Costa Blanca

In Elche, complaints against banks and insurers have increased by 50%

In Elche, claims against financial institutions and insurers rise by 50% annually as a result of inadequate information provided at the time of contracting, subpar service, or simply the customer’s failure to carefully read the conditions and believing the coverage does not align with what they agreed to.

Out of almost twenty sectors examined by the Oficina Municipal de Información al Consumidor (OMIC), banks and insurance businesses were among the five most unsatisfied, with 135 and 147 complaints against them, respectively, during 2024. The office head, Torcuato Saavedra, explains some details that cause insurers to misunderstand, like the requirement that the customer cancel a service at least one month prior to the policy’s expiration date. “Unfortunately, consumers are not always well informed or we don’t read everything when signing a contract and we don’t realise it,” he says.

Battle of the numbers

They caution you that the insurer will eventually demand payment of that premium for failing to provide legal notice if you chose to return the receipt instead. Conflicts between the two parties frequently occur here, and many people end up having two insurance plans for a year “because things weren’t done properly,” the technician says. The “number wars” between insurers and the dearth of information some businesses provide to entice customers are additional causes of complaints.

There were 1,971 enquiries and 1,438 complaints filed with the OMIC last year; these numbers are declining, having decreased by almost 20% from 2023. According to Saavedra, this tendency may be explained by the fact that consumers are growing more conscious while making purchases and businesses are getting more professional.

The most criticised are telephone providers.

With a total of 265 complaints last year, telephone companies continue to dominate the complaint landscape, as they have for years. Failure to comply with sales conditions is one of the primary causes. “Because what people don’t know is that when you port your phone number, you’re transferring both your landline and mobile numbers, but internet and television services aren’t ported, and the user has to request cancellation; the company can’t.” Previously, complaints were primarily about mobile phone contracts, but now landlines have issues with related services like internet and television.

Because of this, the office advises users to always ask for a copy and to carefully study contracts, “even if they are very tedious,”

The profile of the plaintiff

When commercial visits to homes were permitted, the elderly were the most common application profile because they felt betrayed at home. The population seeking protection from the OMIC is typically between the ages of 36 and 64, and the range has expanded with the advent of new technologies.

Internet-based purchasing

In a single year, 206 more complaints are categorised as “other goods” by this municipal agency. The office claims that the majority of these complaints centre on disagreements about internet transactions, which are likewise becoming more frequent. In order to make sure that the company they are transacting with on a marketplace is the one displayed on the screen and that it is based in Spain or the European Union, they advise customers to review the legal notice or privacy policy before making a purchase.

Festivity

In honour of World Consumer Rights Day, the OMIC and the Department of Consumer Affairs held an information booth in Plaza de Baix this Friday to provide the residents of Elche with free consumer advocacy, training, and advice.

The area’s edil, Inma Mora, accepted the work I do to address the needs and concerns of both consumers and establishments. Taking into consideration that this space, which has six professionals after being reinforced recently with two more technicians, provides consumers with pautas referring to the regulations in effect at the time of purchase or that must be followed by those products to ensure that the consumer has no issues.

Advice Saavedra explained that the focus of this year’s attention has been on helping merchants and distributing hojas of preceptive reclamations that must have all the establishments at the customers’ disposal.

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Costa Blanca

Torrevieja’s new Local Police fleet

Eduardo Dolón, the mayor of Torrevieja, Federico Alarcón, the councillor for security and emergencies, and Alejandro Morer, the director general of police, presented the 17 new cars that will be used by the Local Police on Paseo Vista Alegre yesterday morning, Wednesday 2nd March. The vehicles will be leased for four years with a purchase option.

A total of 1,147,660.80 euros (286,915.20 euros for each contract year) is allocated for the purchase of these cars.

The 17 vehicles that are leased are:

Ten SUV patrol cars, all hybrids (four equipped with police gear and an arrest kit, and six equipped with police gear but no arrest kit).

Two vans: one with nine seats for police equipment and one for police and report preparations.

A police-equipped all-terrain pickup truck for the Environmental Group.

Four local police general service support cars without police gear (they should only have rotating magnetic LED lights with an integrated siren and, in three of them, police shields on the front and rear hoods and doors).

In addition, the successful bidder, Transtel, has offered to deliver to Torrevieja City Council two portable vehicle battery jump starters, each worth €200, two fixed/portable vehicle jump starters/chargers, each worth €600, and a high-quality workshop tool trolley with at least 170 parts, valued at €300.

