In recent months, the Consumer Disputes Board has been inundated with cases where consumers have signed fixed-term electricity contracts at exorbitant prices. These prices, according to the board, were unreasonable in some instances. The Consumer Disputes Board has issued solutions regarding price mediation for fixed-term electricity contracts, stating that consumers have entered into contracts at unacceptable prices.
The board has established guidelines for what constitutes an unreasonable price in electricity contracts. Specifically, it states that the fixed price of a contract can be considered unreasonable if it is more than 15% higher and more than 150 euros higher than the average price of similar contracts during the contract period. The board has found that many consumers have paid significantly higher prices for their electricity compared to similar contracts offered later during the validity of their contracts.
Despite mediation efforts, consumers who signed expensive contracts continue to pay high prices. The board emphasizes that electricity sellers have a better opportunity to assess future pricing developments due to advance knowledge of potential external factors such as Russia’s war with Ukraine. The consumer ombudsman should be contacted by resolved cases’ consumers for further resolution, which may ultimately result in a Supreme Court decision that could apply to all fixed-price electricity contracts signed in the fall of 2022.