The utilities company, Endesa, has been fined by the Junta 400,000 euros for having abusive clauses in their meter contracts and charges for non-existent services.

According to the Junta this has affected 350,000 users, who should now receive back the money overcharged. The amount overcharged for 2014 amounts to 1.39m euros, which, according to a regional-government spokesman, works out at about 3.96 euros per user.

This sanction goes back to November 2014 when the Government received a complaint that numerous telematic-system-meter users were being charged 0.81 euros per month even though the system was not activated.

The reason that the fine is so steep was that Endesa had already been fined within the last two years for abusive clauses in their service contracts.

The Government also considers that Endesa was able to overcharge in this fashion by taking advantage of their preeminent position in the Spanish energy market – they control 94% of the consumer market.

(News: Sevilla, Andalucia)