A record number of electricity customers contacted the Electricity Complaints Board last year with various complaints and demands against the electricity companies.
During 2022, the tribunal received complaints from over 1,200 customers. This is an increase of over 100 per cent in two years.
– Consumers’ legal security is not well enough safeguarded as the arrangement with the Electrical Complaints Board works today, believes director Inger Lise Blyverket in the Consumer Council.
COMPLAINT STORM: The Electricity Complaint Board processes complaints, and the statements made by the board are advisory, but often the power companies follow decisions. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten
The power companies finance
What many people do not know is that it is the electricity companies themselves that finance a complaints scheme that will look at the companies in the cards and safeguard the customers’ legal security.
The Electrical Complaints Board is understaffed, and this is an important reason why the waiting time is unreasonably long. Many electricity customers do not have their complaints processed within a reasonable time, which is within 90 days after the Electricity Complaints Board has received the necessary documentation from both parties.
– Significantly worsened
– The Electrical Appeal Board has not functioned well enough for a long time. The situation has also worsened significantly with the high number of complaints, says the Blyverket in the Consumer Council to TV 2.
She is concerned about electricity customers’ rights.
– The situation in the tribunal is helping to undermine the rights of Norwegian electricity customers, at the same time that many people probably refrain from complaining because of the long processing time.
CONCERNED: Consumer director Inger Lise Blyverket believes that the current complaints system is not good enough and that it instead undermines the rights of Norwegian electricity customers. Photo: Gorm Røseth / TV 2
– What do you think needs to be done in order for consumers’ rights to be safeguarded in a sufficiently sound and good manner?
– The processing time must be reduced, so that those who are entitled also get their right within a reasonable time.
– Satisfaction among Norwegian electricity customers is very low. It also does not help with a complaints board that is not close to dealing with the complaints that come in.
Despite the fact that several “simple” cases are resolved very quickly, the average case processing time in 2021 was a full eight months. Capacity problems in the Electricity Complaint Board mean that many electricity customers have to wait over a year for the complaint to be processed.
– The electricity industry is responsible for the functioning of the Electricity Complaints Board. At the same time, after all, it is the authority’s responsibility to ensure that consumers’ rights are actually safeguarded.
– We have addressed this to the Ministry of Children and Equality and the Electrical Complaints Board this autumn, says consumer director Blyverket to TV 2.
– Undermining the scheme
– I agree with the Consumer Council that the waiting time has now become so long that it undermines the scheme itself, says Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe (Sp).
To TV 2, Toppe says that the waiting time affects consumers’ rights, and that it is important that electricity customers have an effective offer for complaint handling that maintains high quality.
– In the past year, the Electrical Appeals Board has received significantly more appeals. The electricity price crisis has probably contributed to this, believes Toppe.
UNDERMINING THE SYSTEM: Family Minister Kjersti Toppe is critical of the long processing time, but will not promise more money and increased resources so that this can be reduced. Photo: Håkon Mosvold Larsen
Toppe points out that the operation of the tribunal is financed through annual fees from the energy companies.
– The government cannot therefore step in and strengthen operations over the national budget, she says to TV 2.
– Must take greater responsibility
TV 2 has asked Toppe to answer whether she thinks it is responsible and acceptable in terms of legal certainty that it is the power companies that finance a scheme that is obviously not working well enough today.
– It is important that the industry ensures that the Electrical Appeal Board has sufficient funding. This is one of several questions I want to address, Toppe replies.
The minister says she expects Renewable Norway, which administers the tribunal, to take greater responsibility, and will now invite a meeting to discuss the challenges.
– Ultimately, it is the Norwegian authorities who must ensure that this works, says Toppe.
– Of course unacceptable
Fornybar Norge is an interest and employer organization that represents the electricity companies. The interest organization has told TV 2 that Fornybar Norge does not accept that members break the law.
– What does Fornybar Norge think that the scheme, which is financed by the members, is unable to handle complaints within a reasonable time?
FORNYBAR NORGE: It is unacceptable that customers have to wait for over a year before the cases are dealt with in the tribunal, says Ulf Møller in Renewable Norway. Photo: Private
– It is of course unacceptable that customers do not receive a response to their complaints within the deadline of 90 days. Either the resources must be increased, or the case processing made more efficient and automated, says industrial policy advisor Ulf Møller at Fornybar Norge.
– Do you want to increase the funding to ensure that the processing time is reduced?
– The tribunal is financed by an annual fee from energy companies that are associated with the scheme, which are not only our members, as well as a fee for each case/company that is appealed. In any case, the fee must be able to be increased if there is a need for it, says Møller to TV 2.
– Capacity limitations
In 2022, the Electrical Complaints Board registered a sharp increase in complaints, and believes there are several reasons for the long processing time.
– Capacity limitations in the secretariat and the tribunal, as well as the complexity of the cases and the parties’ need to comment on each other’s claims in several rounds, explains Jasmin Abu Sagr, head of the secretariat in the Elklagenmnda to TV 2.
The Norwegian Consumer Protection Authority states that customers who are entitled to be reimbursed money from the electricity companies shall contact the Elklagemenda.
– Do you have the capacity to handle all inquiries within a reasonable time?
– The secretariat has increased staffing to handle the growing number of cases and is continuously working on improvement measures to make case processing more efficient, says Sagr.
