Four common disputes that inflate your gas and electricity bills: tips and solutions to manage them

The surge in energy prices continues to shake households and small businesses in 2025. While this trend already puts strong pressure on budgets, it is often exacerbated by frequent disputes that significantly inflate gas and electricity bills. These conflicts, sometimes due to human errors or questionable business practices, complicate the daily management of energy expenses. Whether it involves an incorrect consumption estimate, errors in tariff application, or a hastily signed contract, each dispute can considerably increase costs. This already tense environment fuels the search for practical solutions to avoid unpleasant surprises, better prevent these problems, and control expenses. Through concrete examples and cases from the 2024 report of the national energy mediator, this dossier reveals proven tips to escape these deadlocks, in a context where every euro saved is precious.

French consumers, increasingly numerous in their complaints, discover that the complexity of energy services and the lack of clear information open the door to recurring conflicts. These disagreements affect all market players, from historical giants to alternative suppliers, and call for increased vigilance. But beyond the observation, there is today a range of tools, procedures, and recommendations to reverse the trend and regain control over your energy expenses, whether gas or electricity. The balance between understanding, rapid reaction, and appropriate recourse enables the initiation of a favorable dynamic for savings while ensuring respect for consumer rights.

Overcharged billing: analyzing causes and reacting to reduce your energy bills

In the current energy landscape, abnormally high bills are too frequent. This is a phenomenon that alerts many families and entrepreneurs in 2025, who notice incomprehensible discrepancies between their actual consumption and the amount requested. Billing errors can stem from several sources. One of the most common is an error in the meter index reading. Anaïs, a restaurant owner in the Paris region, perfectly illustrates this issue. Her electricity meter was mistakenly read by a hired third party, causing a quadruple increase in her EDF bill in only two months. This type of mistake often occurs when readings are done remotely or at times incompatible with the occupants’ presence.

Beyond this error, other causes can explain overbilling:

• Excessive estimation by the supplier in the absence of a recent reading, leading to an unfairly inflated bill.
• Incorrect application of tariffs, notably non-compliance with contractual prices or failure to take promotional offers into account.
• Late adjustments over several years, sometimes resulting in a large amount to be paid all at once.

To remedy these abuses, the first reflex must be the scrupulous verification of your meter indexes, using modern tools like Linky or Gazpar, which allow real-time monitoring from a personal online space. Creating a personal consumption history facilitates confrontation with the supplier’s data. The next step is to contact customer service in writing. Suppliers such as Engie, EDF, TotalEnergies, or Vattenfall all have a dedicated claims unit, where precisely explaining your case promotes a quick resolution of the problem.

Summary table of causes, effects, and solutions for an overcharged bill:

Main cause	Typical effect	First recourse	Effective resolution
Index reading error	Abnormally high bill	Customer service contact	Correction upon presentation of evidence
Incorrect tariff applied	Recurring monthly overcharge	Request for explanation/refund	Adjustment after contract review
Excessive estimation	Payment of overestimated advance bills	Submission of personal readings	Adjustment based on actual usage
Adjustment over a long period	Large sum to be paid in one go	Request for payment plan	Negotiation of a payment schedule

If customer service does not resolve the dispute, it is possible to address the national energy mediator or a consumer association such as UFC-Que Choisir. These organizations play a key role in guiding, and sometimes compelling, the supplier to apply fair treatment.

Energy contracts subscribed without your knowledge: how to detect and effectively contest these practices

Another major source of dispute lies in the subscription of energy contracts without explicit consent. In 2025, many households complain of having been engaged with suppliers like Direct Energie, Iberdrola, or Butagaz, without ever having signed or clearly validated this procedure. This phenomenon, linked to sometimes aggressive canvassing or agreements given by phone without transparency, causes much concern. Marc, a retiree from Lyon, is a typical victim: he received a Greenyellow bill even though he never wished to change suppliers. In such cases, it is necessary to act quickly and rigorously.

The most frequently challenged practices include:

• Telephone or door-to-door canvassing without firm agreement or signed consent.
• Changing the energy supplier without the clear consent of the consumer.
• Incorrect or incomplete information transmitted during subscription.
• Cases of identity theft or administrative errors leading to an unwanted change.

