The Spanish Denuncia

There is a magic word in Spanish: la denuncia.  Whether given or received it is a surprisingly effective way of getting someone to pay attention to your issue. All you have to do is trundle down to your Local Police station and place said ‘denuncia.’

It can take minutes, months or years to get feedback or results, depending on the issue in hand, but from personal experience living here for so many years, there’s nothing to lose if you have a case.

Without going into the actual legalities it works for all sorts of things, from complaining about a noisy neighbour, an abusive spouse or being scammed.

The denuncia is handy in other ways too; ie now that we have easy access to limitless information online, checking out any potential issues with a product or service, is possible; preferably before buying or using it. All too often we only look after the fact.

Such was the case when my daughter took a teaching course in a local academy a few years back. Only after finishing the studies and applying for jobs did it became apparent that her certifications weren’t accredited as carefully implied when she signed up. Nor was it a government institution in spite of the similarities in web design, which made it seem far more official.

Fortunately she worked it out, but not through or thanks to the academy, which turned out to have so many ‘denuncias,’ that we should have known better; if we would have done our due diligence.

It’s always wise to do our homework before jumping in with anything, particularly when it’s going to be with both feet.  Things are rarely what they seem and when it looks too good to be true, rest assured there’s something that’s just not evident, as of yet.

Lately cosmetic surgery and its derivatives have become as common as false eyelashes, which can then make us more comfortable when considering doing ‘something.’

Obviously initial online searches will lead us to websites, paid advertising and promoted material from events and press releases; making companies with larger advertising budgets appear more trustworthy than perhaps they are. We forget that even the most attractive offers just might be hiding some dark secrets.

If at least you check for possible existing claims or issues, being forewarned might literally save you face, even your life.

Obviously not all claims are valid and you can ‘denunciar’ or take someone to court and then have the issues rejected. However, when it comes to investing money, your education, career and health etc, having a broader vision may just help get a fuller picture before possibly making a decision with lifetime consequences.

NB – other useful words: juzgado (court), juicio (court-case)

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