The energy price brakes are intended to ease the burden on consumers. However, a special application is not necessary in order to benefit from it. (Archive image) © Marijan Murat/dpa
Dubious profiteers offer a dubious application service for the energy price brakes for door-to-door sales. But that's not necessary at all.
Hamburg – Reports of dubious door-to-door sales in connection with the energy price brakes for electricity and gas are making the rounds. This is pointed out by consumer advocates. According to a report by the consumer advice center in Saxony, people would ring the doorbell and pretend to be energy consultants. "The profiteers are taking advantage of the element of surprise and offering unsuspecting consumers to join them in filling out an application to preserve the energy price brakes," warn the consumer advocates from Saxony.
Dubious front door scam: rip-off with energy price brakes – consumer advocates warn
However, a special application is not necessary at all, because both the electricity price brake and the gas price brake – which were installed due to enormously increased energy costs – reach the people. Even without them making an extra application for it. Those affected would be involved in long conversations, unsettled or harassed, warn the consumer advocates in a press release.
Because the rip-off artists are either well informed, follow certain patterns, are well trained or chance simply wants it, some profiteers succeed again and again in eliciting important data such as name, address, the current provider and the meter number. "With such information, for example, a change to another energy provider can sometimes be successfully initiated," says Julia Tuncel from the energy advice of the consumer advice center Saxony.
How should consumers behave in the event of rip-offs on the phone or at the front door?
The most straightforward way to protect yourself from such additional worries is to consistently end unwanted sales pitches. Under no circumstances should personal data or even the meter number be passed on to the front door or telephones. This is all the more true if the dubious provider has already obtained some information himself.
The consumer advice centre helps affected consumers with years of experience and good contacts in the context of legal advice in the event of termination or change efforts.
The consumer advice center Saxony expressly warns against this scam. There is no need to submit an application for the preservation of the energy price brakes for electricity and gas. Consumers do not have to do anything to benefit from the price brakes, as they are automatically relieved. For several weeks now, energy suppliers have been sending information about the exact relief to their customers. (jon)