Faced with this issue, two key rights allow you to react:

1. The 14-day withdrawal right, which allows cancellation of a contract without fees, even by simple email, provided action is taken promptly.
2. The possibility to refuse any supplier change without clear validation.

An effective procedure to follow:

• Send a written cancellation request within 14 days.
• Immediately contact your current supplier and the network operator (Enedis or GRDF) to report the problem.
• As a last resort, seize the DGCCRF (Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs, and Fraud Control) in case of supplier opposition.

Table presenting common situations and appropriate actions:

Situation	Applicable right	Immediate action	Useful contact
Contract signed without clear consent	14-day withdrawal right	Send cancellation letter or email	DGCCRF or energy mediator
Different supplier without voluntary process	Possibility to refuse change	Contact supplier and dispute	Customer service and network operator

Vigilance is therefore essential at all times, and it is crucial never to sign or engage lightly during phone calls or commercial solicitations. This caution saves unnecessarily inflated bills.

Inaccurate deliveries and index errors: identify and resolve to avoid unjustified increases

Errors concerning deliveries and consumption readings also remain a frequent source of unexpected bill increases. This involves well-known suppliers such as Antargaz, Butagaz, EDF, or Iberdrola, who sometimes attribute abnormal volumes or bill deliveries that do not correspond to reality. Paul, a property owner in Nantes, experienced double billing following an Antargaz delivery incorrectly recorded twice in the same month. Vigilance is therefore essential for rigorous expense management.

The most observed errors are:

• Delivery not matching the volumes actually consumed.
• Meter index readings suspected to be incorrect or manipulated.
• Poor management of consumption peaks that artificially inflate the bill.

Possible recourses:

• Document the situation with written evidence such as dated photos of the meter.
• Gather all communications exchanged with the supplier.
• Contact the supplier in detail and clearly verbalize the contestations.
• If no solution arises within two months, seize the national energy mediator.

This case clearly shows that precise and patiently conducted actions can lead to appropriate adjustments.

Table summarizing typical cases and suitable responses:

Problem	Useful document	Supplier often responsive	Expected effect
Delivery billed twice	Delivery receipts, tickets	Antargaz, Butagaz	Cancellation or quick refund
Abnormal meter index	Dated meter photo	EDF, Iberdrola	Bill corrected upon proof
Unjustified consumption peaks	Consumption history	Vattenfall, Greenyellow	Correction of overbilling

Abusive clauses in energy contracts: detect to better circumvent pitfalls and achieve sustainable savings

Another aspect of the problem lies in the presence of abusive or unbalanced clauses in some energy contracts. The 2024 DGCCRF report confirms that several suppliers, whether historical like EDF or challengers such as Direct Energie, sometimes insert opaque or even unfair conditions into their contracts. Marianne, a tenant in Bordeaux, had a bitter experience: a hidden clause in her energy lease obliged her to pay three additional months after leaving her accommodation, a financial surprise that could have been avoided with more vigilance.

The most frequently criticized clauses are:

• Unilateral tariff increases, without clear and prior information.
• Mandatory addition of paid options, sometimes without transparency on their usefulness or cost.
• Excessive commitment periods or abusive termination penalties.

To fight these practices, here are practical tips:

• Read the entire contract carefully, including annexes, before any signature.
• Request clear explanations on any ambiguous element.
• Systematically compare competing offers to detect abusive clauses.
• Call on mediators or independent advisors in case of doubt.

These steps not only help defuse costly conflicts but also improve the financial management of your energy in the long term.

To illustrate consequences and recommended attitudes, here is an explanatory table:

Detected clause	Financial consequence	Recommended reaction	Mediator’s role
Unjustified price increase	Progressive bill increase	Request justification/refuse increase	Intervenes for regulation
Hidden commitment	Termination penalties	Disputes with DGCCRF	Support if dialogue refused
Mandatory subscription to paid options	Unexpected additional expenses	Written refusal or removal of options	Alerts supplier via mediation

Protecting yourself against these contractual pitfalls is a direct lever toward better cost control and calm management of your consumption.