Thousands of people in Belgium have been waiting several months, and some even for more than two years, for their final energy contract bill due to technical problems with an IT platform designed to facilitate the exchange of energy data between grid operators and suppliers.
The problems should have been solved by summer 2023, but they are far from over. This is "unacceptable," said consumer protection organisation Test-Achats, which is asking for compensation for everyone who has had to wait far too long for clarity on their energy bills.
"That consumers have to wait so long for an energy bill is unacceptable," said Laura Clays, spokesperson for Test-Achats. "It makes them rightly worried about the amount they will have to cough up."
Ever since the Atrias platform was launched in November 2021, the system has been beset by technical problems: some data, such as meter readings, do not get through to the supplier because they are stuck in the software system.
October 2024
As long as the access point remains blocked, clients will not receive any bills from their energy supplier. As a result, some have been waiting for a bill for more than two years, and there is no sign of any improvement yet.
In Flanders, some 3,500 meters are said to have been blocked for more than six months, and a total of more than 18,000 meters would be affected along the Flemish side. On the French-speaking side, another 15,800 meters are blocked.
A solution for all these people does not yet seem to be in the immediate pipeline: only by October 2024 should everyone be unblocked. Although that deadline has also already been pushed back, previously in Flanders they indicated to have solved most of it by summer 2023.
Therefore, Test-Achats previously asked for some form of compensation for those in such a situation, and have now raised the question again with Secretary of State for Consumer Protection Bertrand. "On the French-speaking side, the energy regulator already suggested a sum of €100 per month of late billing."
