Vendors often deceive consumers when offering cheaper energies

(Prague, January 18, 2019) Unfair traders still come up with new ways to persuade people to buy goods and use services under unfavourable conditions. They don’t hesitate to act as representatives of serious as well as made up companies. From May 18 to October 31, 2018, the Czech Trade Inspection Authority carried out the first ever national extraordinary inspection focused on the offer and provision of services in the area of concluding contracts on energies supply. It was the first phase of inspections focused exclusively on this type of sellers who promise mediation of cheaper energy. The CTIA carried out in total 18 inspections and found violations of legal regulations in 15 cases. “Results of the extraordinary inspection proved that the offer and provision of services in the area of energy supply as well as mediation of energy supply belong to the quite new forms of trade with high rate of breaches of consumer rights. After the number of the known sales demonstration events decreased, the matter of unfair commercial practices moved to the market with energies, respectively the market of intermediaries concluding contract on energy supply. Such conduct is usually targeted on potentially vulnerable consumer groups, especially seniors. Due to the mentioned reasons it is necessary to pay attention to the issue in the upcoming period as well,” said Mojmír Bezecný, the Director General of the Czech Trade Inspection Authority.