Canceled contracts and new, more expensive offers – this is how Kelag implemented the electricity price increase last summer. But some customers did not want to accept this approach and went to court. Now there have been the first decisions that prove Kelag right.
“The rulings of the Klagenfurt District Court confirm that we have acted in accordance with the law. But we are still not satisfied,” explains Kelag sales manager Alexander Jordan in an interview with “Krone”. He refers to the current legal situation in Austria. “Energy suppliers and energy customers need legal certainty. “That doesn’t exist right now,” Jordan said. “There were no complaints about any adjustment of the electricity price in Austria.”
The court agrees with Kelag
Eleven civil lawsuits have been filed against Kelag. “We have around 200,000 customers, 99 percent of whom have stayed with us. “Eleven lawsuits are therefore not very many in proportion to each other and were all initiated by one lawyer,” notes the sales manager. “Two of these failed for formal legal reasons, but in the third case the court ruled that our approach was correct and that there was no termination or circumvention.”
New contract, even with a discount
But the current legal situation not only makes price increases more difficult. “To stay on the safe side, a new contract was also necessary for our electricity price reduction on April 1,” explains Alexander Jordan. “And although there was no new commitment and only a twelve-month price guarantee, only just under 60 percent accepted the offer and now have a cheaper rate.” To increase this rate, the Carinthian energy supplier plans further campaigns in June and July.
New regulations are needed
Ultimately, however, the legislature at the federal level must ensure that things can work in a less cumbersome way in the future. E-Control also points out the problem and sees the current approach as the only safe form. “We are not alone in our demand for legal clarity – the Conference of State Governors also wants clear new legal rules,” Jordan makes clear. “But the implementation has not yet taken place.”
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
