6,500 consultations regarding electricity distribution board inspection commercial law, 160 times more than in 2013, expanding to various locations

The number of troubles surrounding the ``inspection business method,'' in which people are asked to inspect their power distribution boards, stir up anxiety, and then get people to contract for replacement work, is rapidly increasing. Last fiscal year, consumer affairs centers nationwide received 6,545 consultations, more than 160 times the number two years earlier. In 2024, the outbreak was limited to the Kanto region, but it has spread from the southern Tohoku region to the Tokai region and Kyushu, and the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan is urging caution.

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According to the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan, the number of consultations regarding the commercial law for inspecting electrical distribution boards has increased sharply from 39 in 2013 to 1,290 in 2014 and 6,545 last year. This year, as of the end of July, there were a total of 2,223 cases, which is more than the same period last year.

Last year, 80% of contracting parties were in their 70s or older, and by region, three-quarters of the contracts were in southern Kanto (4,193) and northern Kanto (819), while northern Kyushu (380), southern Kyushu/Okinawa (305), Tokai (234), and southern Tohoku (219) also stood out.

When a woman in her 70s responded to a phone call from a company claiming to be from an electric power company to inspect the power supply, she was advised to replace it, saying, "The service life is determined by law. If there was a leak, it would be a big problem." The company contracted for the work for about 140,000 yen, but when they checked with the power company, they found out that the company was unrelated.

A representative from the center points out, ``Before signing a contract, it is important to get estimates from multiple companies and hire a company you trust.'' There is no law that stipulates the expiration date for residential power distribution boards, and legal inspections based on the Electricity Business Law are conducted free of charge for general households once every four years, but inspectors do not offer contracts for replacement work.