“This greatly increased amount was imposed unilaterally and was in no way adapted to our consumption,” Jurgen Exelmans told our colleagues at Newspaper. If Jurgen doesn’t pay, Octa+ threatens to stop supplying him with energy.
The first time the supplier wanted to increase his down payment, Jurgen refused and the story ended there. This time the increase is even bigger and, according to Jurgen, unjustified. “According to my calculations, based on my consumption with my company, it would be better if I now paid an advance of 1,000 euros per month,” he explains.
Nevertheless, Octa+ refuses for its part to adapt this new installment, due to the uncertainty regarding energy prices. A “scandal” for the Belgian who feels aggrieved. “If SMEs do not pay the increased advances, they risk having to pay an additional 15,000 to 20,000 euros at once”, explains Vincent Declerck, director of sales and marketing at Octa+. “It’s not good for them, and not good for us.”
Eric Houtman, from the Energy Mediation Service, also confirms that, unlike individual customers, companies are not protected by law against a unilateral increase in the deposit.