– I haven’t celebrated Christmas. Instead, I screamed and cried. Bente has barely recovered from the shock. The disabled woman thought it was a smart choice to change electricity contracts when prices rose well over a year ago. It wasn’t. In November came the first bill of almost NOK 12,000. Bente thought it was a mistake and contacted Fjordkraft. Just before Christmas, a new bill arrived with a corresponding amount. – Then I went to the basement, that is. It was Oppland Arbeiderblad that mentioned this case first. Expensive power agreement The agreement that Fjordkraft recommended was a variable power agreement. Here the price changes approx. every 30 days, in contrast to spot price agreements where the electricity price changes from hour to hour. When the electricity price fell in October, the electricity subsidy did the same. But those who had entered into such and similar agreements as Bente still had to pay the high, predetermined price. Bente called Fjordkraft again, but she felt that she did not get help. However, she was offered to split the bill. – But I was not allowed to terminate the entire customer relationship, since I still owed them money. DIFFICULT: Bente has an eye disease and struggles to read text. Photo: Elin Fossum / news Because Bente is visually impaired, it was also difficult for her to obtain information about what she should do. – I struggle to read both letters and things online. Then it will also be difficult to complain in writing, as they say I will do, she says. Asking the authorities to ban such agreements – If you have a variable electricity agreement, get rid of it as soon as possible! Thomas Iversen, senior advisor at the Consumer Council, is crystal clear. He says that there are many people who have had the same shock as Bente. And that there are still many customers who have such agreements. HIGH PRICE: – Our experience is that the electricity companies protect themselves against risks in the market by setting a high price for these agreements, says Thomas Iversen, senior advisor at the Consumer Council. Photo: The Consumer Council – It was not long ago that we saw that between 15 and 20 per cent of households had this type of agreement, now there is reason to believe that the proportion is falling. The Consumer Council has asked the electricity sales companies to cut the sale of variable agreements. They believe the authorities should consider a ban if this does not happen. – Guaranteed to pay too much The Consumer Council believes the companies are speculating on people’s desire for security and predictability. Iversen says that some variable agreements have names such as “Solid” and “Safe”, while others operate with agreement names such as “Low price” and “Predictable”. – Variable agreements are predictable in that you pay a fixed rate each month, but you are guaranteed to pay more than you should. He encourages anyone who does not know what kind of agreement they have to check this, and to go to strömpris.no to get an overview of the best agreements. TEMPTING: Bente’s agreement with Fjordkraft is called “Garantistrøm”. Photo: Roar Berntsen / news Fjordkraft believes the agreement was quick Frode Fjellstad, communications advisor at Fjordkraft, tells news that they think it’s a shame that their customer feels cheated. Fjellstad says that the agreement that was offered to Bente was a completely routine agreement at the time, and that this has saved her money for several periods. – If the customer had made contact today, the recommendation would probably have been different, says Fjellstad. He says that today they have stopped all sales of variable contracts. Fjellstad says you are free to terminate your customer relationship with Fjordkraft, but that they cannot then offer a repayment plan, the outstanding amount must then be paid in full. Read the full response from Fjordkraft here: From Fjordkraft: We think it is very unfortunate that the customer feels cheated. According to our information, the customer came to us in connection with the acquisition of Eidsiva in 2021, and then had a spot price agreement. The customer then called us in September 2021 with a desire for a more affordable electricity agreement. In dialogue with customer service, we have settled on our Garantistrøm agreement, which is a variable agreement with a predetermined price for each hour throughout the day. The customer has accepted the agreement via SMS. At the time, the average spot price in the customer’s price range was 135 øre per kWh. When ordering, our guaranteed electricity agreement had a price of 78.90 øre per kWh, with a price cap for the rest of the year of 99.99 øre. Without us knowing the details of the customer dialogue, this appears as a completely curative recommendation at the time. The agreement has saved the customer money for several periods. If the customer had made contact today, the recommendation would probably have been different. We stopped actively selling variable agreements last autumn, but the agreement has been available on direct request from customers. However, we have decided to end the sale of variable contracts in their entirety. Our variable customers are free to change their agreement or terminate their customer relationship almost at any time. In order for us to be able to offer a repayment plan, there has to be an existing customer relationship. If the customer relationship is terminated, outstanding amounts will be due for payment in full. Source: Frode Fjellstad, communications advisor at Fjordkraft Grateful for help Bente now hopes that more people will learn from her. – People have said that I should have realized it, but I know of several people who have done the same as me. I thought it was a good deal, she says. BURNERS: Bente fires a lot with wood to limit electricity consumption. Photo: Elin Fossum / news After Bente appeared in Oppland Arbeiderblad, help has flowed in. A joint has also been created to cover the two bills. – It is very, very nice. At the same time, I’m a little sad. This money should have gone to someone else, who for example does not have food. I wish I could give everything to the Salvation Army, she says. WARNING: Bente hopes that more people will now check what kind of agreement they have with the electricity company. Photo: Roar Berntsen / news
ttn-69
Bente Rasmussen Grefsrud was shocked by the electricity bill and feels cheated by Fjordkraft – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
