Nine other neighbors have gathered at Ingo Straatmann's apartment in Nienkamp, where he has lived with his wife Evelyn (73) since May 2021. “But today we are only a fraction of those affected,” he underlines.
In mid-December, all 98 households received their annual bill for 2022 from their energy supplier Getec. “We had to sit down first,” says the 74-year-old. They had to pay 2,900 euros for the 93 square meter apartment.
Additional payments: “In total we are talking about 151,000 euros”
Together with neighbors, they began a survey in which 40 of 98 households responded. “Additional payments range between 1,800 and 7,000 euros, in an extreme case they are even 12,000 euros for an apartment of 130 square meters. In total, it is 151,000 euros, and that is not all,” says Günther Helms (62 years old) shaking his head.
He has lived here since 2018. Somehow there was always a worm in late payments, he says. But it's never been this bad.
Hakan (41): “Now they even wanted 3,000 euros for 2022”
Hakan Algan, 41, couldn't believe it either when he opened Getec's letter. “For 2021 they already wanted 1,500 euros for our three-bedroom apartment,” he recalls. “I already filed an objection and haven't heard anything since. Now they even wanted 3,000 euros for 2022.”
His deductions have also increased considerably: he now pays 350 euros per month. “It's like a savings account, except I don't get anything in return,” he says and laughs bitterly. The others tell similar stories. Getec itself is blocking the phone.
Pensioner Christine must pay 2,849 euros by 2022
The high demands for additional payments are currently a headache for Christine Müller. The 56-year-old is a tenant of an apartment on Edward-Munch-Straße in Mümmelmannsberg and also a Getec customer. The company generates district heating from natural gas in the district and has a monopoly position in the Müller address.
By 2022, the pensioner will have to pay an additional 2,849 euros; Her monthly deduction will increase from about 80 to 452 euros. The energy consumption of her 68-square-meter apartment was reduced by approximately 20 percent compared to the previous year.
“So I pay more for heating than for rent, which is 420 euros,” he says. After 33 years of work in the geriatric sector, Christine Müller receives a disability pension. She can neither afford the additional payment nor the new deductions: the tenant becomes a welfare case.
“We always try to explain price developments transparently”
Getec spokesman Stefan Hofmeister contradicts the Pinneberg tenants' claim that the company is blocking them. “We have always tried to explain price developments transparently,” he says. He explains the heating bill to the very high energy costs in 2022. “The increase in gas prices on the Stock Market has taken the European gas index to a record level”, which multiplied by 3.4 between 2021 and 2022, compared to the year 2020. It even increased 14 times.
According to Getec, heating costs have also skyrocketed in Mümmelmannsberg, increasing by 84 percent across the property. On average, this represents an additional cost of 1,700 euros per customer, with Christine Müller's consumption being slightly higher than average. Apparently there was an error in their billing, which included an old claim for 822 euros that had already been paid. If this item is deducted, there is a remaining claim of 2,027 euros: little consolation. After all: the amount of the deduction for 2024 is currently being examined and should be reduced “by approximately half from March”.
“Those affected before deciding whether to take legal action against price increases”
But Hofmeister emphasizes that Getec's prices are in line with the market and do not differ significantly from those of other suppliers. Ulf Ludwig from the Schleswig-Holstein consumer advice center contradicts this. According to his assessment, the prices at Nienkamp are certainly above average and the company cannot justify the price increase.
He advises all those affected by Nienkamp to initially oppose price increases and pay only in reserve. “Ultimately, affected consumers are faced with the decision of whether they want to take legal action against price gouging,” he adds. The consumer advice center itself now wants to find a solution in a conversation with Getec. If that doesn't work, you could go to court.
By Annalena Barnickel and Daniel Dörffler