no problem and said I would need a new number. I also indicated to them that I no longer required a line nor ADSL at my current address as I would be moving to Malaga. They told me that it was to be actioned immediately.

When I arrived in Malaga, they connected me the following day and never indicated that the other line was still in use.

I have been away and recently noticed that they are charging me for both my new line and the old one including the ADSL. I telephoned to explain and complain and re-indicate that I had been imformed that my former line would cease as of the 1st July.

My Spanish is sufficient to understand what the Telefonica person was telling me, that I had a contract with them that would not end until July 2012, ie that I would have to pay for both my lines until next year.  They have agreed to refund me a small sum excluding the VAT, but not to resolve the problem.

Please could somebody tell me if they have experienced this when moving from one location in Spain to another and if so, how to deal with it, as my patience is running out and I cannot have another futile argument with them, where they are always right and keep taking my money from the bank.

We moved house within he same area.  The vendor of the house we were buying agreed to us taking over the line.  I spoke to telefonica on their English line and thought I had arranged it.  Only problem was the vendor had a calls package from someone else so although we had a line we couldn’t make calls.  Well, we had just moved so a few days passed before I got round to trying to sort it.  When I picked up the phone the line was dead.  That was the start of the fiasco.  A neighbour who speaks Spanish and has been here some time warned us that we needed to take immediate action as we could end up waiting months for a line.  She phone the Spanish help line on our behalf and was told the line was gone, if we wanted a new one we would have to pay for connection but if we took ADSL they would do it for free, so we agreed, reluctantly I might say.  A few days later we had a line, a few days after that an engineer came to connect ADSL.  He messed around for a while, I saw broadband working then he turned it off, told me we had contacted for a higher speed than he could obtain - no probs I said, leave it its OK.  No, he had to disconnect and we had to make another contract.  Wiyh great difficulty I persuaded him not to turn of the line - just the ADSL.  But a few days later the whole thing went.  What happened after that became a farce, we phoned the English help line, ‘helpful’ friends phoned the Spanish one, one day we had a line, the next we didn’t, it went on for weeks.  We later found out that the two helplines do not communicate in any way at all, their business is totally seperate.  First we were having ADSl, then we weren’t.  Finally someone told me that they couldn’t do ADSL and in recognition of all the problems they would connect a standard line for free.  Then the bill came and they charged us.  More arguments, first they agreed then they didn’t. 
To cut a long story short I finally vented my anger on them Told them they were the joke of Europe, everyone knew how bad they were and laughed at them, I really went to town.  Didn’t think it would do anything but it sure felt good.  Next day we got a full refund and a written apology saying they knew they had problems with their service and would try to do better.
So, we took a Talk Talk package for calls and ADSL, and a little later were able to move the line maintenance to them as well.  Only problem is that the line we got from telefonica was newly disconnected from a Spanish couple who appear to have ‘done a runner’ and we have had constant calls from their creditors.  Telefonica called us yesterday trying to pursuade us to move back - their deal sounded cheaper but I think I’ll stick with the people who have given me a service!

Sunny ^ - So glad you got a refund and someone finally took notice of you!
We are having problems at the moment with new line. It was installed Ok, but now seems to be off.  As we are unable to live in the house yet (‘still awaiting elec’ after fiasco of lawyer of vendor), I have not got round to chasing it up.  But I don’t want to be paying for something that is not working (even if we prempted the install - as we know these things take time!)

They are also coming to install ADSL next week???? (Should have been this week, but again we are not in a hurry to get it done as we may be another two weeks before moving in.)  Will be interested to see what the ADSL bods say when they come and the line is dead. (But then again, I expect it will be the same engineers that came and did the new line install.)

Oh the joys of Telefonica!

ps - we are going to take their service, as they are infact the cheapest (I am an current Movistar mobile customer and there is a special offer on etc.)
Also, we do not want ‘hidden repair charges’ should the line go wrong - as the lines are owned by Telefonica.

