More than ever, be careful and consult your electricity contract and natural gas before signing it. Indeed, the General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF) sounds the alarm. She screened 27 suppliers and found that 17 of them offered “unfair clauses” to their clientsreports Actu.frJanuary 23, 2025. Enough to make the services of the Ministry of the Economy react. “The spectacular increase in electricity and natural gas supply prices which occurred in 2022 has led certain suppliers to revise their contractual conditions without properly informing consumers”they explain.
The DGCCRF noted breaches of varying seriousness. Thus, eleven warnings were issued due to delays in updating contractual documents. Furthermore, “more serious breaches were noted, mainly among national suppliers and large local companies”notes the fraud prevention policeman. The most serious observed is the failure to remove unfair clauses already reported. If it does not name the actors at fault, the DGCCRF indicates that four injunctions accompanied by a fine of 20,000 euros were sent to the faulty suppliers.
“Unemployed”, he made ends meet by selling firewood and earned 1 million turnover in 5 years
-You have to be very vigilant in territories without competition
According to the Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Repression, individuals and professionals must be all the more vigilant in territories where there is little or no competition in terms of suppliers. Indeed, local distribution companies (LDCs) are much more often at fault than national suppliers.
Result, “certain illegal clauses are likely to weigh on the consumer’s bill”notes the DGCCRF. Among the most common, three were noted at three national suppliers. They “stipulated that in the event of an increase in taxes or charges from suppliers, resulting from a legislative or regulatory change, the additional cost would be invoiced to the customer”. However, in the event of a reduction in these taxes, it is not indicated that the customer’s invoice will be revised downwards.
