2024-07-16 03:00:00
Stéphane (name assumed to guarantee anonymity), 36 years old, a trader, from Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse, had installed an electrical terminal to recharge his hybrid car at home. But during testing, his terminal was unable to recharge the electric vehicle he ordered. However, Stéphane chose a terminal with adaptive power for his command. For several months, he was fighting with the Luminus e-Mobility service to solve this technical problem: “We push people to drive electric and in the end we don’t even know how to properly recharge our vehicle”he shouts through the orange Alert Us button.
Testing revealed a technical problem with its “smart” terminal.
Although Stéphane had been driving a hybrid car for the past few years, he took certain precautions in order to switch to a fully electric vehicle one day: he asked RESA, the operator of the gas and electricity distribution networks, to install maximum electrical power in his home. On which there was a bill of almost 3,000 euros, he emphasizes. In April 2022, when he ordered a terminal from Luminus, he chose the “smart package”, the most expensive solution, for 1,350 euros.
At the beginning of 2024, Stéphane conducted tests with a test electric car: “I realized that my terminal, which was supposed to recharge at 22 kW, was not more than 7 kW, however, I specified when I was buying a 22 kW terminal.”.
Stéphane’s quote, which we consulted, indeed mentions “a smart residential charging station – up to 22 kW”.
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Confusing dialogue with Luminus
Stéphane contacted Luminus in February 2024 to report the problem. “First they told me that their partner, Nexxtmove from Powerdale, had gone bankrupt. Then they claimed that my terminal was no longer under warranty, even though it had been for two years and my first claim was on time. It went around in circles for months.”He says.
Stéphane reports that she has conflicting messages from Luminus: “Some technicians tell me that there is no terminal capable of charging 22 kW at Luminus, although I have my quote in front of me that shows this capacity. Others say that a donation of 60 euros per 22 kW is required reach a month. And the thirty year old gets angry: “They’re driving me crazy.”
Stéphane sees a solution after our intervention
The energy supplier responded to our requests regarding Stéphane’s case. “After examining the situation internally, we confirm that the terminal installed by Mr. Illyes can charge at 22kW. To do this, a reconfiguration is necessary since the initial configuration was made based on the power of the vehicle before ( hybrid)”, explains Stéphane Cornet. And the spokesperson apologizes “due to the confusion in the answers Stéphane may have received”.
A technician quickly went to Stéphane to configure the terminal. “It’s a shame it has to come to this to be called customer service…”, the affected person reacts. He plans to request a test vehicle as soon as possible to test this new configuration and see if the problem is resolved.
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