Hoping all will be sorted soon and we can make the change over from one house to another smoothly (we are not taking our existing no with us as we are in the campo on a dish system - nothing to do with fixed lines etc.)

Ps - I feel like telling them they are a joke everytime I speak to them - the right hand certainly doesn’t know what the left is doing - as they told us CATAGORICALLY we COULD NOT HAVE ADSL at the new house - then lo! Once we had the phone line installed - they are phoning every 5 mins and it is 10MB! 

Also, their ‘English speaking assistance’ are 9/10 S***te!  I lose the will to live each time I have to make that dreaded 1004 call…....

Ah the dreaded 10Mb!  That was part of our problem, sales ‘sold’ us that then the engineer came and said he could only get 1Mb at our house.  So be careful! 
I have been in business a long time before retiring and always worked on the principal you catch more flys with honey than vinegar but in this case the anger worked.  Even our solicitor was speechless when I said I had a written apology.

Any way, the best of luck with all your issues, been there, after nearly 4 years in Spain 2012 is the first time we don’t have a long list of bureaucracy issues to deal with.  Hope yours are sorted soon

^ Thanks SM… I ‘know’ we are only goint to get 6-8MB in reality, but this is a whole lot more workable than nowt 😉

Keep trying to think of a day we will be ‘beauracracy free’, but as long as we live here, (especially now we are about to become first time home owners in Sp), I doubt it!

Oh well, ‘If they said life was easy - They were lying 😉 ‘

Well you seem to have had the sense to rent long term before buying - we nearly were the ‘fools’ that rushed in and met the full range of dodgy estate agents, solicitors, desperate landlords and vendors etc etc.  Anyway, bought this house 2 years ago, first two years were hell, getting it updated and then sorting all the bureaucracy.  Last year did all that, taxes, health cards, IBI, spanish driving licences etc and it is lessening - sure always problems but take heart they get better.  Hope all goes well with your purchase, its a very tough time, thank goodness we have a wonderful solicitor who kept us out of major trouble.

BTW trouble with 10MB is that if you have contracted for that and the engineer can’t get it when he installs he may refuse to leave the line - that’s what happened to us.

You mentioned electricity - have you got a ‘boletin’?  i.e. certificate saying all meets spanish regs?

Hi SM, thanks for warning on 10MB/the engineer etc… Let’s hope they see sense and connect us - otherwise I will be on the phone proto to customer services and doing my best Mrs Bucket impression 😉

Re Boletin - yes there has been one since Nov last year - re paying all fees (it is in the vendors name until we sign), that is where the problem lies.  Between him and his more than C*** lawyer, they have done nothing to make sure it has gone smoothly.
I have taken to going to Endesa office and updating them regularly and keeping on with phone calls/emails to get some kind of action from the above 2 who are holding things up. 

They said ‘today’ for connection, but as it is a puente locally, I am not holding my breath!

There are still other ‘complications’ ahead (won’t go into them, otherwise I might decide life is not worth living!)... But we ‘hope’ once all is sorted (maybe in about a years time), we will have a house, to our spec and hopefully only ‘normal’ interupptions - water, elec etc 😉

i have past this on to CMT.ES who the telephone regulator to look in two it and will be back on to me and i past it on two you
Jurdy
]

Good morning,
If you need legal information on your particular case, we can help you arrange all this and any other legal issues you may have. We are a legal firm of bilingual lawyers in Spain and for an annual fixed fee of only 184 euros we can help you sort out all your legal issues! Feel free to contact us calling 902 808 900 or visit our website legallifeline.com. You can benefit from a first free consultation.
Legal Lifeline

Didn’t figure it would do anything other than it beyond any doubt could rest easy. Following day we got a full discount and a composed statement of regret saying they knew they had issues with their administration and would attempt to improve the situation. Along these lines, we took a Talk bundle for calls and ADSL, and somewhat later could move the line support to them too. Just issue is that the line we got from telefonica was recently separated from a Spanish couple who seem to have ‘done a sprinter’ and we have had steady calls from their banks.

Thanks for these invaluable tips, I’m glad that I joined your forum and found out their