Tonik Energy complaint.

Juliansnemesis

Hi all,

I was a Tonik energy customer until they went in to Administration. Long story short they massively increased our monthly bill in August last year (after 10months of direct debit payments) and I raised a complaint at the time with no reply. 

Many emails were sent to them with no response or action from their customer service. They then went in to administration and we were passed to Scottish Power however we were told that Tonik were still responsible for any debt owed to them. Again I have sent further emails requesting contact about the final bill to no avail.

After this we have been given a final bill which is accurate but we dispute hence the original complaint due to a number of factors. The energy ombudsman will not help as Tonik effectively no longer exist.

I finally got an email response from help@tonikenergy.com. The advisor said they no longer deal with complaints and it is their job now only to verify that final balances are correct. This advisor apologised stating that my complaint would have warranted some form of compensation had they dealt with properly back in August 2020.

I'm now left with a bill I don't feel I should pay in full due to shocking customer service but have no recourse. I have received two letters from Tonik requesting payment and threatening further action. 

Who if anyone can I go to to complain or for advice? Do I have to pay this bill regardless of the fact it would have been less if Tonik had dealt with my complaint at the time? What options do the administrators have at their disposal? Would they have to take me to small claims court to recoup the money? 

Any help and advice would be greatly received.

welshmoneylover

What is the complaint about?

Gerry1

If your final bill shows that you have something to pay then it suggests that the increase in your DD wasn't massive enough !

Presumably it turned out that you were using far more than the amount that you indicated when you obtained a quotation?

bagand96

You say the bill is accurate.  If you used the energy you must pay for it.

But you then say the bill would have been less? By that do you mean you would expect a compensation credit? 

Yes they can, and likely will continue to chase you for the debt.

Juliansnemesis

Hi Guys, 

Thanks for responding. I'll answer in order. 

Our complaint was about the huge hike in our monthly bill 10 months into our contract. We gave them accurate information at the start of the contract and they quoted us a monthly price off that. We gave them actual meter readings each month but they were using estimates, then increased our bill by over £100 per month and left us with over £400 debt at the end of the contract. I tried to contact them on many occasions and was ignored. 

I'm not disputing that the final bill is correct but I am not happy with how they have managed it. One person recently responded to my emails. They looked at my complaint and said that when they were still operating it would have warranted some form of compensation. But because they are in administration they can't do this anymore. 

Am I just going to have to swallow and pay the full amount? Is there only option to recover the money to take me to small claims court?

Shedman

So the final bill was correct and so presumably the total cost of your energy during your time with them was also correct but you want to argue over a possible £30 compensation because they uplifted your DD.  If that is the case then you've not exactly lost out then...you only have the word of an employee (or one of the administrators staff) that you would have got some compo so there's nothing to say they wouldn't have rejected it at the time anyway.   

Surely it's better that you just accept that there's nobody to claim the compo back from (you can bet that after the secured and preferred creditors they'll be nothing left for unsecured creditors), it's an unfortunate circumstance due to timing and just move on.  Compared to some people who are still having bigger issues with Tonik /SP you seem to have come off OK.

(However if you are saying that in total the amount you were charged over the period you were with Tonik was too high then that's maybe a different story depending on the quantum of the overcharge)

bagand96

Surely they upped the DD to start covering the bills once they caught up with the actual usage? One of the issues with Tonik was in early 2020 their billing system was in chaos after a botched upgrade. You're probably a victim of that, sounds like the actual readings weren't making it onto your bills. 

Agree with @Shedman. Whilst when they were trading they may have offered compensation, that ship has sailed now they've gone into administration.

Ultimately the energy you've used needs paying for (assuming as you said the bill is accurate.) If you fail to do so they will likely pass it on to a debt collection agency.  Is it worth £30?

Gerry1

You haven't answered the question about how your actual usage related to the expected usage for which you obtained a quotation.  It appears that you used considerably more.  Tonik increased the DD but not sufficiently to keep up with your higher usage.  You admit to owing £400 but you are refusing to pay any of it at this stage.

Not much evidence of wrongdoing by Tonik, just a review of your DD.  You weren't overcharged, so you'd have been very lucky to get £30 compo.

But as you seem not to have paid any of what you owe, if any compo is due it should be from you to Tonik's administrators to cover some of the extra costs they have incurred in having to chase you for non-payment.

rp1974

Is it possible that your initial consumption was not as accurate as you think it was,have you previous bills etc?.
As your direct debit was raised,it wasn't raised enough if you owe more than £400.
The bill you say is accurate,if so it should be paid,agree to a payment plan unless you want them to go further and yes it could end up in court if you can't,or won't.
To be honest I dont know the in's and out's of the compensation procedure,you may well have been due something,was any amount stated?.Academic now anyway sadly.