ECHONOMICS: the system of protection of rights of utilities services’ users is bound to fail

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has recently approved the uniform procedure of state control over the tariffs. The respective federal service was charged with controlling the fixing and the changing of the tariffs in the areas of gas supply, electricity, utilities complex and the spheres of activity of the natural monopolies. The utilities expenses are the hardest on the residents of the Eastern-most regions of Russia – the By-Amur region, Kamchatka, Magadan Region. The agency “RIA Rating” discovered that the share of such expenses reaches 14%, and it is lowest in Chechnya – less than 1%. The rating has been made with the last year results on the basis of the quarterly reports of the Rosstat and shows the share of the total amount of consumer expenses of the Russian populace spent on utilities. The medium indicator for 2012 is just below 9%. The experts believe that the existing system of protection of rights of utilities services’ users is imperfect and inefficient, much due to corruption and inefficient management.

According to the “Public Control” CRPA, the complaints against the violations of the consumers’ rights in the utilities sphere have reached second place after the violations in the sphere of commerce.

Expert’s commentary

Advocate Tatiana Starikova, Head of the Private clients’ Practice of the Law Firm "YUST"

We currently have a variety of legal acts that govern the rendering of utilities services. And the legislation keeps getting larger and more complicated. This results in that the consumer is not able to independently understand the essence of his rights and the violations towards him. Today the amount of statements of claim in this sphere keeps growing, even though neither Rospotrebnadzor nor the relevant organizations can lend any efficient assistance. Such proceedings are very lengthy and not always give results that are favorable to the consumer.

The recording of expert’s opinion is also available: Echo Moskvy, Echonomics, 10.07.2013 (on air on 08:47).