News
Movistar announces
“illegal” price hike
A consumers group says the latest price
rise announced by Movistar is “illegal.”
The telecoms giant sent text messages
to its clients last month advising those
who are on contract with them that
conditions for excess data usage will
change from June 18, the date on which
roaming charges in Europe are
expected to be abolished.
The price of each extra megabyte
downloaded will rise from 1.5 to 2 cents
while the monthly maximum
download will be increased from 1
Gigabyte to 2Gb. Movistar says it will
advise clients when they are
approaching their download
maximum.
However, consumers can opt to
continue navigating at no extra cost, but
at a reduced speed, when the limit
specified in their contract is reached.
This can be achieved by calling Movistar
on 223528, or via the Movistar website
or app and selecting the option
“Modificar límite” (Modify limit).
FACUA - Consumers In Action says the
maximum a client will pay for extra
data download will almost triple, from
€15 to €41, and it intends to lodge a
The figures come from BBVA Research
and are based on searches made by
users of Google up to May 5. The
prediction follows the 6.6 per cent
year-on-year increase recorded in the
first quarter, but the figures fall short
of the 11.7 per cent rise recorded in the
first six months of last year.
Estimates for April, boosted by the date
of Easter, show a 10.3 per cent rise on
last year with 4.4 million visitors, while
May and June are both expected to
record rises in excess of eight per cent,
An earthquake of intensity 3.6 was
recorded in Granada just after midday
on May 18. The epicentre was 12
kilometres beneath Alhama de Granada,
south-west of the capital, and was felt
widely across the Axarquía as well.
Reports of “strong” shaking were
received from Torrox, Nerja and as far
west as Rincón de la Victoria, although
no injuries or damage have been
recorded.
Freak accident
formal complaint against Movistar,
adding to those already filed against
other companies for similar practices.
FACUA says “the unilateral
modification of prices is an abusive
practice” which fails to respect
conditions agreed with the client.
It refers to article 82 of the General
Law for The Defence of Consumers
and Users which defines an abusive
clause as one which is “not negotiated
individually” and is “not expressly
consented.” FACUA also recommends
that consumers, whether or not they
accept the price increase, denounce
Movistar to the consumer authority in
their region.
Tourism expects bumper
second quarter
Spain is anticipating the arrival of 16.1
million tourists in the second quarter
of the year. This would increase the
total of visitors during the three
months by nine per cent, compared
with the same period last year.
Granada quake
according to the BBVA report. Based
on these figures, Spain will have 63.9
million overnight stays booked by
holiday makers in the second quarter
of this year, representing an increase of
5.4 per cent year on year. The first
quarter of 2017 recorded an increase of
3.6 per cent.
During the period between January
and March, the number of visitors
from the Americas, excluding the US,
was up 1.2 per cent on last year. The
total from the UK rose by 1.1 per cent,
which equates to 95,500 more tourists.
See Smalltalk
on page 23
11
No-one was injured in a freak accident
in Frigiliana last month when a Nissan
4x4 suffered break failure and plunged
nose-first through railings and down
onto a bar terrace. The incident in plaza
Doña Amparo Guerrero, close to Hotel
las Chinas, could have been a tragedy
but, very luckily, there was no-one
sitting at the table onto which the
vehicle fell.
Nerja accident
Three people suffered from bruising in
Nerja last month when their car ran into
a horse-drawn carriage on the N-340
road near the Nerja Club Hotel. The car
driver told police he had been dazzled
by the sun immediately before the
collision. Two horses, one of which was
trapped, were also injured but are
reported to be out of danger.
Churro fire
A café and a neighbouring estate agent’s
office in Almuñécar were evacuated last
month after fire broke out in a machine
for making churros. No-one was injured
but the blaze produced smoke which
forced customers and staff into the
street. By the time it was extinguished,
the fire had spread, causing damage to
other items in the kitchen and forcing
the café to remain closed.