BERLIN - Germans angry at surging energy bills are taking to calling up their suppliers in droves to vent their frustrations.
"Some become aggressive out of frustration, others are in tears and need psychological support," Liebing said.to the continent in the wake of sanctions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, German energy suppliers are passing on some of the cost of replacing Russian supplies to consumers. "Many underestimate the extent of the energy crisis and the associated price increases overall," Filip Thon, head of E.ON Energie Germany, told Reuters. The company is now specially selecting and training customer service staff and briefing them daily on latest developments.
"We have no free capacity and need every employee to take the calls, otherwise we would not be able to answer customer calls," a company spokesperson said. "The fact that the energy companies are not the cause of the current situation is mostly recognised, but the utility companies are held jointly liable as the bearers of the bad news," Andreae added.She said many affected customers often vent their anger and concerns about price developments at the employees in utilities' call centres.