Just don’t show the biggest number!

More specifically, the largest number with a currency symbol that states a price increase. E.ON Bayern has, as announced, written to its (still) customers to inform about the planned electricity tariff increase with a letter and a brochure, also offering some own tariff variants. The red box at the side of the letter says (my translation):

“What is changed by the electricity price adaption?
For a family with an average annual consumption of 3,500 kilowatt hours, the montly costs rise by about 5.60 Euro.”

In the letter’s continuous text:

“At an average consumption of, for instance, 3,500 kilowatt hours per year in the basic tariff, the price per kilowatt hour rises by 2.14 Cent, and at the same time the basic charge is reduced by 7.80 Euro per year.”

If you want to know how much more you have to pay each year, you have to calculate yourself: 3,500 x 2.14 Cent − 7.80 € = 67.10 €.

In the brochure, then, they give the total year’s costs (712.50 to 766.50 Euro) for all new tariffs (including loyalty price and price guarantee), but not for the old tariffs, either.

Y’know, honi soit qui mal y pense…