Meierhans is Switzerland’s official ‘Price Monitor’ tasked by the government to protect consumers and the economy in general against abusive prices.
His office had processed a record number of consumer complaints in 2024 — 800 in total — and succeeded in saving 120 million francs on behalf of consumers.
Specifically, through negotiations with the Swiss Post as well as public transport companies, he was able to lower planned price increases by 70 million and 50 million francs, respectively.
He is also currently working on the (downward) adjustment of sales margins for medicines.
And he has many more accomplishments under his belt in terms of price cuts — read more about this below.
What is Meierhans looking for?
According to the government, the Price Monitor is "competent to analyse prices that do not result from free competition, but are set by a dominant company on the market, a cartel, or even by the state itself."
These conditions are frequently met above all in the field of health and infrastructure. They include, for instance, prices of hospitals, nursing homes, doctors, medicines, gas, water, purification and waste disposal systems, as well as prices for telecommunications, cable networks, postal services or public transport.
In which sectors has he been able to intervene and lower prices?
There is a long list of his ‘successes’.
Most recently, he has worked out a deal with the national rail company, SBB, to ‘offer’ a total of 100 million francs in savings to commuters via discounted 'supersaver' tickets — 50 million for 2025 and the same amount for 2026.
Insgesamt 100 Millionen Franken Rabatt für Sparbillette 2025 und 2026 - einvernehmliche Regelung zwischen Preisüberwacher und SBB ??https://t.co/ZTGpg4GEeq
— Monsieur Prix / Preisüberwacher (@MisterPrezzi) February 20, 2025
Also recently, Meierhans’ efforts prompted the Federal Council to approve a new method for calculating electricity prices, which will result in a 124-million-franc savings for Swiss households and businesses.
READ ALSO: How you'll be able to save money on your Swiss electricity bills
These two examples are just the tip of the iceberg of the price drops that Meierhans was able to work out for consumers’ benefit.
You can see the full list here.
Can anyone file a complaint about abusive prices with Meierhans’ office?
Yes.
As the government points out, “every resident [of Switzerland] and business has the right to submit complaints to the Swiss federal price watchdog."
There are two ways to do this. One, you can fill out a form, on the Price Monitor’s website, in German, French, or Italian. (No English version exists).
Or two, you can write a letter explaining what your price grievance is and provide the proof thereof. The address to send it to is Einsteinstrasse 2, 3003 Bern.
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