Of unfair terms in your gas and electricity contracts – South West

Of unfair terms in your gas and electricity contracts – South West

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No new report sounds the alarm about the presence of unfair terms in contracts between energy suppliers and their customers, practices that regularly denounce consumer associations but difficult to eradicate.
No less than 31 unfair terms in contracts for electricity and gas supplies (excluding LPG) were denounced by the Unfair Terms Commission (CAA), in a document published on its website.

A significant imbalance between the rights and obligations of the parties to the contract

By issuing a “recommendation” to suppliers, that instance under the supervision of the Secretary of State for Consumer Affairs, seeks to change or disappear as they cause a “significant imbalance between the rights and obligations of the parties to the contract” to the detriment of the consumer.
Of the practices complained last year, CAA notes imputed bills whenever the computer malfunctions, the fact to “impose direct debit as the sole method of payment” or to suggest to the consumer that it could terminate the contract at any time.

The Commission also considers unacceptable that the consumer receives the invoice electronically only, or that he is charged to undefined charges event of default.
She wants to eliminate contract clauses which tend to impose on the consumer to ensure that the subscribed rate corresponds to its needs.
It also criticizes the supplier power, if problem is too easily excuse from liability by invoking a case of force majeure, whose definition is “wider than that of the common law.”

Meanwhile, incumbents argue that they already have already changed some clauses.
“We have evolved our terms of sales in 2013 and have been applied on 1 February 2014 integrate best practices “, responded a spokesman for EDF.
At GDF Suez, a spokeswoman said that” there were three issues that concerned us “and” there are a number of things that were corrected. “

In February 2013, consumer association UFC-Que Choisir had assigned justice in EDF and GDF Suez and their smaller competitors Direct Energie and Eni for many “unfair terms” in electricity and gas contracts for individuals.