In which case ?

The national energy ombudsman receives and examines complaints from consumers concerning disputes with their electricity and/or natural gas supplier.

The ombudsman's authority

 Disputes concerned

- disputes between individual consumers or small professional consumers (1) and their electricity or natural gas supplier;

- all disputes derived from the performance of the contract for supply of electricity or natural gas.

 Prior written complaint

A prior written complaint to your electricity or natural gas supplier is an essential condition for appealing to the ombudsman. The ombudsman advises you to send the complaint by registered post with acknowledgment of receipt.

Any consumer who has sent a complaint to his energy supplier without receiving a satisfactory answer to his point of view (or if he has received no reply), may appeal to the ombudsman directly or through a representative.

In the consumer's interest, any recourse to mediation suspends the time allowed for applications through the courts. When the ombudsman has made his recommendations the time allowed for legal recourse continues from the point when the appeal was made, as if the mediation had not taken place.

Cases where the ombudsman cannot intervene

 Complaints

The ombudsman has no authority for complaints concerning :
  • the form of the contract, such as sales without prior orders or abusive sales practices :
  For consumer rights see www.energie-info.fr ;
  • contracts for connection to the electricity and natural gas distribution network.

 Consumers

The ombudsman has no authority to intervene for problems of professional consumers who subscribe for electrical power greater than 36 kVA and consume more than 30,000 kWh of natural gas per year.

 Forms of energy

The ombudsman cannot intervene for disputes with suppliers of bottled gas (propane, butane etc) or other forms of energy (fuel etc).