9118 payments to ENEL

Tessa a Happy Easter to you too. Firstly your bill is probably an estimate. Enel I understand, like the gas board tend to estimate and every six months they then read the meter and adjust the figures accordingly. My last bill for Italgas was €10 which they add to the next one which will probably be an estimate ..... By all means query it with Enel as one does with LED/whatever but that might mean ringing them at the costs of the calls are to be considered.

As for the post ..... I sent a small present of luxury mince pies airmail to Italy a week before Christmas and they haven't yet arrived. More recently, i sent out spare parts. They have arrived after a couple of weeks. Airmail according to The Royal Mail website is only supposed to take 1-3 working days.

[quote=tessa myers;85895]Also the bills and my Italy magazine went to another address in the village! I have put up my shiny new post box and was didappointed that no post was coming! I also have not received post from home (Northern Ireland) which was sent ages ago. Is the post very slow as a rule and why is my mail going elsewhere when it has the right address on it? :veryconfused: Other than this we are having a fun time settling in and hope the weather will imrove. :smile:[/quote]
I've had letters mailed in Edinburgh delivered to our mailbox in Abruzzo in less than 48 hours from the postmark time. :smile:

Parcels, on the other hand, can be very slow. I've also had a parcel returned to Amazon UK as undeliverable after months of such boxes arriving within a week of shipping. I believe that this problem occured because the delivery driver for the route I'm on changed and the new one couldn't be bothered to ask in the village where I lived (to be fair, our house is rural with a rather vague address).

It was suggested to us by one of the locals that we should go to the local sorting office and let them know where we lived. If you're having problems with letter post with some items arriving and some not, it sounds to me like you've unfortunately got a dozy postperson. Not sure what you can do about that. Maybe throw yourself in front of their Fiat as they buzz past and introduce yourself? :winki:

As far as parcels are concerned, I'd recommend that you always make sure that the sender writes your phone number prominently somewhere near the address. It seems to be the norm for delivery drivers (whether Poste Italiane or private carriers) to phone addressees and ask about delivery arrangements.

My impression is that Poste Italiane works very much more on names rather than addresses; postcodes are obviously useless since they can cover huge areas. Hopefully, once the local posties know where you live, you'll get a reasonable standard of service.

Al

Both my packets Alan were addressed to the pharmacist in the main square though!!! Good point about adding telephone numbers as yes when I have had things sent via courier, the driver has rung me prior.

Both our gas and electricty bills will show what the next estimate will be, and for what date. There's also a toll-free number to call on specific dates if you want to tell them the actual reading.

My first bill was an estimate. My second was actual use.

I thought those fancy electric meters talked back to Enel. If so I've no idea why the estimate.

[quote=NickZ;85907]My first bill was an estimate. My second was actual use.

I thought those fancy electric meters talked back to Enel. If so I've no idea why the estimate.[/quote]
They are supposed to Nick, but we had a bill understated from the reading a couple of years ago, even though the pevious ones were correct, but on the next one it was corrected. Even Enel can't get it right at times!!!!

Tessa, Allan is quite right the post is delivered to you, not to an address so get yourself along to the post office and tell them who you are, where you live and what YOU are using as your address.

As for ENEL you don't say what the charge is for, I would just pay it and keep an eye they will even out eventually.

If you wish to argue, pay it anyway 'cos they will just cut you off if you don't, then argue. Good luck!

Thanks everyone. I will pay the bill at the post office, as i was unsuccessful doing it online earlier today, and at the same time remind them where we live! I know the post woman is off on holiday now for two weeks and there is a stand-in. Other than the enel bill we aren't expecting anything of urgency but its a worry that maybe we wouldn't get the bill and be cut off :eeeek: Thats also a good tip about putting my numbe on mail as even though its a small village and all the locals know where we are no delivery drivers/Sky/etc seem to be able to find it without me going down to the bar to meet them and jumping in the cab to give directions!! Adds to the fun of being here :bigergrin:

The problem usually arises if you are on the end of a delivery area and lunch gets imminent. The choice is to try and find you or go home for lunch...all of a sudden your address no longer exists!

To make sure we received our post the lovely post lady helped us write out a declaration that we signed and they have at the post office so even if they get a new post person they can find us. We literally had to write something like- the Woodley post box is on the tree next to number 3 Contrada San Lorenzo. All mail for Woodley & Hayward (my maiden name) needs delivering there!). Will agree with eveyone else though that parcels are a different story- can take forever & forget it with couriers- in this area they do not seem to undrstand that their job entails actually delivering anything!

Don't you have your names on the mailbox? I thought all boxes had to have your name on it.:veryconfused:

Quick update re. the mail drama - i went to the po this morning to pay my enel bill and low and behold my post box was full of the letters I had been expecting (none turned out to be terribly exciting after all!) by this afternoon! So hopefully now they know we are here it shouldn't pose any more problems .....:nah:

If you have an Italian bank acct. we suggest that you pay your ENEL bill by (RID) Direct Debit and tally up once a year in case there is an error. ENEL will send you an email to say when the bill can be viewed online.
Friends with holiday houses have arrived to "cut off services" including Sky TV because bills had remained unpaid whilst they were in UK. If this happens to you, then dash to pay your bills at a Lotto Tobaconist, the computer link with the co. you are paying, apparently works immediately. The Post office takes longer...ah but that has already been discusssed....