The Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv) has reached a settlement with primastrom, voxenergie and nowenergy. The issue was excessive prices and unreasonable contract terms. Thanks to the agreement, customers can receive cheaper prices and get out of their contracts sooner.
The essentials in brief:
- The Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv) has reached a settlement with primastrom, voxenergie and nowenergy that promises consumers an earlier contract termination and lower prices for electricity and gas.
- The companies have committed to correcting previous invoices and refunding credits.
- It is important that you refer to the comparison with your provider by December 31, 2024. The comparison check will help you with this.
Agreement with nowenergy, primastrom and voxenergie
The settlement between the vzbv and the energy companies primastrom, voxenergie and nowenergy offers a clear and quick solution for consumers who were affected by unlawful business practices. Many customers had complained about excessive prices, rejected cancellations and unreasonably long contract periods. Thanks to the settlement, the companies are now committed to remedying these grievances and offering the affected consumers fairer conditions.
The settlement agreements include several key points:
- Unauthorized price increases: In the past, the companies have increased the prices of electricity and gas on their own initiative, often despite existing price guarantees. These price increases will be partially reversed as a result of the settlement. The contracts are billed at significantly lower prices: electricity prices are between 32 and 44 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), while gas prices are between 9 and 12 cents per kilowatt hour. These new prices are considerably lower than the previously unilaterally increased tariffs.
- Revocations: Many consumers had problems with their cancellations being rejected as being too late. The settlement stipulates that cancellations will now also be accepted retroactively, provided they were declared within 12 months and 14 days of the contract being concluded. Depending on the cancellation policy, specific prices apply. In the best case scenario, electricity prices will be reduced to 27 cents per kilowatt hour and gas prices to 7 cents per kilowatt hour.
- Terminations: There was also considerable trouble with terminations. Some customers only received termination dates far in the future, in some cases for 2027. The settlement now ensures that the contracts can run for a maximum of 24 months from the conclusion of the contract. For terminations received by December 31, 2024, reduced prices of 35 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity and 11 cents per kilowatt hour for gas also apply.
- Price reduction offers: Some customers received offers that were misleadingly titled “price reduction”, although the prices contained therein were in some cases above the legitimate prices and also far above the market average. Even if consumers accepted this offer, they can still get a price reduction as a result of the comparison. The comparison caps the prices at 40 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity and 12 cents per kilowatt hour for gas.
The prices applicable as a result of the comparison are in some cases more than 80 percent lower than the prices previously charged by primastrom, voxenergie or nowenergy.
How do I benefit from the comparison?
Consumers who want to benefit from the comparison must contact the respective company by December 31, 2024. This can be done easily by email. In this email, consumers must provide the information relevant to their case.
The vzbv offers a comparison check for the creation of the email. In this comparison check, you answer a few simple questions about your contract and find out what you can claim from the respective company based on the comparison and what you have to do to receive the money.
