Hefty fine for Hollandse Energie Maatschappij for misleading customers

HEM engaged other companies to acquire customers by telephone. Consumers were misled in the telephone conversations, partly because they were not told that the purpose of the conversation was the sale of an energy contract.

Aggressive phone calls

In a number of conversations that the ACM listened to, consumers were approached aggressively. If they rejected the offer for a new contract, they were still urged to accept the offer.

In addition to aggressive sales practices, the company also charged rates well above the price ceiling, the regulator said. Customers who found out about this and wanted to leave HEM then had to pay a high cancellation fee.

Overpaid

“As a result, some customers still unjustly pay hundreds of euros more per month for gas and electricity,” says Manon Leijten, director of the regulator. “The ACM considers the practices so serious that it imposes a fine of 1.1 million euros.”

For example, consumers were put under pressure by telephone:

Consumer: “It’s very clear, but I really have a very strange feeling about it, and I had that too, we had that last time too, but then we did it and then we were stuck with it and then it was completely wrong. And that ge-, that strange…”
Salesperson: “Well, you’re not tied to anything, are you.”
C: “I now have some feeling again.”
Q: “Yes, but ma’am, you are not committed to anything now. The moment we approve, it is purely that you agree that it will be temporary… Via ABN AMRO, that will continue, right. And that..”
C: “Yes, why… Yes…”
Q: “It happens automatically via the HEM energy. The approval is more, yes, because of privacy…”
C: “But why..”