Abusive demarchages, payment defects … Three energy suppliers cardboard by the energy mediator – Liberation

Years after year, Wekiwi collects red boxes. The supplier of gas And electricity received a third warning from the energy mediator for bad commercial practices. In this file, the company was joined by Primagaz and JPME. What officially alerted the public authorities, according to the mediator.

In its 2024 annual report published this Monday, May 19, Olivier Challan Belval thus put the Wekiwi supplier to the index. The company arrived on the market in 2020 had already received a red card in 2022 and 2023. “Are in question its bad commercial practices and in particular cases of abusive demarchage and unsolicited subscriptions ”, Details the annual report, which specifies that for Wekiwi, the mediator’s referral rate has been 25 times higher than the average rate all suppliers combined.

The Primagaz liquefied oil supplier is also pointed out « Due to his inability to settle since the end of 2023 the problems related to his change in information system, his almost non -existent customer service », notably. With a number of referrals multiplied by five between 2023 and 2024.

At the end of December, Primagaz was pinned by the magazine 60 million consumers. The cause: a failed computer switch made in the fall of 2023 which led « Considerable delivery delays » or lost the orders placed. “Customers found themselves without invoice, but especially without heating in the heart of winter. In summer, the delivery difficulties have been resolved, but not the problems of bills, and the sums due are sometimes enormous. Primagaz promised to accept payments in several times at no cost on customer spaces … which remained difficult to access ”points the magazine’s jury.

Finally, the third red card is allocated to the JPME electricity supplier. The mediator criticizes the society of « Systematic payment defects of its customers producing photovoltaic electricity ». To the point of being the subject, in September 2024, of an official alert to the public authorities and a request for « Withdrawal of its purchase authorization for resale of electricity ».

Enedis On the other hand, after his red card of 2023, escapes it in 2024. However, the mediator « Regrets that mediations with Enedis, who had received a box in 2023, remain very difficult, to the detriment of electricity consumers. »

The referrals of the National Energy Mediator fell 17 % in 2024 compared to 2023, with 11,678 referrals in mediation. In 2023, the referrals had jumped due to The increase in energy prices linked to War in Ukraine.

In 2024, suppliers and distribution network managers were forced to pay more than 15 million euros to their customers following the intervention of the National Energy Mediator, which represents 90 % of the amounts he had recommended. On the occasion of the publication of the last report, Olivier Challan Belval specifies that he hopes « Seeing legislative advances reinforcing the protection of energy consumers, such as the ban on telephone canvassing without consent, being examined in parliament ».