Find out how to request compensation for losses caused by power outages

The alert was given this Thursday (30) by the State Secretariat for Consumer Protection of Rio de Janeiro (SEDCON) and Procon-RJ.

The first step is to contact the electricity concessionaire responsible for the consumer's residence or business and register the incident. It is important to keep all service protocols with the dealership.

"He [the consumer] will contact the concessionaire, informing the approximate date and time of when the power fluctuation or interruption occurred and how long this event lasted. He will inform the equipment that was damaged, with brand, model, time of use", the legal director of Procon-RJ, Silvio Romero, told Agência Brasil.

The dealership will analyze the complaint and then respond to the consumer. If there is no response or if the complaint is not accepted by the concessionaire, Silvio Romero informed that the consumer can contact the SEDCON or Procon-RJ service channels and formalize their complaint.

Deadlines

After registering the order, the concessionaire must check the equipment within one business day, in the case of devices used to preserve perishable food or medicines, such as refrigerators and freezers. For other equipment, the deadline is up to ten days.

Once the analysis is completed, the distributor must inform the consumer of the result within 15 days, when the request is made within the first 90 days after the damage, or within 30 days, in other cases.

If the request is accepted, reimbursement must be made within 20 days, through repair, replacement of equipment or payment of compensation.

Romero reinforced that compensation for losses suffered by the consumer can occur in different ways. The dealership can repair the damaged equipment, replace it with an equivalent one, pay for the repair or compensate the consumer.

The consumer has a period of up to five years to request reimbursement. The legal director of Procon-RJ advised, however, that despite this deadline, the consumer should do this as soon as possible, while they have all the most recent information.

Food

In the specific case of food and medicines stored in freezers or refrigerators that have spoiled, and not the equipment itself, the consumer also has the right to compensation. To do this, it is important that he has a record of everything that happened, whether through photographs or films of the food or products that have deteriorated.

“He must keep receipts, invoices. He must have everything documented. You must then register with the dealership, requesting compensation for losses. If you are unsuccessful with the concessionaire, you can also contact SEDCON or Procon-RJ to make your complaint.”

To do this, the consumer must present all documentation related to the case, such as protocols, photographs, invoices, technical reports, budgets and the company's response.

Romero maintained the need for consumers to prove the link or relationship between the interruption or lack of energy and the loss resulting from the event.

The legal director also advised that consumers not dispose of damaged equipment or carry out repairs on their own, unless authorized by the dealership.

“Because she has the right to check this equipment to confirm whether it was in fact damaged as a result of a power outage or fluctuation.”