Increasing demand for energy advice in Brandenburg - price increases and cases of fraud in focus

Tim Meisner

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Veröffentlicht am 31.10.2023

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Questions about energy continue to be popular in the consultations of the Brandenburg Consumer Center (VZB). The demand for advice increased by more than a third last year compared to the previous year, said VZB managing director Christian Rumpke on Friday when presenting the annual report. Energy contracts and questions about energy saving were the most frequently discussed topics. In the first half of 2023, the housing and energy sector also covered around six out of ten consultations. The drastic price increases in the wake of the energy crisis have triggered the increased need for advice, said Consumer Protection Minister Ursula Nonnemacher (Greens). Most of the questions revolved around price and markdown increases, cancellations...

Fragen zum Thema Energie haben bei den Beratungen der Verbraucherzentrale Brandenburg (VZB) weiterhin Konjunktur. Die Nachfrage nach Beratung sei im vergangenen Jahr um mehr als ein Drittel im Vergleich zum Vorjahr gestiegen, sagte VZB-Geschäftsführer Christian Rumpke am Freitag bei der Vorstellung des Jahresberichts. Energieverträge und Fragen zum Energiesparen seien dabei am häufigsten Gegenstand der Beratung gewesen. Auch im ersten Halbjahr 2023 habe der Bereich Wohnen und Energie rund sechs von zehn Beratungen abgedeckt. Die drastischen Preiserhöhungen im Zuge der Energiekrise hätten den gestiegenen Beratungsbedarf ausgelöst, sagte Verbraucherschutzministerin Ursula Nonnemacher (Grüne). Die meisten Fragen drehten sich um Preis- und Abschlagserhöhungen, Kündigungen … — Questions about energy continue to be popular in the consultations of the Brandenburg Consumer Center (VZB). The demand for advice increased by more than a third last year compared to the previous year, said VZB managing director Christian Rumpke on Friday when presenting the annual report. Energy contracts and questions about energy saving were the most frequently discussed topics. In the first half of 2023, the housing and energy sector also covered around six out of ten consultations. The drastic price increases in the wake of the energy crisis have triggered the increased need for advice, said Consumer Protection Minister Ursula Nonnemacher (Greens). Most of the questions revolved around price and markdown increases, cancellations...

The drastic price increases in the wake of the energy crisis have triggered the increased need for advice, said Consumer Protection Minister Ursula Nonnemacher (Greens). Most of the questions revolved around price and markdown increases, cancellations and opaque invoices. The minister said that free energy law advice has been available in Brandenburg since October 2022. The country took a pioneering role with this offer.

Another area of responsibility includes advising people with little knowledge of German, for example to prevent fraud, explained Rumpke. Against the background of contractual fraud cases against refugees, the offer has been increased here, said Rumpke. The aim is, among other things, to take long-term debt relationships into account and to reject dubious offers.

Rumpke was particularly harsh on the savings banks on Friday. These should not be abolished, “but they should be put back on the right track”. Your offer is bad. The savings banks would have to differ qualitatively and quantitatively in their business conduct from commercial banks.

Rumpke also criticized the plans of some savings banks to significantly thin out their branch network. According to its own information from April, the Mittelbrandenburgische Sparkasse (MBS) plans to merge 31 of the 141 branches and eliminate 10 locations. According to information from March, Sparkasse Uckermark wants to close five branches.

With a view to the upcoming winter and energy resources, Rumpke urged caution. Germany is “not yet safe per se”. That depends on the weather and the development of the global economy. Both would be difficult to predict. However, the price caps introduced would at least provide some form of security.

According to its own information, the VZB represents the interests of Brandenburg consumers towards business and politics. Among other things, the consumer advice center warns companies that violate applicable law to the detriment of consumers and informs the public about consumer rights, rip-off scams and savings tips.

According to a report by Süddeutsche.de, questions about energy have increased significantly in the consultations of the Brandenburg Consumer Center. The demand for advice increased by more than a third last year compared to the previous year. The focus was on energy contracts and questions about energy saving. In the first half of 2023, the housing and energy area will also cover six out of ten consultations.

The drastic price increases in the wake of the energy crisis have triggered this increased need for advice. Frequently asked questions relate to price and discount increases, cancellations and unclear invoices. Since October 2022, Brandenburg has been offering free energy law advice and is thus playing a pioneering role.

Another area of responsibility of the Brandenburg Consumer Center is advising people with little knowledge of German in order to prevent fraud. Due to contractual fraud cases against refugees, this offer was increased. The aim is to prevent long-term debt relationships and to reject dubious offers.

The managing director, Christian Rumpke, was critical of the savings banks. He demands that they be brought “back on track” because their offer is poor. The savings banks would have to differ qualitatively and quantitatively from commercial banks in their business practices. Rumpke also criticized the plans of some savings banks to drastically thin out their branch network.

With a view to the upcoming winter and energy resources, Rumpke urged caution. Germany is not yet safe as this depends on the weather and the development of the global economy. However, the price caps introduced offer at least a certain degree of security.

The Brandenburg Consumer Center represents the interests of Brandenburg consumers towards business and politics. Among other things, it works to ensure that companies that violate the law are held accountable and informs the public about consumer rights, rip-off scams and money-saving tips.

It remains to be seen how the increased need for advice and the energy crisis will affect the market and consumers. Rising prices and uncertainty around energy resources could lead to increased demand for advice. Consumers may increasingly be looking for ways to reduce their energy costs and obtain more transparent contracts. There could also be increased regulation of the energy market to protect consumers from excessive prices and opaque offers.

Source: According to a report by www.sueddeutsche.de

Read the source article at www.sueddeutsche.de

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Increasing demand for energy advice in Brandenburg - price increases and cases of fraud in focus

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