PRESS RELEASE
A significant reduction in the number of complaints lodged with Ombudsman Service for Energy
The Federal Ombudsman Service for Energy received a total of 13,373 questions and complaints for the year 2024, 13,028 of which related to mediation with an energy company. This represents a 45.7% decrease compared to the 24,616 questions or complaints received in 2023. Of these complaints, 61 % were filed in Dutch, 38.8% in French and 0.2% in German.
"This significant reduction in the number of complaints is directly linked to lower and more stable energy prices following the energy crisis, as well as with a decrease in problems related to IT issues or communication exchanges as provided for in the MIG 6 communication protocol and the Atrias data platform, to be implemented in the energy market by the end of 2021, with a view to optimizing data exchanges between market stakeholders (distribution system operators and energy suppliers)", explained the Dutch-speaking Ombudsman Eric Houtman and the French-speaking Ombudsman Maurice Bohet.
"Nevertheless, the volumes of complaints , as well as energy prices, remain higher than the volumes and prices seen before the energy crisis. Additionally there is still a backlog of 7,100 mediation cases, which the Mediation Service is actively managing to resolve with 14 case managers, 2 legal advisors and 7 operational staff."
"The Energy Ombudsman Service has been active since 2010; in its 15 years of existence, it has received 142,517 complaints, questions or communications. At the time of the 15th anniversary of the Mediation Service, we had processed 95% of mediation requests (i.e. over 135,000 files)."
Mediation requests received in 2024 mainly concerned :
- meter issues (24.2%), mainly complaints about the handling of a move or a deceased person, but also the rectification of metering data during an annual reading or estimate, a change of supplier, the replacement of a faulty meter or the installation of a digital meter;
- billing problems (22.6%) These include late energy bills and lack of clarity regarding the billing process;
- energy prices (19%), Concern about transparency of energy prices (variable, dynamic or fixed), compensation for injection, renewal of energy prices or discounts applied;
- payment issues (11.1%) related to the payment of energy bills, such as payment plans, refunds (or lack thereof), administrative fees and out-of-court collection costs, direct debit payments, guarantee schemes, the (threat of) termination of energy contracts or closure of meter(s) in the event of non-payment;
- commercial practices and (pre)contractual conditions (5.4%), Including sales practices and the transparency of price simulators and comparators in relation to prices quoted and invoiced;
- supplier changes (3.5%), and particularly delays in changing suppliers, but also unwanted and unjustified changes of supplier;
- energy suppliers' customer service (3.1%) due to the difficulty of reaching them by telephone and/or electronically.
An additional 6.4% of complaints related to a number of regional competencies, such as energy sharing, monthly billing and the capacity tariff and a number of other measures concerning green electricity, included the regulation of compensation for injection or the launch of energy contracts with a dynamic tariff.
Disputes concerning (imminent) closures and termination of energy contracts or so-called drops (2.7%), connections to the distribution network (0.9%) and voltage problems and power failures (0.3%) round off the types of complaint falling within the exclusive remit of the regions.
The evolution of the various types of complaint from 2020 to 2024 is shown schematically below:
Finally, in 2024, the Ombudsman Service drew up a memorandum containing policy recommendations for the next Federal Government.
Thus, the Ombudsmen plead, among other things, for :
- the (re)introduction of stricter control of energy prices by the federal regulator, CREG;
- a (permanent) expansion of the number of people eligible for the social tariff ;
- the introduction of a backbilling period for up to 12 months for drawing up and sending invoices;
- a reduction -of the prescription period from 5 to 2 years for energy bills;
- strengthening protection for SMEs;
- the extension and enforceability of the Consumer Agreement (a sectoral consumer protection agreement) to all energy companies;
- stricter regulations on the amicable collection of energy debts;
- improving access to customer services for energy companies, and
- setting up an inter-federal energy platform to which consumers could turn directly for all their electricity and gas-related questions and communications.
Additionally, the Ombudsman Service is asking to be able to handle all disputes concerning products and services linked to the operation of the energy market and the energy transition, which may be supplied by entities other than an energy supplier. For example, the Ombudsman Service would like to have mediation powers over disputes involving heating network operators, energy communities, or suppliers and installers of solar panels, heat pumps and charging stations.
The Ombudsman also advocate allowing telephone complaints. In 2024, the Service actually received no fewer than 5,300 questions or complaints by telephone, for which it was regularly asked to forward the file in written form. This bureaucratic step could be avoided for (vulnerable) consumers.
The full memorandum is available at https://www.ombudsmanenergie.be/nl/publicaties/advice-24017-memorandum-2024
Further details on disputes and recommendations will be provided in the Mediation Service's annual report, which will be submitted to the Federal Minister for Energy and Parliament by May 1, 2025 at the latest.
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Perscontact Eric HOUTMAN Ombudsman voor Energie Eric.houtman@ombudsmanenergie.be
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Press contact Maurice BOHET Médiateur pour l'Energie / Ombudsmann für Energie Maurice.bohet@mediateurenergie.be
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