We still do not have a clear idea why this increase in bills occurred for some citizens. The explanation we are still receiving is about the different temperatures, higher consumption. Despite people's claims that their consumption has not increased. One of the explanations we received from the regulator is that in 98% of cases we have electric heating. This of course leads to an increase in the bill. Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva commented on this in the program "This Sunday" on bTV.
She noted that over 1,000 complaints have been filed with the Ombudsman alone and they continue. "I received a signal that shows that the explanations are not sufficient. Along with the people who have already complained about receiving high electricity bills in uninhabited homes, the latest signal is about a family that was abroad for 10 days and their electricity bill is higher than the previous month, when they were at home for 30 days. We are just starting an investigation. As far as I know, they did not turn to the ERP, but directly to the Ombudsman", Delcheva pointed out.
"This brings to mind one of the problems - trust in the ERPs. It is very low. And this is one of the reasons for this increased sensitivity of citizens to bills. There may be higher consumption. But when you do not provide accurate and clear information to citizens, when the general conditions are in small print - people are not familiar with them. There are things hidden there that have not been notified further," she said.
There is no question of compensation, because inspections are still underway, the ombudsman explained. According to her, only 0.2% of all those who use electricity have filed complaints. "It is not a large percentage. But we will insist that each complaint be checked with the necessary accuracy," she was categorical. And she called for consideration of installment payment of these bills.
Delcheva noted that only one of the ERPs has an option for installment payment in the general conditions. "They said that people have never asked them for installment payment. This means to me that information about this option should be brought forward. This is a good practice that should be mandatory for all three companies," the ombudsman added.
Velislava Delcheva explained that in "very few" of the complaints, violations were found. "There was an inspection of 50 electricity meters, and minor technical problems were found in only two of them. At the moment, we have no clear idea why these inflated prices occurred," she added.