Average repayment of 275 euros – VKI supports the processing
Wien Energie GmbH & Co KG automatically converted customers’ contracts last year. The terms and conditions were adjusted so that price increases were passed on to consumers. On behalf of the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Association for Consumer Information (VKI) filed a representative action against this approach. In December, the VKI was able to reach a successful agreement for the benefit of hundreds of thousands of customers.
All electricity and gas customers who had a valid contract with the “Optima” tariff on August 31, 2022 will now receive a refund – regardless of whether they were automatically switched, objected or actively agreed. The amount of repayment depends on the actual, individual consumption and whether a change was actively agreed to or occurred automatically. An average household that consumes 2,000 kilowatt hours of electricity receives a refund of 75 euros and that consumes 8,000 kilowatt hours of gas receives a refund of 200 euros.
In total, several hundred thousand of the company’s electricity and gas customers are affected by the repayment. In the next few days you will receive information from Wien Energie GmbH & Co KG on how to process the repayments.
“Once again we have succeeded in enforcing the rights of customers against the dominance of corporations. The VKI’s collection campaign offers those affected quick and unbureaucratic help with which they can receive their repayment.” – Federal Minister Johannes Rauch
Collection campaign until the end of June 2024
The customer number and contract account number are required to process the repayment. Both numbers can be seen on the annual statement.
Via the website maintained by VKI www.verbraucherrecht.at Customers are redirected to the processing tool. People who are unable to process online can apply for repayment at the Wien Energie GmbH & Co KG service centers.
Payment will be made within four weeks at the latest. Registration is possible until June 30, 2024. People who are currently no longer customers of Wien Energie GmbH & Co KG can also take part.
Further proceedings against other energy providers
Proceedings commissioned by the Consumer Protection Ministry are currently underway against other energy providers. Last week, EVN AG was also convicted of inadmissible price adjustments in a first instance judgment. The energy provider has already announced that it will appeal.
More information
All information about applying for repayment and answers to frequently asked questions can be found on the Website des VKI.