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Your Opinion is Important: Are energy costs too high?

by cimddwc · 2007-12-31

Translation will follow “next year”

Eigentlich hätte der “Gute Rutsch” mein letzter Beitrag vor dem Neujahrs-Countdown sein sollen, aber der Verbraucherschützer in mir musste nochmal zu Wort kommen, denn vorhin hab ich diese Gaunerei in Form einer vermeintlichen “Energie-Umfrage” im Briefkasten gefunden:

“Strom wird teuer, senken Sie mit uns Ihre Energiekosten!

Ihre Meinung ist wichtig! Sind die Energiepreise zu hoch?
Ja / Nein”

Und die Adresse ist diesmal:

Energie-Umfrage
Infozentrale
Postfach 1329
49380 Lohne

Ich fress ’nen Besen samt Raumpflegefachkraft, wenn das nicht nicht dieselbe Masche mit Adressensammeln und Kaffeefahrten ist wie im Juli (und anderswo zu anderen Zeiten) mit der „EU-Staaten Mineralöl-Umfrage“, wo auch ein paar Erfahrungsberichte in den Kommentaren zu finden sind.

Andere Varianten von “Energieumfragen” wurden übrigens auch hier im Antispam-Forum genannt.

Also: Nicht mitmachen!
(Wenn ihr nicht verzweifelt auf Werbung und Kaffeefahrtteilnahmemöglichkeiten wartet…)

Just don’t show the biggest number!

by cimddwc · 2007-11-08

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…

Bye, e.on…

by cimddwc · 2007-10-24

As indicated here (“Electricity tariff increase”, 15 Oct), my electricity will soon come no longer from the normal local provider E.ON Bayern, but instead (due to the cancellation period, starting 1 Jan; cancellation confirmation arrived today) from Trianel – and then “naturally” the “eco” way.

Costs a tiny bit more than the standard electricity (85% non-regenerative) at current tariff, but noticeable less than at the future tariff (after the announced increase from 1 Jan 2008). And even less than E.ON’s eco electricity.

So my juice will then – don’t let beverage testers hear that! – come to 84% from the water of Lago di Poschiavo (photo from picswiss.ch) and the rest from other water, wind, biomass and a touch of solar energy.

Of course the best electricity is still that which is not consumed needlessly (e.g. standby)…

Your Opinion is Important!

by cimddwc · 2007-07-27

No, I’m not referring to the oh so important polls in this blog, but to a bulk mail I got today, “The big EU states mineral oil survey” – as if they were really interested in the people’s opinion. Addresses with date of birdth and especially “Kaffeefahrten” as trip prize, that is what counts for these dubious crooks, and they are doing that with letterbox companies (this time Gewinnzentrale, Postfach 1129, 49430 Neuenkirchen) for quite some time, unfortunately…

(Update:) The AK Tirol had also warned and has been confirmed.

Unfortunately, also this time there will be enough unsuspecting naïves participating to be financially worthwhile for the organizers…

31 Dec 07: Now they’re trying that with an “energy survey”…

102 Unsolicited Calls

by cimddwc · 2007-07-25

Good that I’ve configured my FRITZ!Box 7170 and my ISDN phone with answering machine such that I don’t get disturbed by calls to my (published) main MSN that do not transmit their caller ID, which in virtually all cases are call centers and others who rather stay anonymous (my relatives with old analog connection are few, and they know a “secret” MSN) – they only hear an appropriate message, and except for some pseudo-raffle robots, only once someone said:

“Not bad, this answering machine.”

Using the FritzBox’s call list, I now created a little set of statistics:

In the previous 6 months (26 weeks), there were 102 such calls, that’s 3.9 per week, although fluctuating quite heavily between 0 and 12. Just one coincidentally hit the “secret” MSN, five (at regular distance on two days, so it was the same call center) on the third MSN where a fax is connected only occasionaly. Only once the “number” 049 was transmitted, once one from Cologne from a robot.

Here’s a breakdown by weekday, time of day, and calendar week:

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