Yes, our maintenance man may have in fact been the one who signed the permission at our place. He's an idiot in any case, and wouldn't have understood the implications of so draconian system. The roll out of this new plan may have started in Merida before here. Early in March complaints there were already starting to roll in. For those who would like to read something about it in English here's a link New CFE Cards ( Listening to your Inner Curmudgeon ) | Surviving Yucatan
What happened to you, Steve, is what all of us fear, that the service will be cut while we're out of the country, with our being enrolled in the new system without our knowledge and in our absence. It would be a catastrophe to return home to everything spoiled in the refrigerator, and a smell you could never fully get rid of. ________________ Here's what happened today, when I went to the CFE. There was a Mexican lady ahead of me and I listened to what she was being told. She explained that she didn't want to participate in this new system and wanted to opt out. She said she hadn't signed anything agreeing to let anyone make any changes to the billing process she'd been accustomed to. I'll tell you what the CFE rep said. 1. No permission is required from anyone to make this change. 2. The new system is obligatory for all. 3. You cannot get out of it; but, if you'd like to complain, use the card the first time and pay the bill thus created, then make a written complaint if you wish. Then, it was my turn. I asked the rep to please check my account and told her I did not wish to participate in the new system of billing. She said the screen read that I was not yet enrolled in the system but that I was scheduled to be in early 2015. She said I had a credit balance and would continue to receive paper bills, as before, until then. Her name was Claudia Flores. What she told us goes contrary to everything others are learning and being told about this situation: it's as if the CFE is trying to discourage complaints and/or set people up to be able to argue that, once you've participated in the system you cannot opt out of it. I just hope the outcry grows till the CFE cannot carry on with this. _______________________ Y que dice la pagina web de CFE? "O si ya te encuentras en la modalidad de Pago programado, también puedes solicitar tu cambio a la modalidad normal de facturación." http://app.cfe.gob.mx/Aplicaciones/CCFE/SELCasa/Solicitudes/CambiodeModalidad.aspx Pain the ass, time wasting people!!! Did Claudia not know this or, as I suggested it might, a way of putting people off, by telling customers it is obligatory. ______________________
I would guess that the people at CFE and the people that go door to door "offering" the cards are getting a reasonable commission and are not bothered too much about the consumer. I've had somebody coming to my door two Saturdays in a row now to "give me my card". Both times I refused and was told it was obligatory, with the first time coming shortly after we had investigated about it at work, so I was prepared and won the argument; the second time the seller was so insistent I had to close the door in their face. I have to admit that I noticed that they had changed my meter and I was worried that they'd changed me over and I didn't even have the card - but more than a month has passed, so I don't think that there will be a problem. I just can't see any benefit for the consumer - on the website the main benefit is that "you won't pay more", it's incredible. I hope that this won't become truly obligatory in the future.
V, I have been following this on a couple of Expat Facebook pages. I think Matkirk is 100% correct in that they cannot force this on you. This is what is being reported in other parts of the republic. Also, as you surmised, people are accepting cards for others, be they friends, neighbors or just someone at home when the blow they show up. Leaving them at the meter is a new one on me. These will only work on digital meters which we I don't happen to have, nor do I want. The one I have works just fine. In my neighborhood, Aguakan put in new water meters, the in sidewalk variety. It's been nea rly two months and I have had nothing but problems. Tonight I went to the airport and the geniuses at Asur have now put cajeros in the terminals so you can no longer pay as you leave. Of course I did not see them as I was not looking. It was raining and my ticket and money were not accepted. I was not the only one who had to back out of line but I told an attendant that he needed to go validate my ticket and he did. Gave him the $16 change from mhy $50. Progress is Painful should be the motto of our public (dis)service companies.
