Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)

I welome the Minister's announcement that the energy regulator is putting in place new procedures for a marketing code of practice etc. This is not before time. There are four companies operating in the gas and electricity sector - ESB Electric Ireland, Bord Gáis, Airtricity and Flogas. These suppliers do not make it very clear that their headline offers are for new customers only, and that after the initial contract period elapses one reverses automatically to the standard prices. There appears to be no requirement on the supplier to notify the customer when the initial offer elapses. Thus, the supplier benefits from the inertia of people who do not have the time to clinically analyse each monthly bill to see what is happening with the rates they are being charged. They might think their initial teaser rates are still operating when they have actually expired.

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