Eduardo Dolón, the mayor of Torrevieja, has emphasised the financial investments made by the city council of Torrevieja in recent years to enhance the number of police officers and the fleet of vehicles of the Local Police, which has increased significantly in the last two years.

Eduardo Dolón said that the government team hopes to increase the number of officers in the Torrevieja Local Police force to 200 by the end of the current term in 2027. This is a significant number in order to provide all the necessary citizen security services that the thousands of tourists who visit Torrevieja each year and the residents of Torrevieja themselves deserve.

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Costa Blanca

Man arrested in Torrevieja for the death of a 5-year-old jailed

Following his appearance today, Thursday 3rd April, before the judge of the Court of Violence against Women number 2 of Murcia, Jesús J. “Suso,” 48, who was arrested in Torrevieja as the suspected perpetrator of the death of his five-year-old stepdaughter in the Murcian district of Llano de Brujas, will be held in provisional custody without bail.

Additionally, judicial sources state that the adoptive mother has also been questioned as a victim-witness, always accompanied by the victim support unit psychologist. A number of witnesses have also been questioned, including the detainee’s brother and parents.

Along with initiating the required support and social protection measures by directing her to the appropriate authorities, the court has also issued a protection order against the victim, which forbids the accused from contacting or approaching her as a precaution. Although the inmate had no prior allegations of gender-based assault, the court found him guilty in 2010 and 2014 of making threats in connection with domestic abuse, for which he was imprisoned for two years initially and then for an additional year.

The accused was taken to court facilities at 9:40 am following his arrest in Torrevieja on Tuesday, 1st April. Under the watchful observation of National Police officers, some of the girl’s family gathered at the entrance to the City of Justice in Murcia to demand justice for Nadia.

The incident, which has stunned society, happened last Tuesday when Jesús J.G. called the minor’s adoptive mother, Ramona, and said, “The girl is already in heaven.” The accused’s parents later discovered the youngster dead at the family home in the Llano de Brujas district, allegedly as a result of the minor consuming pills or other narcotics.

Given that retaliation against his former spouse may have been the driving force behind the crime, preliminary investigations suggest that vicarious violence may have occurred. Although there were records of threats in texts sent to the victim’s mother, there were no prior reports of abuse.

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Alicante’s Urbanova Beach, finally campervan free

Over the past week, Urbanova Beach’s scenery has undergone significant transformation. The caravans have vanished from the parking area close to Urbanova Beach after months of homeowners’ concerns about overpopulation. Through a campaign and recent surveillance, the local police have intervened and accomplished what the inhabitants have long sought: the removal of large trucks from the area that, in certain cases, had been there for months.

Up until now, enforcement of municipal ordinances that forbid parking cars wider than five meters in specific locations has been slack. The Local Police have started an “on-site campaign” this week to alert camper van and motorhome owners about the new rules, according to municipal sources. Warnings of potential fines for repeat offences have been sent, even though no consequences have been applied as of yet. To stop a recurrence of the crime, two neighbourhood police officers assigned to the area will also continue to monitor the parking lot.

After months of grievances, the people of Urbanova are relieved by this intervention. The president of the Urbanova citizens’ organisation, María José Molina, emphasises the obvious changes in the neighbourhood. They have eliminated them, or at least there are fewer of them, and it appears like things are progressing. They’ve been informed by the local police, and it’s evident that they’ve acted,” Molina adds.

In addition to reducing beachgoers’ parking options, the overpopulation of these cars in Urbanova caused issues for the neighbourhood. Residents blasted the car parks transformation into a makeshift camping area with the placement of seats, tables, and even tents as an excessive infringement on public space.

The issue of RV parking in Alicante has not been resolved, despite the fact that the work in Urbanova has temporarily freed the area. Owners of these cars are currently forced to look for alternatives on beaches and in residential areas because the city lacks public locations specifically designed for this kind of vehicle.

The only official motorhome parking space on Playa de San Juan was closed in 2021, making matters worse. The area had previously been used for Cirque du Soleil and other events, but it was never reopened. The Institute of Tourism Research at the University of Alicante was commissioned by the Alicante City Council in January of this year to evaluate the financial effects of motorhome tourism and investigate potential remedies. Though it is not ruled out that it would be on the oceanfront or second line, the potential of making municipal land accessible for this usage is being explored.