It shouldn’t be a coincidence that on the very day it became known that Germany’s top consumer advocate, Klaus Müller, was to become head of the Federal Network Agency, his current employer railed against the energy industry.
The Federal Association of Consumer Centers (VZBV), which Müller has headed for seven years, criticized the fact that exploding energy prices are causing more and more consumers to get into trouble.
[Alle wichtigen Updates des Tages finden Sie im kostenlosen Tagesspiegel-Newsletter “Fragen des Tages”. Dazu die wichtigsten Nachrichten, Leseempfehlungen und Debatten. Zur Anmeldung geht es hier.]
That’s correct. Numerous electricity and gas providers are not sticking to their contracts and simply no longer supply their customers with electricity or gas. Those affected, who have therefore slipped into the basic service, often have to pay even higher prices for this emergency solution than the existing customers who have been in the basic service for some time.
Consumer advocates write that more transparency and stronger supervision are needed to combat the two-tier system. You could now send this request to the designated superintendent quickly and informally by internal mail.
It is to be hoped that with the new head of authorities, a new way of thinking will also move into this country. Because not a few were gloating when the bargain hunters got their receipt from the cheap supplier.
Consumer bashing is in
Consumer bashing is in. It doesn’t matter whether it’s about electricity tariffs or groceries. If you buy cheap, you are guilty. You are responsible for the collapse of the electricity market, the degrading living conditions of pigs and chickens and the poisoning of the soil. The long-sluggish demand for e-cars was also blamed on us consumers because we were too limited to recognize the ecological advantages.
If you buy cheap, you are guilty
This nonsense has to end. While consumers influence the market with purchasing decisions, they can no longer be used as scapegoats for market failures. Ensuring decent housing conditions in the barn is primarily a task for politicians. She must sharpen the laws so that no animal suffers and help farmers financially with the conversion.
Politicians and authorities have a duty
If you want people to drive e-cars, you not only have to explain to them where the electricity comes from and what happens to the used batteries, you also have to create a reasonable infrastructure for charging stations. There are global causes for the electricity and gas crisis. But the purchasing policy of energy discounters and the Federal Network Agency have fueled the misery. So Klaus Müller has a lot to do. But he’s not alone in that. Agriculture Minister Özdemir or Economics Minister Habeck – they all have a duty.
