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The possibility for end users to change supplier before paying all the bills is a measure that does not contravene with the competition law, as it facilitates competition between providers, said Bogdan Chiriţoiu, President of the Competition Council, quoted by Agerpres.
ANRE has recently approved an order concerning the procedure of switching one’s power supplier, which provides, inter alia, the possibility of changing the supply company in any day of the calendar, shortening the procedure and eliminate the condition on the payment invoice.
Following the order, the Association of Electricity Suppliers in Romania (AFEER) believes that ANRE “urges customers to default”, allowing them to change their power supplier even if the bill is unpaid.
“AFEER reiterates the proposal that prior to switching, an end customer must pay all the bills, less the one of last month. We support any measure aimed at improving services to honest customers, but we do not understand this urge to allow non-payment”, according to a press release of the Association.
The changes brought by the new ANRE order include eliminating the possibility of suspension the process of changing electricity supplier due to non-payment of electricity bills, as well as a clear statement that the change of supplier is free, being prohibited the levying of any taxes or charges related to specific steps.
AFEER states that the electricity supplier assumes the risk for termination of contract with the emission of every invoice, and the decision could lead to the imposition on the part of power providers of financial guarantees, which increase costs and are difficult to create by some consumers.
AFEER also shows that a supplier who buys electricity from a producer on OPCOM must pay the producer in the first seven days of the following month, while the final consumer has 60 days to pay the invoice issued by the supplier.
