Company appeal energy ombudsman decision

sunnyjimbob

I said that I would keep you informed of any developments. Just to recap:

Utilita appealed the decision stating:

• “The balance of £260 was transferred from Eversmart previous billing system 'Redfish' I have attached the bills in which this period relates to, Utilita maintain the charges to be valid.”

Today, I have received a reply from the Ombudsman stating:

• “I have been provided with no new evidence ..... I have not been provided copies of any bills issued which confirmed the balance on the account was £260 ..... I have not received any new evidence or identified a significant error that has a material effect on conclusions already made. Therefore, I cannot see any reason why I should change the remedy previously proposed.”

One additional point – the original debt claimed by Utilita was £332 but this was miraculously transformed – without any explanation – to £260, and I received a company cheque in the post for £72. However, when I presented this at my bank ten days later, necessitating a special journey during lock-down, it bounced! I’ve since got this money paid but it involved me in yet more phone calls, letters and the threat of court action.

So, there you go! I’ll let you form your own conclusions regarding Utilita’s integrity. I just think it’s a shame that they can't be penalised further for their cynical delaying tactics. The final ruling is that Utilita must refund the £260, give me a written apology for their poor customer service and pay £50 compensation. Result!!

Matthaus73

Thanks for letting us know the outcome. Good to see the Ombudsman had your back ....hope they have mine in October 

PeteinSQ

Just to come back to this. All these tickings off by the ombudsmen seem to have had an affect as I phoned them about three weeks ago to chase this up again and they paid me by bank transfer within a week.

RalphS

I left Eversmart in September 2018, got a small final credit refund from them mid November 2018 and have been with a few other suppliers since. TODAY I get a letter from Utilita - Our records indicate that there is an outstanding balance of ~£60 odd which is now overdue..... 7 days.... to avoid further action.

I don't take such creditworthiness threat likely. I have today fruitlessly tried to phone them. The only Tel No. on the letter is for payment (& their bank details). There is no contact or email address. It is 'Stand & Deliver' attempted robbery.

Having found their Customer Relations email address, I have sent them a strongly worded email asking for a full statement and cautioned them not to attempt affect my credit. CC Ofgem