Hi there,
After more than a year of living in Porto, I make a list of the things I miss from Spain, specifically from when I lived in Valencia.
The orthodontics of Covadonga Balaguer
In Porto I consulted 6 or 7 dentists and found no one capable of making me a retainer; neither for the price nor for the ability as such to take the molds to make the retainer.
As each person had told me a different story, I no longer had any confidence in them. Besides, the dentists’ prices are atrocious.
I had no choice but to go to my orthodontist in Valencia, Covadonga Balaguer, who after the experiences in Porto, I could not love and miss her more.
The ease and convenience of returns
In Valencia any purchase you make online comes with a return label; so, if you want to return something, you simply stick the label on the package and take it to a pickup point where they take a second to scan the label.
In Porto the first thing is that ctt (the national post office) is as archaic as you can imagine.
To make an international shipment instead of taking the package, paying and that’s it, you must do a procedure on the internet, create an account, and almost ask the president for permission to ship outside Portugal.
Something I had not seen even in so-called third world countries.
Besides, there are no pickup points. Returns are taken to ctt and the people who work there have no idea how to scan the barcode and manage the shipment of the package.
The ease of shipping with Wallapop
In Spain, with Wallapop when you make a sale, you simply take the package to the post office, they scan your cell phone code, and they print the label.
In Portugal the app to buy and sell secondhand stuff is OLX and if you want to ship things, the procedure is also quite archaic as the app does not have the shipping option, and you must do it on your own.
Online banks without commissions
In Portugal there are few banks that do not charge commissions when in Spain almost no bank charges them anymore.
In Spain banks are much more productive and efficient.
In Porto they charge you even for transfers and to do anything you have to waste a lot of time and sweat with anxiety.
The price of doing a tax return statement
In Valencia an accountant charges 18 euros to do a tax return statement, in Porto the cheapest we found was almost 70 euros.
Prices including VAT
The VAT in Spain is 21% and in Portugal it is 23%.
Then, in Porto they give you the prices without VAT for almost any service and you must do the calculations to see what it really costs you.
Cheap Internet
In Spain there are several companies like netllar that offer an internet service without packages and without permanence.
The cheapest was 12 euros per month and when we increased the power, we paid 23 euros per month.
In addition, the internet for the cell phone is also cheap. I paid between 2 and 3 euros a month with Simyo.
In Porto, almost all the companies force you to sign a contract for the pack and the 2-year permanence.
Only the internet at home cost us 36 euros per month and the internet for each cell phone cost 10 euros. This was the cheapest we could find.
Corte Inglés has the Hoka brand
This brand of shoes is the one I use lately because of my plantar fasciitis.
In Valencia I used to buy them on sale at the Corte Inglés and I could get each pair for 60 or 70 euros.
In Porto El Corte Inglés does not have Hoka, so we must buy them in Valencia and have Diego’s parents send them to us.
Amazon
I was in shock when I found out that in Portugal there is no Amazon.
You can buy on Amazon Spain, but there are things that are not delivered in Portugal. Also, while in Spain the carrier is Amazon, in Portugal it is ctt which works terribly.
Also, Amazon’s customer service for Portugal is pretty mediocre and they don’t care if they give a good service or not.
Private insurance without co-payments
While in Spain nowadays it is rare to find a private insurance with co-payments, in Portugal there are none that do not have co-payments.
While the co-payment of a private health insurance in Spain can be one or two euros, in Portugal it starts at 15 euros.
On top of that, for the insurance to cover dentistry you already must pay more than 100 euros and no insurance covers cancer.
Therefore, it does not pay off at all to take out private insurance.
That the claims at the consumer office work
In Spain you find the same incompetent people who do not know how to do their job, but if you call the police or if you make a complaint to the consumer office, the company will fix the situation almost immediately.
Even when the consumer office in Spain can’t do much either.
In Portugal, the companies laugh at you, the police, the consumer office, and at your negative reviews.
The only way to get your money back if a company rips you off is to file a complaint in court and go to trial; it’s outrageous.
Streets and roads in good condition
This is one of the things that Diego misses the most because when he goes out cycling, it is traumatic.
Despite all the shortcomings that Spain has, the streets are impeccable, and you can’t find a hole anywhere.
The streets and highways in Portugal are full of holes.
Not being afraid of being swindled
In Porto we live in constant fear of being swindled, especially because we know that we will not have any organization or public body to defend us.
Any purchase of an article or contracting of a service can mean that your money will be stolen.
I never had this fear living in Valencia because, although there are incompetents that may not give you the service you deserve, the situation is resolved quickly when you leave a negative review or a complaint at the consumer office.
Most of the time a negative review is enough.
Also, in Spain it is not in the nature of people to rip you off, in Porto it is.