Many Czechs have a great opportunity to save on energy bills. It is true that this is not a question of savings in the true sense of the word, but rather a defense against unauthorized price increases. Many accept it, with the fact that the supplier is definitely entitled to it, if he does. But as it turns out, small and, surprisingly, even large companies try it out on customers and expect them to accept payment.
Suppliers are trying
Seznam Zprávy’s server drew attention to the case of a woman who received an account from Pražská plynárenská with an overpayment of over 11,000 crowns. It was said to be caused by a many-fold increase in the price of gas. Although the supplier had the right to do so, he did not inform the customer in time. This must be done at least thirty days before the price change, but in this case it didn’t happen twice.
The woman then complained about the bill, but Pražská plynárenská insisted that the bill was correct. This is often the time when most people give up because they no longer know what to argue about. Of course, they don’t know the exact rules and few people want to involve a lawyer in the matter, which could cost a lot of money.
However, the customer in question did not allow himself to be discouraged and went directly to the Energy Regulatory Office, whose competence includes the management of similar complaints. And there it turned out that the woman was really right. Not only did she not have to pay the arrears, but the bill ended up being overpaid. The result essentially represented a saving of nearly twenty thousand crowns. The customer would lose them otherwise.
Check your bill
At the same time, Pražská plynárenská is one of the largest gas suppliers in the country. The question arises whether it has not proceeded similarly in the case of other of its nearly 400,000 customers. You should therefore check your bill properly and, if it includes higher prices, verify that you have been adequately informed of the change. There is a chance that you can save a lot of money.
Over the course of the year, this supplier has already tried to raise prices for some customers without them having to, because they had, for example, fixed rates. However, they received notifications that seemed necessary, but it was more of an attempt to reach an agreement. The company also stopped hiring new customers during the year because it had trouble getting enough gasoline at reasonable prices.
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