Liabilities of Supplier of Last Resort

Stilson

I live on a small retirement estate. The estate is all electric, no gas. My energy supplier was EON.
In July 2019, EON fitted a new meter because there was a fault on the existing one.

In February 2020, I switched suppliers to Bristol Energy (Together Energy). I was with Bristol Energy until it went bust in January 2022.

I was contacted by British Gas in January 2022 who advised me that they had taken over Bristol Energy's accounts as the Supplier of Last Resort.

In March 2022, I told BG that I felt that my bills had always been too high compared to my neighbours and said I wanted my meter tested for accuracy (which had been fitted by EON back in July 2019).

After testing, the meter proved to be over-running by 20% (which meant I had been over-paying by 20% on all bills to EON, Bristol Energy and British Gas, since the meter was fitted in July 2019).

British Gas immediately fitted a new meter and gave a 20% reimbursement since the date they took over my account.

I contacted EON and gave them proof that the meter they fitted in July 2019 had been inaccurate. I requested a 20% reimbursement on all bills I had paid to them since the meter fitting date. Brick wall. They didn't want to know. I called in the Energy Ombudsman. EON backed down and reimbursed the 20%.

This left Bristol Energy to whom I had overpaid 20% between February 2020 to January 2022. The Energy Ombudsman explained that it could not get involved because BE was in liquidation and advised me to contact Citizens Advice. Citizens Advice gave me 2 phone numbers for the administrators. I made many calls which were never answered and all voicemail messages were ignored.

I feel that as the Supplier of Last Resort, British Gas should credit me with the 20% I overpaid to Bristol Energy, particularly as I am now a BG customer and it was BG who confirmed the faulty meter was inaccurate after testing (at my request).

What are my chances?

Grateful for all (any) advice.

Thanks.

Stilson.

BarelySentientAI

A defunct company has a debt to you.  BG have no obligation to correct errors in other companies' billing.

They might give you something for goodwill, but I doubt it.

Why do you think the SoLR process means BG should do anything?  SoLR means that they take over the customer so there is no interruption to supply and (unusually for most failed companies) means that your credit balance, if you had one, is funded jointly by all other customers.  It doesn't mean they are suddenly responsible for all the time you spent with the previous company.

brewerdave

There are many ex customers of Together Energy/Bristol Energy who were in substantial credit at the date of failure but have been unable to get their credits reimbursed because the failed company's accounts were so bad that T.E didn't even inform BG of the correct final status.
On that basis ,I think , unfortunately, that you have a zero chance of obtaining any more compensation for the inaccurate meter.

Stilson

Thanks for replies. Points noted.

I will try writing to BG to see if they might credit me something as a goodwill gesture. After all I didn't have to stay with BG when they took over BE. Not holding my breath though.