Inspector Sven Pichal is also angry. “Those customers are entitled to the rate that was promised to them when they entered into that contract. It is not possible for a supplier to unilaterally decide to adjust the rates while the contract is still running. It concerns a large group of customers, about 13,000 people.”
Eneco admits: “It’s confusing”
“The inspector” contacts Eneco. In the meantime, it appears that about 300 people who contacted Eneco’s customer service in November did receive a guarantee that they will continue to keep in touch. “That’s not fair”, says “The Inspector”. Eneco realizes that there is a lot of confusion. The company reverses the decision to unilaterally adjust the contracts.
During a conversation on the radio, CEO Jean-Jacques Delmée explains more. “We admit that communication has been confusing. Some customers were told their contract would not be changed. Others would. That’s not okay. We’re going to fix this.”
Eneco has now decided not to unilaterally adjust the contracts. “Everything will remain the same. Those 13,000 customers will receive the fixed rate stated in their contract.” The supplier will agree an end date with those customers. “As soon as the contract or the price guarantee expires, we will make a new price proposal.” If you are one of the 13,000 customers, you don’t have to do anything yourself. “We are going to contact those people ourselves.”
Finally, “the inspector” wants to know whether his intervention and that of the editors have been decisive. “It has been one of the elements that we have taken into account. The most important thing is that there is now clarity. Customers can rest assured. It is difficult enough with the high energy prices.”
Satisfied ombudsman
The ombudsman is pleased that Eneco is reversing the decision and will continue to monitor the situation. “We are going to see how Eneco informs customers, whether that information is clear enough and reaches all customers. We cannot allow legal abuses.”
Houtman once again clearly sums up what a supplier must do when the contract expires. “When a contract expires, the supplier has important information obligations. Each customer must be informed at least two months in advance that the contract or the price guarantee is about to expire. The supplier can make a new price proposal, but it must be clearly and clearly explained what it entails It must also be clear to the customer what the difference is with the old rate.”
And that is not all. “The customer must also explicitly agree to that new contract, so that it is clear that it agrees with that proposal. A supplier who simply writes in the letter: ‘As a customer you do not have to do anything else’ is in error. ”
If the supplier does not receive the approval, the law does allow the supplier to supply energy to the cheapest equivalent product in the range. “That opportunity was created deliberately because there are many customers who do not respond to a supplier’s communication,” says Houtman.
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