My business electricity disconnected due to accounting error by supplier. Claim?

Deisel_Weisel

I’m just a one-man business, renting a unit with 2 small offices and a kitchen/toilet area.

This happened back in May. I had no electricity for 6 days.

The supplier kept telling me I owed them money (I won’t mention the supplier). I even had one of their guys visit me at my premises. I told him there must me some mistake. No way could I owe all that, so I checked with my father, who does my accounts, and it was apparent that a payment I’d made to them at the end of August 2012 had not been deducted from money owed. That August payment had definitely transferred from my account into theirs.

I told all this to the guy who came to visit, including money transaction numbers etc, and told him if they present a bill that was correct, I’d pay it.

This still didn’t seem to resolve things, because I kept getting the same incorrect bills, all because they hadn’t deducted the money I’d paid in August 2012 (which was about £750 – at least half the bill in total). I kept telling them but this.

I turn up to my offices one Tuesday in May, after a bank holiday Monday, and a weekend I didn’t visit the offices, and most of the previous Friday I wasn’t there (because I had to be at home looking after my sick elderly Mother, that Friday). So I opened my office up on the following Tuesday to find we’d been cut off! My landlord had to let them in, on the Friday, because they had a ‘warrant’.

I got straight onto the supplier, telling them I didn’t owe at least half this bill, and demanding to be reconnected PDQ. For the first time with this supplier, the guy on the end of line, seemed to be listening to what I was saying. He went away to investigate and phoned me back within the hour and said he’d found the missing payment, and was very apologetic, and was asking me how much compensation I’d be looking at (without me even mentioning the subject). I just wanted reconnecting PDQ, then I’d think about compensation.

Anyway, it takes them a further 2 day to re-connect me (6 days without power, in total).

It’s only now I’ve got round to looking at this again, 4 months on. The reason being, I have health problems, which slows everything down. My business is on the floor, and I’m trying to turn things around, and I am getting there slowly, so any compensation would certainly be welcome. I’m wondering if I’ve left it too late, what amount might be appropriate compensation to expect, should I pass it to a solicitor. These sorts of questions.

The power supply company did send me a ‘complaints process’ letter, which I’ve briefly read through, but this is not company I have much faith in, from this experience and one previous experience. They do mention in the letter about an ‘Energy Ombudsman’ that can delegate if things aren’t resolved to satisfactorily.

That’s where I’m at. Sorry for the long ramble.

ValHaller

If they had a warrant, it must have gone to court. If it went to court, you should have received papers and had your chance to have your day in court and argue that you had in fact paid. If you did not receive papers, then you have a serious complaint with the court that your supplier did not issue you with papers and allow you a chance to defend.

Deisel_Weisel

I confess, I get behind with stuff (because of my health problems, primarily) and mail piles up occasionally, without being opened, but I honestly can't remember reading such a letter, either before or after the event. I'll double check. Thanks.

Deisel_Weisel

I can’t find that letter. My father can’t remember seeing such a letter, either, and he definitely would have got on the case, had he seen it. How do I chase this? Ask the supplier for the court it was issued with, then check with that court?

chanz4

all suppliers do a pre-visit disconnection visit, and leave a hand delivered letter. All the court will have is warrant application and copy ruber stamped warrant

Deisel_Weisel

I never received a warrant. I can’t remember what the guy left who visited my premises, but I don’t remember any letter, just a small confirmation note, stating how much they thought we owed, and his phone number, which I later used to phone him back to tell him the mistake they were making and the transfer reference number for the payment I’d made to them the previous August, that went AWOL on their system.

Where do I go from here?