As of: March 18, 2024, 1:02 p.m
By: Amy Walker
Comments
Press
Split
After a model declaratory action, the energy providers primastrom and voxenergie are withdrawing their price increases.
Affected customers sometimes receive four-digit amounts back.
Berlin – There is good news for the customers of the two Berlin energy suppliers primastrom and voxenergie.
According to a statement from the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations on Monday (March 18), an out-of-court settlement was reached in the model declaratory action against the price increases for electricity and gas in 2022.
The consumer advice center reports: “The companies have committed to withdrawing the price increases and refunding any credit balances in full for the approximately 1,600 customers involved in the model declaratory actions.
The amounts are sometimes in the four-digit range.”
Customers get money back from primastrom and voxenergie
The lawsuit, filed in November 2022, targeted unlawful gas and electricity price increases that began in the second half of 2021 and continued in 2022.
At the center of the lawsuit were certain tariffs from the two energy providers, where the prices were increased despite a 24-month contract period with a price guarantee.
The consumer advice center cites cases in which the basic price was more than doubled.
Essentially it concerns the following tariffs:
Great gas bonus
Vox Gas Bonus
Great Bonus Home
Vox Bonus Home
The agreement reached obliges voxenergie and primastrom to fully refund the overpaid amounts to the affected customers.
For example, a customer received 5,500 euros back, as the consumer advice center reports.
In return, the consumer advice center withdrew its lawsuit before the Berlin Court of Appeal.
Initially, only those customers who joined the lawsuit and were registered in the lawsuit register will benefit from the settlement.
However, consumer advocates assure that an agreement will soon be reached for all other customers.
Once negotiations are complete, customers will be informed.
Consumer advice centers are also suing other energy providers
It is not the first time that primastrom and voxenergie have been targeted by consumer advocates.
As early as 2019, a consumer advice center in Lower Saxony filed a lawsuit against voxenergie because the deduction was difficult to reduce.
At that time too, the court agreed with the consumer advocates.
In 2021, primastrom made negative headlines because the company allegedly used “perfidious scams” to win customers, as the Baden-Württemberg consumer advice center reported.
The list of lawsuits, complaints and warnings has only grown longer in the wake of the energy crisis.
My news
A four-year-old has a tumor in his head – parents ask for help reading
Deaf to noise: Three US nerds declare war on Putin with a cheap drone read
“Detailed explanations are due”: Lauterbach Ministry is giving away almost a million euros – by reading the mail
EU obligation to renovate decided: What now applies to German homeowners read
Habeck wants to have gas networks shut down: What that means for consumers read
Two million euros fine – Munich Airport plays a crucial role in arrests
But primastrom and voxenergie are not the only energy suppliers that have been targeted by consumer advice centers.
Customers of the energy supplier ExtraEnergie can currently join a class action lawsuit that is also directed against unacceptable price increases for electricity and gas.
Action is also being taken against excessive price increases for district heating, currently against EON and Hansewerk Natur.