What many perceive as objectionable marketing from the electricity industry has led to a storm of complaints from angry electricity customers who have received sky-high electricity bills.
Last year, the Electricity Complaints Board experienced a record-breaking influx of frustrated electricity customers. The problem is that a large number of complaints are not processed within the expected and reasonable deadline of 90 days.
– Consumers’ legal security is not well enough safeguarded as the arrangement with the Electrical Complaints Board works today, emphasizes director Inger Lise Blyverket in the Consumer Council.
LEGAL SECURITY THREATENED: Director Inger Lise Blyverket in the Consumer Council believes that the complaint scheme does not measure up. Photo: John Trygve Tollefsen
Challenges the consumer minister
– I think this is very serious and that is why I have once again challenged Kjersti Toppe on what measures she wants to take to ensure that electricity customers have a well-functioning, out-of-court complaint offer, says Storting representative Silje Hjemdal (Frp) to TV 2.
BREACH OF THE LAW: FRP politician Silje Hjemdal believes Norway is breaking the EEA agreement. Photo: Ole Enes Ebbesen / TV 2
Hjemdal points out that Norway, through the EEA agreement, is required to ensure that electricity customers receive answers and that disputes with the electricity companies must, as a general rule, be resolved within 90 days.
In several cases, the Electricity Complaints Board spends more than a year on customer complaints against the electricity companies.
According to the Elklagenemnda, the average case processing time is calculated from the time the complaint is registered until it is finished and a decision is made.
“In 2021, the average processing time was 8 months”, the tribunal states in its annual report for 2021.
Responds to TV 2 issues
The FRP politician refers to the TV 2 cases about the failure of the complaints scheme which is supposed to look after electricity customers, and has sent a written question to Consumer Affairs Minister Kjersti Toppe (Sp).
“Which measures will the Minister take to ensure that electricity customers have a well-functioning, non-judicial appeal offer?”.
SHOULD ANSWER: Consumer Affairs Minister Kjersti Toppe has admitted to TV 2 that the complaint system does not work well enough and will later answer questions from Silje Hjemdal (Frp.) Photo: Terje Bendiksby
The Minister of State has not yet answered the question before the Storting, and does not wish to speak to TV 2 about the matter until this has been done.
As TV 2 recently reported, the tribunal received complaints from over 1,200 customers during 2022. This is an increase of over 100 per cent in two years.
– The large price increase in electricity has now lasted over time and we see that people are more aware of their rights and take up the fight against the electricity companies when there are disagreements. This was the reason why I also challenged the Minister for Consumer Affairs a year ago as to whether she wanted to do something to ensure that, for example, Elklagenemda works as intended.
EEA agreement
Through the EEA Agreement, Norway is obliged to have extrajudicial appeal bodies of good quality.
According to the Act on the approval of appeals bodies for consumer cases, the authorities can, according to Hjemdal, revoke the approval of an appeals body that does not operate according to the law’s requirements for case processing times.
As TV 2 has told, it is, among other things, the electricity companies themselves who finance the complaints scheme, which will check the companies’ cards and safeguard the customers’ legal security.
But the Elklagenmenda has been understaffed, and that is an important reason why the waiting time is unreasonably long.
– Must take greater responsibility
To TV 2, Toppe has previously said that it is important that the industry ensures that the Elklagenemnda has sufficient funding.
The minister has stated that she expects Renewable Norway, which administers the tribunal, to take greater responsibility.
TAKING ACTION: Åslaug Haga is the new general manager of Renewable Norway and promises that electricity customers will receive better follow-up when they complain to the Elklagmennda. Photo: Renewable Norway
– We are working to increase the capacity of the Elklagenmenda in order to shorten the processing time. Specifically, we plan to increase staffing in the secretariat by 50 per cent, says Åslaug Haga, general manager of Fornybar Norge.
In addition, today’s outdated and manual case management system will be replaced with digital solutions and consumers will not have to send e-mails, but will be able to lodge their complaint in a portal that will streamline the entire process.
Should be punished more severely
– The industry wants to make the electricity market simpler and safer for customers, so that there will be fewer complaints, says Haga.
Fornybar Norge has therefore tightened the requirements in The safe electricity trade scheme which today covers 80 percent of electricity customers.
– We also want the authorities to react more strictly when electricity suppliers break the regulations. In serious cases, and in case of repeated violations, the companies should lose the right to sell electricity, says Haga.
