Energy advisory calls and other frauds taking advantage of tariff changes

Have you received a call from someone claiming to be Holaluz without you asking us to contact you? It was not us. These may be calls from an unauthorised energy advisory service, and we recommend reporting any unknown “energy advisory” calls to help avoid fraudulent practices and electricity fraud.

We have been in this sector for more than 10 years and we have seen just about everything: calls made in our name with all kinds of arguments, which, as we mentioned, have become a real trend in recent months, and all kinds of energy fake news. Years ago, a rumour reached us that another company had bought us. Later, we heard about cases in which certain door-to-door salespeople spread the hoax that electricity bill taxes stay in the autonomous community where the supplier is based, using it to fuel political confrontation. And there have always been people who believe that, secretly, we belong to some large energy group.

Since the start of the Covid-19 crisis, we have detected an increase in these types of rumours and practices, and in some cases our own customers have alerted us, which we really appreciate. With the new electricity tariffs, this kind of trickery increased even more. If you receive a call, whether in our name or not, and something does not seem right, here are the key points to help you avoid unpleasant surprises, energy company scams and unwanted electricity spam calls. 

“We are calling from the energy advisory service”: electricity fraud calls

We can imagine the brainstorming session. The objective must have been to find a name that sounded as abstract as it was “serious” or trustworthy, and this was the best they came up with. One of our colleagues received around 10 calls in one week. Does that sound familiar? These calls usually come from call centres located in different parts of Spain, although, curiously, the caller says they are from the “energy advisory service” in your city, even if you live in Barcelona and your phone has already shown that the call is coming from Alicante.

In general, the operators calling on behalf of these advisory services do not identify themselves with any company. In fact, when you ask which company they are calling from, they hang up. The reason for the call is usually something like: “because of the tariff change, we have detected that your current tariff is outdated and we are calling to update it”. As you can see, it is a mixture of topics worthy of professional scammers, and not exactly full of rigour.

From that point on, they start asking for personal data, something we have always advised against providing over the phone when someone calls you with offers or similar proposals. In this case, as they do not identify themselves, even more reason not to share anything. We do not know who is behind these electricity scam calls, but the objective seems clear: they make calls pretending to be your energy advisor in order to switch supplier without consent, or at least without putting all the cards on the table.

 If you have experienced an electricity scam or something similar, it was not us 

After these very current scams, here is a summary of the most common practices that we do not carry out:

• “I get calls from an energy advisory service during the afternoon rest period”: or at any time you have not requested. We will only call you if you ask us to do so, and at the time you choose.
• “They offer me a huge discount”: we have never believed in these kinds of offers. We prefer to offer fixed tariffs with fixed prices and lower them whenever we can. If you receive an irresistible discount in our name, be suspicious: it is not us. And if another company openly offers it to you, we encourage you to read the small print carefully. Be especially careful with fake electricity offers and fake energy discounts.
• “They ask me for details or confirmation through a link I had never been asked to use before, by phone, email or SMS”: when switching to Holaluz, we send an email with a link to validate the contract. We also give the option of paying an overdue bill by card from the email. Beyond that, if you receive something in our name through any of these contact channels and you are asked to take action or provide data related to your contract, our advice is: if in doubt, write to us at clientes@holaluz.com or call us on 900 64 92 92. This is also important for electricity contract security and customer data protection in electricity services.

At this point, we would also like to add that we will never sell your data to third parties. We have said no to the proposals we have received in this regard because we believe that if you place your trust in us, the least we can do, besides giving it back to you, is not betray it. Protecting your personal data also helps prevent electricity data theft and energy phishing.

To all this we could add the problem of fraudulent sign-ups or supplier changes. As we said at the beginning, one thing is making a mistake, which can happen to anyone, and quite another is using fraudulent or abusive sales techniques. These practices are common in some energy management companies or even in businesses that present themselves as an electricity advisory service, so it is important to stay alert and well informed.

In our case, we have had customers who were switched to another company without their consent during a sales call in which, under the excuse of offering them a personalised deal, they were asked for certain details that were later used to complete the switch. We have also received reports of similar cases in which information, confirmation of a supposed discount in our name or similar requests were made by SMS or email.

In the last two cases, we were able to rely on written evidence to prove the fraud before the CNMC, Spain’s energy regulator, formally the National Markets and Competition Commission. In the case of phone calls, we need the customer to have recorded the conversation.

In any case, if you believe you have been a victim of any fraudulent electricity contracts or electricity supplier fraud, please write to us at legal@holaluz.com and we will do everything we can to help you report electricity fraud.

«Fake news» about Holaluz

Finally, to complete this special article on practices that are more than questionable, here is a top 3 of “fake news” about Holaluz that, at one point or another, has formed part of the rumours circulating in the energy sector.

1. “Holaluz actually belongs to (insert large energy group here)”: as we have said, this belief is not widespread, but we have come across it occasionally over more than 10 years. Holaluz is an independent free-market company founded by Carlota Pi, Oriol Vila and Ferran Nogue, who met while studying an MBA. There are no large or small business groups behind us, and no former politicians either :)
2. “Company X is merging with/buying Holaluz”: very much in line with the previous rumour, this hoax, with two variants, is also a classic. So much so that back in 2014 we paid tribute to it with a hidden-camera prank at an event to which we invited some customers and collaborators. We told them that a large energy group had bought us and wanted to shut us down. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when we revealed the truth. We will make it clear once again: nobody has bought us and we have not merged with anyone. Holaluz is still Holaluz. Nothing more and nothing less!
3. “Holaluz is just a billing company”: although that concept does not exist as such in the energy sector, we understand that those who spread these rumours are trying, in some way, to undermine our work. Here we explain in a video of just over one minute who is who in the sector and why all agents are equally necessary.
   
   

For our part, and beyond that, we could summarise everything we do for the people who trust us with their energy as follows:

• We buy 100% renewable energy directly from independent producers.
• We sell this green energy through the grid, which is owned by the electricity distributor in each area. Everyone can choose which company they prefer to supply their energy, whether it belongs to the distributor’s group or is independent, like Holaluz.
• We turn rooftops into sources of 100% green energy with solar panel installations, and we take care of everything: from carrying out the initial study to installing the system, including buying your energy surplus through the Tarifa Justa Cloud. In short, we offer a turnkey project.
• We take The Rooftop Revolution to the next level by adding a solar battery to your installation so you can get the most out of it. Revolutionise your rooftop even more and take another step towards a new energy model.

In short, we take care of everything related to your energy, with the purpose of connecting everyone to green energy.