Prepaid natural gas meters cannot be forced to change due to a failure in the natural gas meters, says Turkey's Energy Market Regulatory Authority, EMRA, officials on Saturday.
'The complaints from consumers and the press about Baskentgaz allegedly breaking natural gas meters on purpose have been set in motion,' officials from EMRA told The Anadolu Agency
Control Department of EMRA is reviewing the operations which are contrary to the legislation and EMRA also warned the distribution company, according to the officials.
Officials said that the distribution company cannot charge money because of a prepaid natural gas meter failure.
In addition to that, the distribution company needs to get permission from the consumers before changing their prepaid meters to billing meters.
Officials also said that consumers can change their prepaid meters to billing meters, without paying changing fee and connection fee, the only thing that consumers will pay is the security deposit.
Turkey's Consumer Rights Association released a statement on Thursday, cliaming that the natural gas distribution company, Baskentgaz, was forcing its customers to change their natural gas meters and then charge customers money for the change.
By Oguzhan Ozsoy and Huseyin Erdogan
Anadolu Agency
oguzhan.ozsoy@aa.com.tr
huseyin.erdoganqaa.com.tr