Many families are facing daunting bills as gas prices return to pre-crisis levels. A situation that is affecting numerous Enel customers on the free market. These are families who, during the winter, received monthly bills that can reach up to 5000 euros. Adiconsum reported this problem, explaining that so far over a thousand consumers have turned to the association’s offices to receive assistance. A problem that is felt more in the northern regions, where gas consumption is higher due to colder temperatures.
Prices quintupled due to the increase in the rate per cubic meter
Mauro Vergari, director of the studies, innovations and sustainability office of Adiconsum, explains that these are contracts which in the previous months, especially during the summer, were unilaterally modified by Enel. Even if the unilateral change is a permitted practice, it is essential that the customer is notified at least 90 days before the new tariff comes into force, so that, if he does not find it convenient, he can look for a new operator.
However, consumers who turned to the association “did not even notice the proposal sent by Enel”, continues Vergari. This is because, for the most part, they received the communication via email, without any other notice. Thus, the message got lost, “buried” by hundreds of other more or less relevant communications or ended up directly in the spam box, falling into oblivion. “To others, Enel explained that it had sent a paper letter via ordinary mail, but mass mail is not traceable and these customers, in fact, did not receive the letter”.
There is another issue of no less importance to consider: the new fixed price tariff proposed (and then applied) by Enel. “The unilateral increases see the tariff per cubic meter go from 0.30/0.50 euros to 2.30, up to 2.60 euros per cubic meter,” says Adiconsum based on the bills seen in recent weeks. To give you an idea, the best fixed price gas rates on the free market are currently between 0.35 and 0.50 euros per cubic meter. This high tariff comes after months in which the government banned unilateral changes to electricity and gas contracts. This ban was lifted in June 2023 (including for contracts expiring before that date).
Consumer demands
Currently, Adiconsum is pressuring Enel to recalculate bills with a cost per cubic meter of no more than 90 cents, more in line with the current market. “So far, the maximum that has been granted to some consumers is installment payments,” explains Vergari, “but it is not enough since these figures, amounting to thousands of euros, are becoming a real social problem.”
However, there is another battle being fought in the medium to long term: the revision of the legislation on unilateral modifications. “Enel is right in maintaining that, when it communicates a contract change via a simple email, it acts legitimately,” states the Adiconsum representative. “But that’s exactly the problem: the rules need to be changed.” Adiconsum proposes to eliminate the automatic silent consent and to follow the example of car insurance, where the company sends the customer a renewal proposal, but if the customer does not pay for the policy, the contract ends upon expiry. The idea is to introduce opt-in, which requires membership through an active choice for all renewals and contractual changes to electricity and gas.
Enel’s response: “Available to pay in installments”
When asked by Repubblica, Enel underlines that “the renewal prices were determined on the basis of the market conditions in force at a time when the cost of gas was particularly high due to the strong tensions on international markets, not attributable to the company”. As for the methods, “Enel Energia confirms that it has correctly executed the contractual renewals of the expiring economic conditions, communicating to the customer in writing and with no less than three months’ notice of the effective date of the new price”. Finally, the company confirms its willingness to “evaluate the best offers by making all its official channels available” and offer a “possible installment payment”.
