Consumer advocates warn against energy bills based on estimated consumption. When billing the actual consumption customers could "their blue miracle experience," the Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband (vzbv) explained on Monday and gave the example of a customer of the electricity and gas provider E.on: She received a claim of 13,370 euros. The Federation of Energy Consumers have another E.ON customer with a claim of around 12,000 euros reported.
Energy suppliers may, in certain circumstances, estimate the consumption of a customer and, on that basis, set up the advance payments, as the vzbv explained. If the estimates are too low, however, high levels of backlog could accumulate over a long period of time. And as long as the supplier can prove the actual consumption, he should settle it.
As the experts of the vzbv emphasized, information on how to determine the meter readings in invoices is not mandatory. It is not always clear whether the consumer, the network operator or the provider has read the meter reading or whether it has been estimated. Many consumers are not aware that the energy supplier can demand the cost of the actual consumption even years later.
Eon said Monday, "Customer satisfaction is our top priority." When invoicing, the company relies on the meter readings. "Only in this way can we exactly account for the electricity consumption actually incurred in one year."
The values could inform the customers at any time directly by telephone, in writing or online, emphasized the enterprise. The more frequently the customers themselves become active, the more accurately the individual periods can be calculated and additional payments avoided.
