Consumer advocates complain against EVN: repayments for 90 customers!
Consumer advocates complain against EVN: repayments for 90 customers!
Vienna, Österreich - The consumer protection association (VSV) filed a lawsuit against the energy supply of Lower Austria (EVN) at the Vienna Commercial Court on May 23, 2025. This lawsuit aims to obtain reimbursements for income caused by an inadmissible price increase in September 2022. According to the judgments of the Higher Regional Court of Vienna, the price adjustment was not lawful because the EVN did not inform the affected customers on time that prices would increase.
With this lawsuit, the VSV would like to achieve repayments for around 90 EVN customers due to illegal price increases for electricity and gas. These changes in the general terms and conditions (AGB) were introduced on September 1, 2022 without the required notification to customers. Even in 2022 and 2023 there were considerable price increases that were made by the EVN without ensuring adequate customer information.The critical role of the VSV
The VSV has brought in a remedy that is based on the new EU directive on association lawsuits that has been in place since November 2020. This guideline aims to protect consumers' collective interests and replaces the previous regulation from 2009. In this context, the VSV has determined that the repayments offered by the EVN are insufficient as part of a comparison with the association for consumer information (VKI).
In particular, it is criticized that the amounts offered are lower in many cases than the actual financial claims of the customers concerned. The VKI and the EVN recently agreed that customers who participate in this comparison have to do without additional demands. However, customers have the right to withdraw from the comparison within 14 days of application.
participation in the remedy
The VSV invites all dissatisfied EVN customers to join the remedial situation in order to request the full repayment amount. This is done without cost risk. The seclusion was submitted by the qualified VSV facility and requires at least 50 consumer claims. An application for access to the lawsuit can simply be made on the VSV website.
The EVN has reported that around 150,000 customers have received a comparison offer and that around 70,000 customers have accepted this offer, which underlines the acceptance of the comparison. According to EVN, the comparison amount is unbureaucratic and takes place without additional costs.
The VSV, supported by the process financier Padronus, remains skeptical and sees the need to act against the illegal profits of the EVN. The price increases are questioned on a broader legal basis after both the district court of Wiener Neustadt and the Higher Regional Court of Vienna have rated the company's practices as illegal.
For further information on the legal foundations of the lawsuit, interested parties will find the text of the relevant EU directive, which is important for the European Economic Area here.
The impending hearing of the trade court will show whether the lawsuit of the VSV is approved and how the EVN will react to the legal challenges.
For current information and the possibility of participating in the lawsuit, visit the [website of the VSV] (https://www.ots.at/presseaus-sung/ots_20250523_ots0016/vsvholzinger-erste-abhilfeklage- against-vn-mit-unrechtswerne).
In summary, it should be noted that developments in this matter are of great interest to many consumers and that the possibilities for enforcing consumer rights are further strengthened in the course of the new EU regulations.| Details | |
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| Ort | Vienna, Österreich |
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