Probe into energy bill rip-off

THE ENERGY mediator is investigating a flood of complaints about the billing practices of EDF and GDF.

Gas supplier GDF is being especially targeted, after a steep rise in complaints to the mediator and consumer bodies about overcharging. Many customers say the firm routinely overcharges and reimburses only at the end of the year, if at all. Other allegations include price rises being applied to usage periods before the rise.

The energy minister has told the mediator to find out why this is happening, by asking for customer experiences and questioning the firms and consumer bodies.

According to the president of consumer body UFC-Que Choisir, Alain Bazot, GDF-Suez’s bills are “unrealistic and always over-estimated”. The firm, which has 10 million energy customers in France, was the subject of 41 per cent of appeals to the mediator last year, compared to electricity giant EDF, which has three times more customers but 35 per cent of appeals.

The association says complaints from energy customers have risen dramatically since the market was opened up in 2007. The sector attracts the second most complaints after telecoms firms, while it was unproblematic before.

GDF denies systematic over-charging, saying that, when it comes to balancing payments, in 75 per cent of cases it is the customer who has to pay them. It adds that in many cases customers with internet access can sign up to send in meter readings online, avoiding the problem of estimates. However this is not available to those who opted for mensualisation (equal monthly direct debit payments with regularisation at the end of the year).

If you have a billing complaint, telephone your supplier’s customer services. If necessary, complain in writing with a lettre recommandée avec avis de réception (recorded delivery).

If there is no resolution in two months, complain to the mediator at www.energie-mediateur.fr, by clicking on Saisir le médiateur.

If you struggle to pay a bill, seek help from the Fonds de solidarité logement via your caisse d’allocations familiales. You cannot be cut off until your application has been decided on.

You can also take part in the mediator’s study at www.energie-mediateur.fr; call Energie-Info, run by the mediator’s office, for information about energy suppliers and your rights on a cheap-rate line: 0810 112 112; or seek advice from a body such as UFC-Que Choisir. See www.conso.net and Associations de consommateurs.

Meters that know too much

ONE solution proposed for billing problems is meters that automatically relay information back to energy firms.

This is being trialled by EDF and is meant to be installed in all homes by 2020.

However national information rights body Cnil has raised concerns that the meters collect so much information that it may be an invasion of privacy (eg. energy firms will know when you get up, take a shower etc).

UFC-Que Choisir has criticised the cost of the meters, to be factored into bills over several years.