How can ERO help you?
We advise
Do you have questions regarding electricity, gas or heat supplies? Do you want advice on what rights and obligations you have in a certain situation? Are you not sure when and how you can terminate the contract?
In these and other similar cases, first contact your supplier. Has he not answered you, is communication with him not possible? Then you can contact us directly. We can also try to mediate communication between the customer and the supplier and try to contribute to an amicable solution (however, we cannot resolve the situation and act on behalf of the customer).
Masarykovo náměstí 91/5
586 01 Jihlava
IČO 70894451
DIČ ERO is not a tax payer
Bank account 19-2421001/0710 (ČNB)
We supervise
Do you think that the supplier or intermediary has deceived you? Has he set you an excessively high advance payments? Has he not provided you with the information he should have? Has he issued you a bill late?
If you suspect that the supplier or intermediary has violated the law, contact us.
We impose fines
Based on the inspection, is there a suspicion that an offense has been committed?
We will then initiate sanction proceedings, at the end of which we may impose a fine on the supplier or intermediary who has harmed you, in accordance with the Consumer Protection Act, the Energy Act, or the Prices Act. In addition, we supervise proper compliance with the Act on Supported Energy Sources. However, we can intervene only in situations permitted by the law.
We resolve disputes – alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
You do not pay anything for the motion to initiate dispute and you do not have to hire a lawyer.
What can you handle on your own?
We will not change the contract
We must respect the rights of all market participants, and therefore we cannot modify, change or rescind obligations from a concluded contract ex officio. Only the contracting parties, i.e. you or the supplier, have the right to change anything in the contract, by mutual agreement or based on court´s decision.
We will not reduce the price of electricity and gas
The contract also includes an agreement on the price. We cannot interfere with it in any way, unless it contradicts the law or other legal regulations. The principle is therefore the same as with any other purchase - if you are not satisfied with a certain supplier or product, you can change it. However, it is necessary to comply with the contract with the current supplier, in case of breach of the contract, the supplier may apply a contractual penalty.
We will not reduce your heat payments
We can only deal with cases where the heat supplier violates the rules of price calculation (so-called material regulation) for the customer. This is the owner of the relevant building, typically a housing cooperative (stavební bytové družstvo) or an homeowners association (SVJ). The allocation of costs to individual housing units is out of our competence, as is the determination of the amount of deposits (however, the Energy Act limits their maximum amount, at the level of reasonably expected consumption). Any dispute regarding the allocation must be decided by an independent court.
We will not recalculate the bill
As part of the advisory service, we will answer questions related to the bill. However, without specifying a specific reservation against something in the bill, we cannot "check the energy supply bill", as customers often request. If you do not agree with the bill, you need to complain to the supplier. In the complaint, state what you specifically disagree with. Suppliers should provide a clear and understandable explanation of how the bill was prepared upon request.
We cannot help you financially
If you find yourself in a situation where energy prices are unbearable for you and ruin your household budget, you can use the state social support system. Ask the Labour Office for help, which can grant you a housing allowance, which helps low-income citizens or families pay housing costs and you can apply for it up to three months in advance. If the allowance does not help either, you can also apply for a housing supplement at the Labour Office.
We do not provide legal analyses
If you need to analyse specific requirements of your contractual relationship with the supplier or need a comprehensive legal analysis, we recommend that you contact a lawyer. Only a court or an alternative dispute resolution body can provide a binding interpretation of the contract.
Consumer submission to ERO
Each consumer submission received by ERO is processed in a manner regulated by law.
In practice, these submissions may include the following:
Formal submission under Section 37 of the Administrative Procedure Code (application, complaint, appeal, acts in administrative proceedings, motions to initiate ADR) – these submissions must contain the requirements stipulated by law, in particular, it must be clear from them what the submission concerns and what is proposed.
You can submit a submission in writing or orally into the protocol or in electronic form. An act that is made electronically, but without a qualified electronic signature, and which is not confirmed or supplemented in a proper manner within the statutory five-day period, is not a submission within the meaning of the law and is not taken into the account. According to the Administrative Procedure Code, the administrative authority is not obliged to invite the submitter of an act without a qualified electronic signature to confirm or supplement this act.
A submission under Section 42 of the Administrative Procedure Code (the submitter points out shortcomings in the conduct of market participants and requests that the facts referred to become the subject of an inspection or other procedure within the competence of the ERO towards the licensee) will be accepted, assessed and verified by ERO. If ERO concludes that the complaint is justified, ERO will proceed in the manner prescribed by law, i.e. it will usually initiate administrative proceedings, proceed to conduct an inspection, etc. If you request this as the submitter of the complaint, ERO will inform you within 30 days of the date on which the complaint was received that it has initiated administrative proceedings or another similar procedure on its basis, or that it has found no grounds for initiating it.
A complaint can also be made informally
A complaint that isn´t covered above and is more of a question, warning, request for assistance or advice is handled by the ERO´s Consumer Protection Department.
These submissions can be made informally; they are not submissions within the meaning of the Administrative Procedure Code.
