The Consumer Affairs Office has fined a plumber 14,400 euros on Ibiza who accumulated 41 complaints for swindling the clients that contacted with him through a web page that gave the impression of being an “official service”, indicated from the Balearic Consumer Affairs Office.
In addition, the fraudster has three more files pending for the same reason, the penalty for which could amount to 44,100 euros. Most of the clients contacted him for electrical and electronic appliance breakdowns.
During the summer of last year, a couple fell victim to his deception when they called him because they needed an air conditioner repaired. Supposedly the reason for the breakdown was that the appliance lacked gas, so “he injected two kilos”, explained those affected, and for which he charged them 508.20 euros, which they paid at the time. The air conditioner was working for a few hours, but the next morning “broke down again” and that was when he even tried to sell them “a new device for 1,400 euros”.
In the invoice that he gave them the address appeared in the name of Multiservicios Ibiza, one of several names under which the company was registered, since the company of the alleged plumber “changed its name several times”, assured from the Consumer Affairs office. When the couple went to the address on the invoice to talk to the owners of the business, they were told that it was not them, and that “it was a scammer”.
Money in advance
A year earlier, another woman had been the victim of this man for the repair of a washing machine, which she took with her for repair and which took more than “two months to return”. According to her, the man showed up at her house and, claiming lack of time, suggested that she take the appliance to his workshop to “see what was wrong” and charged her 50 euros in advance for the travel service. After more than two months of calls and messages in which the supposed plumber was increasing the price of the bill claiming “an infinite number of pointless repairs”, the fraudster returned the appliance, but the washing machine was still broken.
The Consumer Affairs Office also reported that, “the rest of the complaints filed against the alleged plumber are being processed at a slower pace or some have been dismissed for lack of evidence”. The agency pointed out that after “bringing together all the complaints, a criminal complaint was filed, but the judge dismissed it because the amounts claimed were too low”. In addition, the company’s details on its invoices were incomplete, another reason why Consumer Affairs intends to fine the alleged fraudster. One of the missing details was the company’s VAT number.
Consumer Affairs recalled that it is not a “judicial body”, so “we cannot demand that the man returns the money to the consumers”. The competences of the agency are “to sanction in the event that a breach or violation of consumer rights is detected”. “We act and sanction when the consumer law is violated,” said the director general of Consumer Affairs of the Govern, Félix Alonso, to Diario de Ibiza yesterday.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.