A platform established five months ago by RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, to support and protect consumers by accepting their complaints and forwarding them to respective enterprises being criticized, has largely remained futile, restricted by the authority’s acute understaffing problem, despite a considerable inflow of complaints, some 1,400 in total so far.

The platform, myrae, launched last September, has been a letdown for consumers, facing difficulties amid the energy crisis.

Complaints submitted by troubled and frustrated consumers have raised a number of issues, including overcharging claims, lack of electricity-bill transparency by suppliers, as well as calls for intervention by the authority.

RAE’s workforce numbers about 100 persons, of which just 18 are specialized. A further 30 staff members are employed at the authority’s administrative department, while 50 have been hired on temporary contracts expiring at the end of 2022.

The shortage of staff at RAE is highlighted by a comparison to the workforce at Hellenic Telecommunications & Post Commission (EETT), which employs 226 persons, 110 of these specialized, despite overseeing a mature market.