Debts: mutirão renegotiates water and electricity bills; understand – 07/21/2023 – Market

Senacon (National Consumer Secretariat) will carry out the joint effort “Renegocia!”, an initiative to help consumers renegotiate and pay overdue debts. The action starts next Monday (24).

Individuals with water and electricity debts, in addition to debts with stores and banks, will be able to negotiate discharge. The campaign runs until August 11.

A Sheetthe Ministry of Justice, the body responsible for Senacon, said that the idea of ​​the mutirão is to help over-indebted Brazilians, that is, “people who have a level of indebtedness that exceeds their ability to pay”.

However, any consumer who has overdue debts can participate in the task force. There are no limits on debt amounts or income, according to the portfolio.

In cases of over-indebtedness, citizens are guaranteed by law the existential minimum, a protected amount that cannot be taken or blocked by banks and creditors. In June, the Lula government issued a decree raising the value of the existential minimum from R$303 to R$600.

Sought, Procon-SP said it will reinforce face-to-face service from next Monday. Consumers residing in the state of SP will be able to join Renegocia! on the agency’s website (at this link).

Procon said it will highlight the task force on its website to speed up the response to demands. In addition to support for those interested in negotiating debts, the agency will provide guidance on how to avoid or get out of debt situations.

In the capital of São Paulo, there will be an in-person service point at the Procon-SP headquarters, located at Rua Barra Funda, 970, close to the Palmeiras-Barra Funda Metro station. The post will operate from Monday to Friday, from 8 am to 1 pm, during the period when Renegocia! is valid. It will be possible to schedule the service through the Procon website.

Who can participate in Mutirão Renegocia!

The Renegotiate! is an action created by Senacon together with consumer protection agencies. Citizens with any type of overdue debt can participate. There are no limits on the amount of debt or consumer income.

The consumer will even be able to renegotiate debts on water or electricity bills, as well as overdue bills with stores or bank debts. The mutirão will last from July 24th to August 11th.

These are some of the differences between Senacon’s action, an agency of the Ministry of Justice, and the first phase of Desenrola Brasil, the Ministry of Finance’s debt renegotiation program launched last Monday (17). According to Minister Flávio Dino (Justice), the programs are complementary.

In the case of Desenrola, launched by the Treasury, the current stage is aimed at bank debts with banks, financial institutions, cooperatives and credit societies that are registered in the program, and the debtor must receive between R$ 2,640 and R$ 20,000 per month and have entered the list of defaulters between 2019 and 2022.

Water, electricity or gas bills and other services can only be renegotiated by Desenrola in September, when Track 1 of the program will begin.

How to sign up for the Renegocia!

According to the Ministry of Justice, citizens interested in participating in Renegocia! may look for the nearest consumer protection bodies from Monday (24). Consumers can go to the Procons of their state, Public Prosecutor’s Office, Public Defender’s Office and consumer protection associations.

Another channel that can be used to renegotiate the debt is the consumer.gov.br website. To log in to the portal, you must have a Gov.br account (learn how to create an account below).

Is there an income or debt limit?

No. Citizens with overdue debts of any amount, and who receive any income, can join Renegocia! Any overdue debt — utility bills such as water, electricity, gas, telephone, bank debts and debts with retail stores — can be negotiated in the joint effort.

Can debts be paid in installments? Will there be fine forgiveness?

There is no guarantee that the consumer will be able to pay the debt in installments, obtain discounts or the forgiveness of fines levied on delays.

“The number of installments, the interest applied and the possibility of total or partial forgiveness of the fines levied on overdue debts will be up to each negotiation made between the consumer and the companies”, according to the Ministry of Justice.

The folder said that the negotiations at Renegocia! will be accompanied and monitored by consumer protection agencies.

How to have a gov.br silver or gold account

According to the federal government, the Gov.br account is a means of user access to public services that are offered digitally. This account guarantees the identification of each citizen who accesses the services.

Citizens who have not yet registered in the system can access gov.br/governodigital or download the Gov.br application to register. The application is the easiest way to create an account, as it allows facial identification directly through the cell phone’s camera.

The app can be downloaded from the Play Store (Android) or the App Store (iOS).

Those who already have an account need to check their current profile to see if it is necessary to upgrade to a silver or gold level. Both registration and change of seal can be done via the computer, but the recommendation is to do it through the app.

Check out the step by step to create your password on Gov.br.

1. Visit the website gov.br/governodigital
2. On the home screen, go to the larger photo, which reads “Learn all about the Gov.br account”
3. Then click on “Create your gov.br account”
4. On the next page, enter the CPF and click “Continue”
5. For those who do not have an account, the system will indicate the option to create one. click on it
6. The gold account is created for those who have a digital CNH or facial biometrics at the TSE (Superior Electoral Court)
7. Those who do not have a digital driver’s license or biometrics in the TSE will have a silver account, which must be created through accredited banks, in the bank’s application
8. Citizens who fail to create a Gov.br silver or gold account will respond to a questionnaire and will receive a bronze seal.

A Sheet published an article in which he teaches the step-by-step process to achieve the silver or gold level in the Gov.br account (click here to read).