Woe before power struggle win
COLOSSAL and seemingly unjustified rises in his energy direct debit payments drove a customer to break his contract with his power supplier Extra Energy. But then he had the problem of getting back the £816 that he had overpaid.
The company, one of the new breed of smaller suppliers offering more competitive deals, has claimed to be the country’s fastest growing energy provider.
But last month Citizens Advice revealed that the firm, which had received numerous complaints at the start of the year, had topped its league table for customer gripes against energy companies. Extra Energy claims to have made major changes to address problems since.
Crusader featured householder Roger Downing’s plight back in January. The pensioner from Leeds, whose wife is disabled, had switched to a two-year deal with Extra Energy after being offered a keenly-priced package of £80 a month.
For months the couple struggled to obtain a bill to had help them manage their costs, despite providing dual-fuel meter readings.
“The uncertainty was terrible and we could never be sure whether or not we owed Extra Energy money or it owed us,” said Roger, 70.
After Crusader pressed for a review Roger received a goodwill gesture and £384 was wiped off his account, pending an investigation. Phew, that’s the Downings sorted, we thought. But we were woefully premature because a few weeks ago Roger was back in touch.
His direct debits had shot up alarmingly and were now £136 a month, he explained. Yet he was far from convinced this reflected the true usage. “It got better for a while but it didn’t last,” he said.
Although the supplier later cut the monthly debit to £10 Roger feared that the price could yo-yo yet again without any warning and subsequently signed to Sainsbury’s Energy in June at £72 a month.
But given that he left Extra Energy two months before his contract was up the supplier applied a £50 early cancellation penalty. It also revealed the direct debit increases he had suffered had built up a tidy surplus.
“I had to go,” complained Roger. “I couldn’t take the chaos any longer, if £50 is what it takes so be it. But there’s no end in sight. They keep promising to put the £816 back in my account but it doesn’t happen.”
We thought that asking Roger for the £50 penalty charge was a bit much, given all he had been through with the worry of his escalating direct debits. And if ever there was vindication that Roger had been paying too much then that surplus was surely it.
Time to give it all back, we told the company in the strongest terms possible. And last week Extra Energy called and agreed.
For the first time in almost two years Roger is no longer in the dark.