In the midst of an electro-energy crisis of incredible dimensions, the country’s administration has decided to eliminate the traditional method of knowing the amount of the electricity bill.
HAVANA.- There are those who claim that there is no work in Cuba. That is not entirely true. The fact that the current cuts us off does not rest. He works on Sundays, on holidays, without warning, without verifying, without listening to our misfortunes. Without looking to the sides. Without looking back.
What a tropical version of a feverish and alienated Charlot in modern timesInstead of tightening nuts, he cuts cables. And he cuts them off so well, that then his counterpart has nowhere to reconnect those affected.
As a result of their “blind diligence”, not infrequently the service is cut off even after paying, because once they receive the order they do not confirm it before acting. More than one has suffered its frenzy firsthand. This happened recently to Montalvo, a neighbor.
Montalvo is an elderly pensioner who lives alone. Despite his low income, he is never late in paying for services, much less for electricity. Every month, as soon as he receives the consumption notice, he gathers his kilos and resignedly heads to the post office window to fulfill that obligation.
That’s why he was astonished when one Sunday, two weeks ago, he suddenly found himself without power. At first he thought, understandably, that it was one of the scheduled blackouts. But he quickly verified that the neighbors in the other apartments did have power. He then called an acquaintance who, after checking the watch, confirmed that the service had been intentionally cut off. Since it was Sunday, there was nothing to do except for a neighbor to give her an extension cord to connect the refrigerator.
The next day, Montalvo showed up first thing in the morning at the business office on Dolores Road between 14 and 15, in Lawton. There, an unkind employee informed him that his power had been cut off for lack of payment.
“But how about non-payment, if I never default!” he was alarmed. The explanation didn’t take long: the old man had delayed waiting for a consumption notice that never arrived, and before he realized it, the deadline had already passed. Only then did he know that the “little paper of light” had been definitively eliminated.
“So how do I know how much I have to pay?” he asked worriedly. The employee responded in a mechanical tone: “You can check your bill through Transfermóvil, Enzona, Telebanca, etc.”
“But I don’t have a cell phone…” Montalvo replied. The woman just shrugged her shoulders.
In the context of an unprecedented electro-energy crisis, the regime has decided to eliminate at a stroke the traditional method of knowing the amount of the electricity bill. The consumption advisory is behind us, so customers will have to consult digital platforms that not everyone has access to.
The most affected are the elderly retirees and pensioners, whose low income and limited access to new technologies make them victims of a system that was not designed for them and that ruthlessly excludes them.
The untimely change adds to the stress and anguish that dozens of elderly people like Montalvo suffer daily, faced with the dreaded cut without having received information or time to adapt.
When paying her debt, the official explained that the service would not be restored immediately: the Electric Company had at least 48 hours due to a lack of personnel.
“In other words, they have to cut it, but not to put it in,” my neighbor reasoned. Dejected and totally demoralized, he returned home.
As for reconnection, the deadline was even longer: two weeks later Montalvo was still without power. During that time he kept coming to the office every day, only to receive the same response. The delay was so exaggerated that he suspected they were waiting for money.
Finally, another neighbor used a trick that worked: he showed up with a piece of paper proving that he had made a report to the Police unit. It took him longer to say it than the electrician to show up to reconnect the clock.
By the way, in Cuba it is also said that when we all leave, there will be no one left to turn off the light. You see: that’s not exactly the case either.
