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Gov't orders energy suppliers to redo wrong bills within 15 days
Under an Emergency Ordinance adopted by the government on Wednesday, the suppliers are required to recalculate within 15 days the wrong energy bills where the capping and offsetting mechanisms were not applied, Energy Minister Virgil Popescu announced at a briefing at the end of the government meeting.
"As promised, the government introduced today the suppliers' obligation to redo the wrong bills, that is those where the capping and offsetting mechanisms were not applied. The suppliers shall do the recalculation with no penalties in 15 days' time and invoice payment is also suspended during these 15 days," said the Minister.
He pointed out that in order to prevent "any potential abuse by a party" towards customers, utility shutoffs are prohibited as long as this Emergency Ordinance is in force.
For exemple, Electrica Furnizare reversed over 2.2 million invoices that did not include the compensation and capping from November 1, and will issue an equal number of new recalculated invoices, according to a press release of the National Authority for Consumer Protection (ANPC), sent on Wednesday .
"Until this hour, by way of example, the economic operator Electrica Furnizare, through the report of finding the contravention, has reversed 2,232,224 invoices to which the concepts of compensation / capping from 1.11.2021 were not included, and an equal number of invoices calculated according to the legal norms in force are to be issued in mirror," the representatives of the ANPC say.
The ANPC inspectors found that the capping and compensation of the prices according to OUG no. 118/2021 starting with 01.11.2021 was not applied; the table on electricity consumption, on the company's website, does not include the daily reference consumption, the 10 pct margin included; the information on the compensation of the electricity and natural gas bills, sent to the clients, do not contain the elements of which the amount to which the compensation is applied is composed; failure to return on time the advance paid on transfer to another supplier.
ANPC also found the non-observance of the deadline to respond to the requests of the petitioners for the conclusion of the contracts for the supply of electricity and natural gas, putting the consumers in the situation of not knowing the status of the contract for a period of up to 60 days.
At the same time, the contracts issued do not contain the price of the services in the price of gas, only the total price, so that the consumer cannot verify the method of calculating the compensation granted.