Refund for customers: Electricity providers reach an agreement out of court

Refund for customers: Electricity providers reach an agreement out of court

The two electricity providers Primastrom and Voxenergie have agreed to refund money to their customers following an out-of-court settlement with the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv). The companies have agreed to reverse price increases for around 1,600 consumers involved in model declaratory actions and to fully refund any balances. The consumer advice center then withdrew its lawsuit against the inadmissible price increases before the Berlin Court of Appeal.

Customers involved in the lawsuits will receive refunds in the near future, according to vzbv. The repayments sometimes amount to four-digit amounts, with one consumer even receiving 5,500 euros back. vzbv board member Ramona Pop emphasized that the settlements represented a positive result for consumers and that a lengthy legal dispute could be avoided.

In October 2022, the vzbv filed two model declaratory actions against Primastrom and Voxenergie due to inadmissible price increases. This happened after a large number of complaints from consumers who stated that the two companies had sharply increased electricity prices and, in some cases, drastically increased gas prices, especially from 2021 onwards.