Margaux Fodéré, edited by Alexandre Dalifard 06h26, March 30, 2023

Faced with the energy crisis that prevented companies from paying their bills, the State launched several aids. If 75% of professionals eligible for the electricity shock absorber have requested it, some companies are still waiting for their bills. Others received them, but with errors.

Three months ago, faced with the energy crisis that prevented companies from paying their bills, the state launched several aids. Among them: the electricity shock absorber. He must take care of part of the invoice. And even cap the megawatt hour at 280 euros for craftsmen in 2023. Objective: to avoid bankruptcies. 75% of eligible professionals have applied for it. But Europe 1 reveals that some companies are still waiting for their invoices. Others received them, but with errors.

"I received my invoices without shock absorbers"

This is the case of Mélinda, manager of a bakery in the Hautes-Alpes. She waited a long time to receive her electricity bills for January and February. And when they are received, surprise: no trace of state aid. "As soon as the certificate came out, I sent it. I received an acknowledgment of receipt at the beginning of February. I also had confirmation from two EDF advisors and yet, I received my bills without shock absorbers. They amount to 5,000 euros, "laments the trader. EDF, its supplier, will correct the error next month. "I will have the shock absorber that will appear at the end of April on my invoice with a retroactive regularization since January. I am told that it is because the billing service would be overwhelmed, "says Melinda at the microphone of Europe 1.

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Like EDF, all suppliers had to organize themselves very quickly to process tens of thousands of requests. "I had more than thirty people who worked on all the mechanisms of government for a month and a half," admits Julien Tchernia, CEO of Ekwateur, which supplies 50,000 professional customers with electricity. At the risk of some mistakes sometimes, even if these cases are rare. For its part, the government acknowledges that the launch of the device took a little longer than expected. In any case, thanks to the Europe 1 investigation, Mélinda should receive a call from EDF to regularize her situation.