The Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv) has filed class action lawsuits against the suppliers Eon and Hansewerk Natur due to price increases for district heating customers. “Eon and Hansewerk Natur lack the legal requirements for the enormous and non-transparent price increases,” vzbv board member Ramona Pop told the newspapers of the Funke media group, according to the preliminary report on Sunday. People should not be unfairly taken advantage of. “With the two class action lawsuits, the vzbv wants to claim direct refunds for participating consumers.”
According to the report, the federal association has filed the lawsuits with the higher regional courts in Hamm and Schleswig. There was initially no comment from Eon and Hansewerk Natur. According to the report, both utility companies have increased their prices by more than 100 percent in several areas since 2021, with the price almost quadrupling in some cases. “The district heating market in Germany is anything but consumer-friendly,” criticized Pop. There is no competition, no freedom of choice and little price transparency. According to Pop from the Funke media group, consumers have no chance of switching to another provider.