Some electricity and gas suppliers use a combination to make their customers pay more. The worst part is that it even seems honest!
When it comes to paying an electricity or gas bill to official suppliers, consumers never ask too many questions. They think everything is in good standing and that they pay exactly what they owe in relation to their consumption. However, some suppliers voluntarily underestimate the home needs to make believe at advantageous prices and attract customers. This is what the specialized magazine points 60 million consumers In their investigation devoted “to the discreet trap of monthly payment”.
Indeed, it is the billing method that allows you to spread your electricity or gas bill over the year. “Three -quarters of the customers of the three main suppliers (EDF, Engie and Totalenergies) adopted it”, Can we read in the investigation. Rather than paying what they really consume every month, they pay the same amount every month, for 11 months. This sum is an estimate, calculated from their consumption of the previous year. After 12ᵉ months, their supplier sends them a regularization invoice. If they have consumed less, they receive a refund, but if they have consumed more than expected, they must pay the difference.
The trap then closes on them. As explained by the experts of 60 million consumers :: “The monthly payment can give the impression, wrongly, to consumers that they have total control of their energy expenses. And it sometimes generates unpleasant surprises with savory regularization bills, which in some cases reach several thousand euros.” It is therefore at the time of the opening of the electricity or gas contract that everything is played for consumers.
They must pay attention to the billing method they choose, and above all check the monthly payment offered by the supplier if they opt for this type of contract. This misleading practice does exist: in a report in 2023, the national energy mediator had pinned several suppliers, including Engie. It is therefore better to be careful before signing the contract!
