The Competition and Market Authority has imposed fines of over 15 million euros against Enel Energia, Eni Plenitude, Acea Energia, Iberdrola Clienti Italia, Dolomiti Energia and Edison Energia.
According to the Antitrust, we read in a note, the six companies have adopted aggressive commercial practices by conditioning consumers to accept increases in electricity and gas prices, in contrast with the regulatory protection deriving from Article 3 of the Decree Aid again.
In a context characterized by serious critical issues in the energy sector with significant increases in costs for end consumers, this rule prohibited unilateral increases in prices for the supply of electricity and gas from 10 August 2022 to 30 June 2023.
Instead , Enel Energia, Eni Plenitude, Acea Energia, Iberdrola Clienti Italia, Dolomiti Energia and Edison Energia sent users letters instructing them to accept price changes in the aforementioned period, resulting in significant increases in bills for their customers.
In particular, the Authority specifies, Enel and Eni - on which fines of 10 million and 5 million were imposed - have unilaterally changed the supply prices to over 4 million consumers on the basis of contractual clauses which allow the companies themselves to decide at its discretion whether and when to change the rates, once the prices of the chosen economic offer have expired.
Thus, customers - even several years after the expiry of the economic offer - were sent letters with which Enel and Eni increased prices in the absence of a deadline known to the final consumer.
(Unioneonline)