Consumer association Test Achats has been forced to deny that their lawyers had advised consumers to only pay a €5 deposit on their energy bills, as a way of lowering the burden of the energy crisis on households.
Many families would have been pleasantly surprised to find a way to avoid paying the exorbitant energy bills that Belgian households are facing this winter.
As a result, users shared and commented on a money-saving tip which indicated that Belgians should only pay €5 as a down payment on forthcoming energy bills, "as instructed by attorneys at Test Achats."
The message in question stated that consumers should then 'wait for the reminder' and once again pay €5 and so forth. "No one will be able to do anything as you will have already payed and so, this will create such an administrative mess that providers will be obliged to lower their rates."
However this was subsequently denied by Test Achats who stated on their own Facebook page that this 'tip' was fake and that "none of our lawyers would ever advise this!"
Wishful or harmful thinking
Some people's wishful thinking may have done more harm than good in light of the sanctions this 'tip' can result in. These include, but are not limited to, payment reminders, a visit from a bailiff, legal proceedings for non-payment, and additional costs such as interest for late payment or compensation.
AFP, who published their own article on the subject, contacted several energy authorities to learn more about the impossibility of households only paying a €5 deposit on their energy bills with no consequences.
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Pascal Misselyn, the Director of energy regulator Brugel, was among those contacted, and confirmed that this "would not work at all legally," and that customers who do not pay their bills will face suppliers going to "courts to ask for their electricity and gas to be cut off, which can happen after several months of legal proceedings."
This would mean that consumers would have to pay not just their increasing energy bills, but also legal fees, a stance shared by provider Engie, who told AFP that it is not in the best interests of consumers to amass such debts.
In addition, Stéphane Bocké, a spokesperson for the Belgian Federation of Electricity and Gas Companies, emphasised that consumers "would always get a bill related to their energy consumption," regardless of the deposit paid.
Some actual tips
Test Achats and lawyer Laurent Brichet were both of the view that most providers would accept a reasonable payment plan in instalments, in the view of consumers' budgetary capacities.
Furthermore, the Federal Government launched their own campaign in Spring on how Belgians can lower their energy consumption, thus lessening the burden of their energy bills.
The most crucial step however will be to strengthen safeguards against disinformation in Belgium, with the Flemish Government having recently allocated €3 million to the fight against fake news.
