EDF connection problem departement 34

[Hetj]

Any ideas where we can get some help with getting our electricity connected?  We have bought a property near Clermont l'Herault that was once a hotel-restaurant but has been unoccupied for the last three years.  We completed in November 07. For various reasons it cannot operate as a commercial property any more and we bought it in good faith as a domestic property to do up (holidays etc), not anticipating any problems (and nor did our estate agent, or our notaire). It is liveable-in.

Its last EDF contract was for its hotel/restaurant status, and the electricity has been disconnected.  To reinstate the electricity on a domestic tariff should in theory be a straightforward affair, however it has not been. For the last three months we have had NO electricity despite the best efforts of our estate agents, and the notaire, who all assure us it should have been able to be switched on the day we completed and moved in (joke!).  Nobody could have foreseen this problem, and it has been a first for our notaire. It should technically be as simple as coming to the property to switch it on, but the domestic tariff side do not want to deal with the commercial side (or vice versa) since there has been a selling off of one bit of EDF (this is my simplistic version of events - so possibly some political internal issues here). When we completed we stayed one night in our property with no electricity and no hot water (an experience but not great for the long haul!). As they did not turn up as they had said and then wanted a contract number to do anything (and there isn't one as the last people were renting the property, and the owner therefore did not hold the EDF contract) we had to cancel our Christmas and New Year trip which was to be to enjoy a break, clean up and get quotes for some work.  It is now coming up to month 3 and nothing has changed. We have hit a brick wall.  We need to go there to clean the property and get some work done and have booked to go out on 2nd Feb. We will have no electricity for that week's stay.   

Who can we complainto in EDF?  It is a crazy situation. Are there any complaints procedures or organisations that can help move this forward?  Thanks for reading my rant and all polite and reasonable suggestions welcome. 

[Clair]

This is rather odd, to say the least, as I recently made a call to EDF in the Lot, on behalf of a forum member, whose large garage had been used as a business workshop by the previous owner. The forum member in question wanted to change to a domestic supply, which was done within a week, with a choice of appointment dates to boot...

I called EDF business line, quoting the previous owner's details and did not come across any problem whatsoever.

[Hetj]

Yes I agree and the notaire and agent is as perplexed as we are with the whole thing.  It shouldn't be a problem, which is exactly your point.  The notaire said that they have always dealt with the switch from commercal to domestic in previous similar purchases with no problem (and had several examples to hand similar to yours) - it had happened in one day at completion...etc, etc. No-one anticipated this situation, which I think has been compounded by the property being empty for a while, the last tenants doing a bunk, and the owner not being the last person to hold the EDF contract so contract numbers have been lost (in EDF too apparently!) plus some 'political' shinnaningans with changes within EDF.  It is a difficult situation, and we are facing the brunt of it all. 

[AnOther]

Don't know if this will help you or not but part of my property was (is) a very large hangar which had been used commercially by the original owner, a builder who built the house for himself, and consequently it has it's own, entirely seperate, 3 phase electricity supply which was disconnected when we bought.

To get it re-connected I visited my local EDF office in Cahors who were unable to find any trace of the supply under the house address. It turned out that because it had been used commercially it was under a "Professional" contract the records for which were held in Toulouse.

Once he had discovered this the guy in the Cahors office was eventually able to give me both a reference number and telephone number to call but even then it took Claire, who visited me to have some work done on her laptop, 20 minutes on the phone to sort out having it re-connected.

Bon chance !

EDIT:

Beat me to it Claire, I broke for lunch mid typing !

[Mpprh]

Seems domestic & business don't talk to each other.

I inherited a business premises and wanted to change the account over. The local "permanence" were unable to find anything in their records - and clearly didn't want to help. They gave me a  phone number to the commercial dept, and it was sorted very quickly.

Maybe, a trip to Montpellier ?

Peter

 

[Hetj]

Yes probably.  Persistency is paying off a bit (although high phone bills) and agent has managed to get hold of someone who is now asking us to fax through completed forms which they have emailed us to arrange an assessment.  However this is not without charge - 280euros for "work done so far" (what is this we ask ourselves- admin, peut etre?). This is without the assessment and reconection being done, all of which also have charges (and in unknown quantity too). 'C'est la vie' - it does mean the possibility of getting connected is ever nearer.  We will still be there camping out without electricity next week!

You may be from around this area, Peter - do you know of any builders near Clermont l'Herault/Lac Salagou area who are worth asking for a quote for some work - knocking down ground floor internal walls and putting RSJ in type of stuff to open out an area...?

Thanks for your input .

Hetj

[Mpprh]

Hi

I'm actually on the East Herault/Gard border ......... and builders don't seem to travel that far.

Peter