Column by Stefan Meyerhans: Here I stand up for you

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Effective competition is the best price monitor. And this, fortunately, is also the norm for us. I am needed only when competition is absent or limited. But even when the public sector sets fees, I am regularly asked.

Much of my work is almost invisible, because I do it before you notice it, or because I influence complex systems that then operate more profitably through greater efficiency. This sounds abstract, so here are some examples.

An all-time favorite for me is healthcare. Inspired and influenced by my recommendations, huge triple-digit millions of dollars in savings have been made here over the past five years, with this amount being repeated every year. This was largely due to improvements in the system, but there was also a direct reduction in prices, for example, tariffs for laboratory work – about 140 million francs. I am far from satisfied because there are many more unnecessary costs and obstacles in the system. The motto here is “Nöd lugg laa gwünnt”.

Electricity prices are a major concern. And here I do what I can: I recommended that the Federal Council adjust the basis for calculating network use. According to my calculations, this is millions more. I also recommend that all cities and municipalities waive concession fees for transmission lines on public land – the lines are already installed and do not incur any costs. Whether and what will happen – the last word has not yet been said here.

In public transport, I now also focus on prevention: thanks to the extension of the method, future requests for price increases are now largely limited by mathematical upper limits. I did not accept the current price increase request in its original form. I gave the go-ahead only after a significant discount (12 million francs) on a second class ticket for adults and 25 years old. There will also be new supersaver tickets with discounts worth 37 million francs. Overall, my measures have saved all travelers about a quarter of a billion francs over the past three years.

To better protect motorists from increasingly expensive annual parking cards, I have developed a model by which the maximum annual fee amount can be calculated based on cost. It is already clear that there are numerous reactions from communities.

I also continue to curb the Postal Service’s appetite for price increases. The result of the negotiations this year was 70 million francs less than desired. If you look at the last three years, the savings effect of my intervention is about 150 million francs.

To counteract any desire for greedy fuel price inflation, when war broke out in Ukraine and the resulting rise in prices at gas stations, I proposed exposing fuel prices to cut-throat, price-cutting competition using an app. TCS recognized this and developed a petrol price radar app. Despite this, I managed to at least partially achieve my goal.

The pricing model of the new debit bank cards has become a major nuisance for merchants who sell goods or services for 50 francs or more. I signed a price cap agreement with market leader SIX (now Worldline). This agreement will save affected retailers around 20 million francs over the life of the agreement and will thus also reduce pressure to increase prices at the expense of end consumers.

My activity regarding supply and disposal fees is very important, but almost invisible. For example, in 2022 alone, I reviewed 300 individual water, sewer and waste charge cases and frequently recommended action. Directly measurable savings for consumers alone amount to almost 12 million francs, repeated annually.

There are also many individual cases, such as mutual agreements with Swiss Rhine ports that reduce the price of transport, fees for documents issued by the municipality, or software products whose price is reduced thanks to my work. Overall, this also results in annual savings.

As a rule, in difficult cases it is possible to bring prices and services into an appropriate balance or demand efficiency from clients rather than more money. If you would like to stay informed about what my team and I are doing for you, check out my website and/or read my newsletter.

Source: Blick