Following on from all the controversy of the Vale do Lobo ‘water wars’ there is a new ‘outrage’ inflaming residents in and around the troubled development.
The problem centres on allegations of collusion between Loulé council and its subsidiary, the service supplier Infralobo. The ruse, say residents, is getting householders to foot the bill for works that is really nothing to do with them.
Our source in the thick of the troubles, commented, “There appear to be many irregularities. For example, Infralobo is paying for all kinds of road and pavement improvement work that should be the responsibility of Loulé council.
“This effectively means we, the residents, must be footing the bill. How can this be right? "We are also expected to pay for work which is carried out by Infralobo but which should be the responsibility of Vale do Lobo, such as the provision for new wooden decking for the Praça which is Vale do Lobo´s commercial area let to various restaurateurs. This work is budgeted at €130,000- and should be paid for by the entity that owns this land and which benefits from the rental revenue - Vale do Lobo."
The source also suggested that Vale do Lobo - cited in the ongoing Operation Marquês investigation into corruption centring on former prime minister José Sócrates and known to be deeply indebted to the banks - is being “tarted up to make it easier to sell, so that the shareholders can all pocket more money at property owners’ expense.”
This matter becomes even more controversial when you consider that one of the major share holders in Vale do Lobo is Helder Bataglia is subject to an international arrest warrant in relation to serious corruption and money laundering charges.
The source also mentioned work ongoing in outlying developments, like Vale Garrão - one of three urbanisations embroiled in a court battle over Infralobo’s extortionate water charges which have quietly been reduced in anticipation of a court hearing over the whole issue of overcharging and charging for non-existent services.
In Vale Garrão the roads are almost no-go areas as tarmac is ripped up and replaced - just as the busy summer season arrives.
“It has been a complete nightmare”, said one householder. “We have noise from 8am to 8pm. People coming here for holiday have already had to be relocated. We cannot understand why these works are going ahead now - particularly as we weren’t even informed about them.”
Underhand practices are at play with many residents realising that Infralobo has “made so much money overcharging people for water,” that it has had to start spending it.
“There is so much going on that simply stinks”, the source added. We can now only wait for the property owners in other developments, such as Dunas Douradas, which have been ripped off for even longer to wake up and take some action to put a stop to this blatant form of extortion and mis-allocation of the funds collected.
Meantime, Faro’s arbitrations court has yet to decide on the case lodged by residents about the disconnection of water services by Infralobo as many householders simply refused to sign a unilateral contract that imposed a ‘per bed’ tax on top of already high service charges.
Infralobo’s communication and customer service abilities are noted for being absent, in fact the company often is described as rude and arrogant by those unfortunate enough to make customer or press enquiries.
But a brusque attitude to those funding their pay cheques may be symptomatic of a deeper and more devious plan to use water customers’ money to improve council roads and infrastructure.
Certainly it seems that the basis of a working relationship, ‘trust,’ is missing and whatever Vale de Lobo, Infralobo and Loulé council are guilty of, near the top of the list is a lack of communication skills.
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Classic clips:
“Clients are usually focused o the results of annual investments and in the quality of large scale landscaped areas but I think that over the years the property owners have come to see the value of our company and commitment and effort of all our employees.
“The current economic climate has determined the focus of Infralobo and we are being prudent when it comes to future plans but we are confident that Infralobo will continue to meet our primary goal – that of providing customer satisfaction and be able to surprise property owners and guests in all the areas we undertake.”
Aquilino Pereira, President of Infralobo to Feb 2014 when the new President of the Board, José Eduardo Rodrigues Miguel, took over and continued the deception.
and on receiving ISO 9001 2008 "rigour employed in its work and the orientation of the company to ensure customer satisfaction."
"Throughout the process leading to certification of its Management System, Infralobo had the opportunity to internally organise a range of methodologies that safeguard the character of the work, thus ensuring the optimisation of services provided to its customers."
The ISO certification "proves the company's dedication to its customers on a continuous improvement approach that enhances the performance of the company and benefit the relationship with all its partners."
See:
'Infralobo receives 'quality customer care' award despite bullying tactics'
