Latest news and stories about consumer rights in daily life in Setúbal, Portugal for expats and residents.
The Water and Waste Services Regulation Authority has urged SMAS Almada to proactively compensate residents impacted by recent water supply disruptions.
The consumer protection association DECO criticizes the water tariff in Almada, citing a double penalty for residents amidst a crisis that ERSAR identifies as a significant management failure.
The scams occurred over the last two years. More than one hundred people were defrauded through travel purchases at the Horizonte Fácil agency. The Public Prosecutor's Office is handling the cases.
They had their bags packed and their holiday booked, but the trip never actually happened.
DECO PROteste legal expert Ana Sofia Ferreira and lawyer Zita Medeiros, in interviews with TVI/CNN Portugal, answered key questions regarding consumer rights concerning the crisis affecting the municipality.
Water supply failures in Almada raise questions about consumer rights. Ana Sofia Ferreira, from DECO PROteste, argues that those affected should be compensated and that the fixed component of the bill should not be charged while the service is unavailable.
Tariff exemptions, extended payment deadlines, and priority for hospitals and nursing homes. These are the urgent measures the consumer protection association is requesting from the Almada Municipal Water and Sanitation Services (SMAS).
In recent days, successive water supply failures have been reported in the Almada municipality, with a particular impact on the Caparica coast.
The consumer protection association Deco has received reports from residents in Almada concerning damage to electrical appliances.
The reader has the right to keep the remains of their family members if they pay the ossuary rent or purchase a burial vault.
A woman allegedly defrauded dozens of people across the country through a social media scheme, advertising the sale of tickets for concerts, festivals, and sporting events, as well as mobile phones, holiday accommodation, and even supermarket promotional stamps. The Judiciary Police carried out searches in the municipality of Palmela as part of an operation named Showbiz, seizing computer equipment identified as having been used in the alleged fraud. The woman, who had reportedly been using this scheme since 2023, has been named a formal suspect. According to a statement from the PJ, the suspect allegedly joined a plan to defraud various people via social media to receive money that did not belong to her and thus obtain illegitimate enrichment. The investigation, during which it was possible to identify the digital and financial trail of the alleged perpetrator, will continue to determine if there are more victims. The inquiry is being led by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Barcelos.
