Dubious energy contract brokers are currently operating in the urban area of ​​Pößneck in Thuringia. They pose as representatives of Stadtwerke Energie Jena-Pößneck and, through clever conversations, try to foist new energy contracts on consumers at their front door. Often without their knowledge, against their will and/or under worse conditions. This scam also occurs in other federal states.

Specific case in Pößneck

The Thuringia Consumer Center warns of dubious intermediaries who were in Pößneck on Monday, August 1st on behalf of an energy provider. The agents rang the doorbell, introduced themselves as employees of Stadtwerke Energie Jena-Pößneck and stated that they wanted to compare the customer's meter number and meter reading. When asked by the consumer advice center, the municipal utilities pointed out that the uninvited visitors were not employees of Stadtwerke Energie Jena-Pößneck and that no company had been commissioned to do so.

The stitch

This lazy ploy by energy contract brokers is not unknown and quickly leads to an unwanted change of contract: The alleged consultants request data such as the meter number and the current energy supplier. Together with the customer's name and address, this was sufficient to initiate a switching process until July 27, 2021. A little later, consumers surprisingly receive a welcome letter from the new energy provider as well as a confirmation of termination from their previous supplier - the change has already been made without those affected noticing.

Important to know

  • Anyone who has concluded a contract over the telephone or at the front door has a 14-day right of cancellation .
  • Since July 27, 2021, energy supply contracts outside of the basic supply must be concluded in text form. This means that both contracting parties must declare that they agree to the contract by letter, fax, email or SMS. The document must contain at least the name of both contracting parties. A handwritten signature is not necessary. No valid contract can be concluded without the text form. Unfortunately, practice shows that even after July 27, 2021, some energy providers will initiate changes without a valid contract.  
  • Those affected should revoke the new contract (as a precautionary measure) as quickly as possible and contact their previous energy provider.

What can I do?

Many municipal utilities also offer self-reading, where electricity customers are asked annually to read their meter reading themselves and report it to their supplier. If unannounced meter readers are at the door, it is even easier for self-meter readers to recognize a possible attempt at fraud.

Those affected can find further tips here: “What to do if an energy contract has been foisted on you?”

Source: Thuringia Consumer Center

Already read? Fact check: Can you eat sugar if you have diabetes?


If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:

📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.

Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!

* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!


Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )