The head of the committee on housing and communal services of the Public Council at the Kyiv City State Administration Oleg Popenko faced such a situation.
Ukrainian consumers are being transferred to higher tariffs for gas supply without any notification. Moreover, for this reason, citizens have new debts, which they are not even aware of. Collectors begin to deal with such «non-payers», calling with demands to pay off to the supplier, reports with reference to.
In particular, the head of the committee on housing and communal services of the Public Council under the Kyiv City State Administration Oleg Popenko spoke about this situation. The other day he received a call from a collection company and was «delighted» that he had a «drawn» debt to Naftogaz for more than UAH 200. But he had no relationship with the NAC.
It turned out that, without the knowledge and signing of documents, he was transferred to the «supplier of last resort» (PPN). In other words, they increased the cost of gas by one and a half times (up to UAH 12 per «cubic meter»), replacing one legal entity with another. The client was transferred to the PIP because the previous gas supplier was unable to deliver.
Note that if a consumer has an agreement with one supplier, but it suddenly turns out that he has “disappeared”, then the PIP “takes the situation into his own hands” — so that the client will not be left with anything when he has paid for the service, and there is no one to supply gas. But the problem with this situation is that the old supplier did not inform the customer about the changes.
“Taking into account the transitional moments with the gas market, this was done so that consumers, not having time or forgetting to choose a supplier, would not be left without a service. But PPN is much more expensive. It makes it possible for some time «to live in debt», — tells us the adviser to the deputy head of the Kyiv City State Administration for housing and communal services Alexei Tikhonov.
The second problem is that the collector, who called the consumer about the debt, somehow miraculously got the personal data about the client. At a minimum, an address and phone number. As noted by the ex-minister of housing and communal services Oleksiy Kucherenko, about a million Ukrainian households can get into a similar situation.
As Tikhonov clarifies, this is exactly how “petty robbery” occurs: for the arising debt of UAH 200, in our case, the consumer will be “put” on a double tariff. If he fails to “rewind the situation” by exiting the PPN “retroactively”. But here it is already necessary to talk directly with the PPN itself.
“Previously, if the client was late in payment, he would simply have to turn off the gas. He would then pay again for the connection and pay off all debts. He would have come out for about the same amount, but today he was transplanted to the PNP. Although there is a debt of UAH 200 — the money is small, ”the expert noted.
Without paying off debts, you can't steer
In a comment to UBR.ua, lawyer, senior partner of JSC «Kravets & Partners» Rostislav Kravets expressed doubt that it would be possible to get out of the situation without paying off the debt. According to him, “this is how legislation is arranged in our country,” and tariffs, including those for blue fuel, are not regulated and are not balanced.
“Anyway, if there is a debt, it will be very difficult to prove that the transfer to the POP was illegal. If a person pays off debts, there will be some chance. If they accumulate, the client will not be able to recover the proper rate. Here the fault lies with the state and the wrong organization of the gas supply, ”he stressed.
Kucherenko explains that we are talking about a Kremenchug supplier who stopped gas supplies because he did not sign an agreement with Naftogaz on cheap gas for UAH 7.4 per cubic meter. Accordingly, Naftogaz should supply the resource to residents for two months. But already — for 12 UAH per cubic meter before the conclusion of the agreement.
“In fact, Naftogaz would not have to abuse its monopoly position, but would have to conclude an agreement with all of Ukraine, with all gas suppliers at a single price. But he didn't. Some gas trading companies receive gas from the NJSC at UAH 7.4, while others do not, ”the ex-minister emphasized.
How to «jump» from a POP to a new supplier
The transition to the POP, if the old supplier does not cope, occurs automatically. The gas is not even turned off for a person. But PPN can sell gas to consumers for no more than 60 days. During this time, the subscriber must decide on the supplier and conclude an agreement. The next step is the submission of documents, including the application for the transfer.
This can be done either at the supplier's website or at its customer service center. This requires the following documents:
- passport;
- identification code (TIN);
- documents of ownership or disposal of housing.
This list of documents is not exhaustive. Some suppliers require other «paperwork» from the client.
After considering the application, the company informs the consumer about the connection or refusal. In the event of a transition from a POP to a new supplier, problems, as a rule, do not arise. But, we repeat, the debts to Naftogaz will still have to be paid off. Otherwise, it is worth waiting for the calls of the collectors to whom the NJSC is selling these debts.