The association for consumer protection Effectiva has announced that so far Elektroprivreda Srbije has received more than 1.000 complaints from consumers about increased electricity bills, and that as many as 40 percent have been successfully addressed in favor of citizens.
"Due to the increased bills for July, EPS has so far received 1.067 consumer complaints, of which 403 have been resolved positively." Hey!
40% of complaints were resolved successfully, which means that almost every other meter had a bug! Tomorrow we will ask them for new information, so let's see what was the cause of the problem in those 40% solved!", "Effective" announced on its social network.
As they state, the bill could have gone up because the consumption was not read on time, because the balance was entered by heart, or because there was a change in the calculation of higher and lower tariffs, without notification.
"Effectiva" adds that those who complain most often say that they were not in Belgrade during July.
"It is certain that there is a number of consumers who are not the right ones, who perhaps did not take care of their consumption, overdid it, and so on... It is certain that part of the bill increase also goes to the price increase, but if you have the difference double compared to last summer or last month, then it is impossible that it is only an increase in electricity," said Dejan Gavrilović from the Consumer Association "Efektiva" for Una.
EPS says: Air conditioners are working
EPS, however, announced that the bills are higher, especially due to the daily use of air conditioners, during the hottest days.
The Republican Union of Consumers states that the current big problem for consumers is increased bills for consumed electricity.
"We were personally approached by consumers of residential buildings where they received bills of 200 dinars for garage spaces, that is, only for sensor lighting, instead of the increased 300-400 to 8.500 dinars. Therefore, these are bills that have increased many times over," he notes.
By addressing the EPS, he points out, they received an explanation that the measuring point, i.e. the meter, has been out of order since January 2021.
"It should be noted here that according to the Law on Energy, it is the duty of the energy entity to perform regular and extraordinary controls." Therefore, if they admit that the device, the measuring instrument, has been malfunctioning since January 2021 and that it was established only now and revealed in the July accounts, it is clear that they have neglected their legal obligation to carry out regular and extraordinary controls, which represents an economic offense for which a fine ranging from one and a half million to three million dinars is prescribed," said Vesna Perinčić for RTS
Appeal procedure
The Consumers' Association of Ektefila has published instructions on how to act in such a situation.
"First of all, a written complaint should be sent to EPS, in which the consumer will dispute the bill for July (indicate absence due to vacation, etc.). In the same letter, request a report on the electricity readings for the last 6 months (or since the beginning of the year), with the question of what date the reading was made and what were the kwh states on the electricity meter.
Until EPS responds, and the response deadline is 8 days, the consumer can pay the undisputed part of the bill, according to Article 85 of the Law on Consumer Protection. If he does that, the consumer MUST write on the payment slip that he is paying the undisputed part of the bill for July 2023," the association said.
Effectiva notes that the disputed part remains to be resolved within the complaint, which in case of rejection, EPS can only be resolved through the courts, i.e. by starting the collection procedure through the executor.
After numerous reactions from citizens that they received an increased July electricity bill, the Consumers' Association of Effectila published instructions on how to act in such a situation.
"First of all, a written complaint should be sent to EPS, in which the consumer will dispute the bill for July (indicate absence due to vacation, etc.). In the same letter, request a report on the electricity readings for the last 6 months (or since the beginning of the year), with the question of what date the reading was made and what were the kwh states on the electricity meter.
Until EPS responds, and the response deadline is 8 days, the consumer can pay the undisputed part of the bill, according to Article 85 of the Law on Consumer Protection. If he does that, the consumer MUST write on the payment slip that he is paying the undisputed part of the bill for July 2023," the association said.
Effectiva notes that the disputed part remains to be resolved within the complaint, which in case of rejection, EPS can only be resolved through the courts, i.e. by starting the collection procedure through the executor.
The Association adds that it should be taken into account that in order to start this procedure, EPS must advance the executor an amount of some 5.000 dinars, so the question of profitability arises, if the disputed part of the bill is of a smaller amount.
"Consumers who opt for this option should pay each subsequent bill with a payment slip in which, for the purpose of payment, they will write that they are paying the bill for that month." With such a payment method, the disputed debt passes into the zone of obsolete debt, after the expiry of 12 months from its origination. If EPS does not respond to the complaint within 8 days, it should be reported the next day to the Market Inspection, which must fine EPS. If the consumer receives a response and in it an explanation indicating that the EPS did not read the current in accordance with Article 90 of the Law on Consumer Protection (accounting period of a maximum of one month), it should be forwarded to the Market Inspection, which according to Articles 184 and 185 of the ZZP , imposes a measure to eliminate the irregularities from Article 90", writes Effectiva.
They also point out that, if the answer states that EPS is not competent and refers to the company that performed the measurement, the consumer has no obligation to communicate with the company with which he does not have a contractual relationship, and that such an answer would represent an unfair business practice.
"Important: If EPS responds, the response must state whether the complaint is accepted or not! If accepted, the bill must be corrected. If it is refused, EPS is free to proceed further according to the Law, without the possibility of disconnecting the consumer's electricity due to that debt! Also, the Market Inspection must act according to Article 188 of the Civil Code and initiate fines in the amount of 50.000, for each consumer separately. Therefore, these are legal provisions that protect the consumer's right not to pay the questionable part of the bill, until he receives a precise explanation of how that questionable part arose. If he does not receive an explanation, it follows that he has no obligation to pay," they state in Ektefala.
BG/RTS/Danas/Una
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