Bills, towards the end of electricity protection: but over half of consumers have not understood what will happen
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Many consumers are still confused three months later end of the protection of light, which will take place in July. A survey conducted by the National Consumers Union (UNC) on Instagram has highlighted how, on an information level, there is still a lot to do to make Italians more aware of what is happening.
The survey was carried out as part of the “Rigenerazioni” project, financed by the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy (Mimit) and has a rather large sample: the 17 thousand followers of the UNC Instagram page.
Gaps
An apparently banal question, but which in recent months several readers have also asked Repubblica in their email inbox [email protected]: What market are you in? It is basic information, yet to the UNC question, 12% responded with “I don’t know”.
The other question that revealed gaps is: “From July 1st, what changes for consumers under protection?”. Almost four in ten users (38%) responded that they “will automatically switch to the free market” and 15% who “will remain under protection” when, in reality, this is not the case: vulnerable consumers (mainly over 75s and low-income citizens, recipients of social bonuses) who are in protection, in fact, will be able to remain there. But those who are not vulnerable will exit and, if they have not moved to the free market by that date, will move to Gradual protection service. This is a transitional regime which, as we explainedtoday it is very convenient on an economic level.
Gas bills, the free market hasn’t turned on yet. That’s why customers prefer not to choose
by Federico Formica
This lack of awareness can be a problem. Because an uninformed consumer is much more exposed to aggressive and fraudulent marketing. Let’s give some examples: if a user is convinced that in July we must necessarily switch to the free market, a call center operator can easily convince him to accept an offer, playing the “there are no alternatives” card. In this way, the vulnerable consumer will not automatically be moved to vulnerability protection (but can still return there at any time); while the non-vulnerable is forever risking the possibility of enjoying the good price of gradual protection. In these delicate months, in fact, there is no shortage of cases of sellers who, in order to bring home a signed contract, fill customers with lies: for example that without choosing a free market manager you will be left without electricity.
pros and cons
The survey by the National Consumers Union also took the pulse of consumers, asking them for their opinion on the advantages of the protection purpose. Among the positive aspects, the most recurring answers are “contract with price blocked until expiry” and “greater competition between companies, therefore more competitive prices”. In fact, neither the protection nor the gradual protections provide for a blocked price, which from the simulations turns out to be more expensive than the indexed one, but on the other hand it gives the peace of mind of no longer having to worry about it for a year or two (depending on the contract) and for this reason it’s a type of offer that continues gather some consensus. Fierce competition, however, to date has not translated into very affordable rates.
Among the negative opinions collected by UNC stand out “no advantages, you will suffer from fluctuations in energy costs” and “none, it will be a continuous change of operator”. Responses that confirm the lack of desire – and little habit – of Italians for changing electricity and gas suppliers: a practice to which we are much more accustomed with telephony and car insurance, precisely because they are sectors in which liberalization is occurred for many years.
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