I switched from Utility Point to another supplier in November last year and my final bill, issued a month later, said I was owed £494 that I had overpaid.
It is now mid-February and I am no nearer getting it returned. