Dispute over permanent contract

Excessively high electricity costs force grocer to give up

Grocer Karin Gass and her husband are under pressure: the store is due to close on March 29.

(Bild: Andreas Leisser)

A "sudden" tripling of the electricity bill despite an existing contract: If it's up to grocer Karin Gass and her husband Josef, alleged breach of contract by an energy supplier is to blame for forcing them to close their business in Lower Austria for cost reasons. The electricity supplier naturally sees things differently.

Local residents comfortably grab a coffee, children and workers from a factory pick up snacks from 5.30 a.m.: Karin Gass can't complain about a lack of customers in her grocery store in Wulzeshofen, Mistelbach district. She took over the business 14 years ago after the death of the previous owner in order to save the locals a trip to the nearest town. But on Good Friday, March 29, it will be closing time.

Store closes on Good Friday after 14 years
This is exactly the day on which - according to the energy supplier's specifications - high additional payments will be due. "We can't afford that," say the grocer and her husband Josef. The background to this is a contractual dispute with EVN that dates back to February last year.

"We were promised an extension to our purchase agreement," Gass presents several printouts. After lengthy interventions, EVN "sent us an email of a letter, from which the price increase first emerged for us".

Electricity supplier sees things differently
Stefan Zach took a close look at the case. The EVN spokesman regrets having to disappoint the grocer: "A new electricity price must be stated on every contract extension. It would never have been possible to extend the long-lasting low price (5 cents/kWh, note)."