You signed a contract with an energy supplier at home, by phone or online, and the contract now says it was made "at a branch"? According to the Energy Regulatory Office (Energetický regulační úřad, ERÚ), this happens more often than you would expect. For the consumer the consequence is concrete: without this one statement you would have the right to cancel the contract easily; with it, you can lose that right.
What ERÚ is warning about
According to a warning the office issued in July 2026, some contracts claim they were concluded on the supplier’s business premises, even though the signature took place elsewhere, for example at home, on the street or by phone. Markéta Zemanová, a member of the ERÚ Board, says that if the supplier writes a clearly false piece of information about the place of signature into the contract, that should alert the customer. The supplier is probably not pursuing the customer’s interest, but its own.
Why this matters to suppliers
The law distinguishes where and how the contract was made, because that determines the strength of consumer protection. Contracts concluded at a distance (by phone, e-mail, online) or off the supplier’s business premises have a more favourable cancellation regime. A contract signed in person at a branch does not. If the supplier states the wrong place of signature in the contract, the customer appears at first glance not to have these rights, even though they would in fact belong to them. The supplier can thus more easily keep a customer who would otherwise leave for someone else within a few weeks of signing, without bearing any penalty. This applies equally to electricity and gas.
What rights are at stake
When you conclude an electricity or gas contract off the business premises or at a distance, you have two separate ways to get out of it without a penalty.
According to the Civil Code (Section 1829) you may withdraw from such a contract within 14 days of its conclusion, without giving a reason. If the contract was made during an unsolicited visit by a trader at your home or on a trip the trader organised for the purpose of selling, you have 30 days to withdraw (Section 1829a of the Civil Code). If the supplier did not duly inform you of the right of withdrawal, the period is extended by up to one year.
According to the Energy Act (Section 11b(1) of Act No. 458/2000 Coll.), when changing supplier you may also terminate the contract without a penalty until the 15th day after the start of supply, even if it is a fixed-term contract. The notice period is 15 days and starts on the first day of the month following delivery of the notice. This right applies only to a change of supplier, not to a contract concluded with a supplier you already have.
What to do when the supplier claims you signed at a branch
- Gather evidence of where the contract was actually made: e-mail correspondence, an SMS about an arranged meeting, a recording of the phone call or names of witnesses.
- Send the supplier a withdrawal or a notice of termination in writing, by e-mail or by registered letter, and state the actual circumstances of the signature.
- If the supplier does not recognise your right, contact ERÚ, which resolves disputes between customers and energy suppliers out of court, or go to court.
The Energy Act also works in your favour on one detail: it is the supplier who must prove that the contract was concluded at a branch. You do not have to prove the opposite; it is enough to stand by the actual circumstances.
On the ERÚ website you can also download free template forms for withdrawal under the Civil Code and for termination under the Energy Act, which you can adapt to your situation.
Other tricks to watch out for
ERÚ also mentions other practices worth attention before you sign: confusing product names that create the impression of a favourable fixed price, or automatic extension of the contract at a less favourable price if you do not terminate it in time. Before you sign anything, it is worth checking the price, the length of the fixed period and the conditions under which the contract can be ended.
What to do next
You send the withdrawal or the notice of termination yourself; ERÚ has free template forms for that on its website. Legamik does not prepare these documents. What is usually harder is writing a letter for the moment when the supplier does not recognise your withdrawal and insists that the contract was made at a branch. Such a letter should describe the actual circumstances of the signature and recall that it is the supplier who must prove that the contract was concluded at a branch.
Legamik is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. In complex disputes we recommend consulting an attorney.