Supplier provides inaccurate bills

smellymel74

My electric supplier is licensed exempt so not covered by ofgem (I live in a park home). The supplier recently hired a contractor to supply bills but the bills they provide are inaccurate and incomplete - incorrect calculations, no start/end meter reading dates, unclear peak/off peak times etc. I’ve pointed these issues out (politely) several times but never get a response - instead I just get a letter telling me to pay the (incorrect) amounts or I’ll be disconnected. I’ve been cut off 3 times as I refused to pay until I got an accurate hill but then had to pay to be reconnected. 

The supplier just ignores me. As my supplier isn’t covered by ofgem, I can’t go there. The police and council aren’t interested so I’m thinking civil action under consumer protection law is the only way to go - the site owner is failing to provide a service with reasonable care and skill. 

Has anyone done this themselves? Or do I need a solicitor to do it for me? (costs would likely be prohibitive). The CAB hasn’t been helpful as the consumer dept says it’s an energy issue & the energy dept says it’s a consumer issue because neither understand the situation park homes so I’m looking for advice from anyone who’s taken any service provider to court for a consumer protection issue. TIA! 

ArbitraryRandom

First question would be the amounts we're talking about - which would determine which track it's allocated by the court and (subject to an assessment of the complexity of the case) ability to reclaim legal fees if you win/risk of being ordered to pay the other sides costs if you lose. 

If it's a fairly small amount (less than £10k) and it's a simple case (you can provide clear evidence for your calculations/arguing your position) then it would seem a fairly standard contractual dispute (not consumer protection per se) and I can't see there'd be a need for legal advice. 

The second (and more important) question would be what you would actually seek to claim... civil suits in the UK are primarily for remedying harm, so the clear claim would be for any the return of any overpayment or any losses you've incurred as a result of your supplier failing to comply with the contract (such as the reconnection fee if you were incorrectly disconnected). You generally can't claim for things like the time you've taken to resolve the issue, but you can claim for any costs associated with bringing the claim (your filing and court fee, plus any travel costs if you need to attend a hearing).  

The key documents would be your contract (and details of any admin costs etc), extracts from the relevant relating to energy reselling, any documents you've had from your landlord illustrating the rate they pay (to show the rate they're allowed to charge), the bills/charges you received and related correspondence, any evidence you have of your readings, and a sheet with your calculation of what your bill should be/how you reached your claim amount. 

EDIT: others may wish to note the thread has also been posted on the consumer rights board here and has received some comments: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/80586988#Comment_80586988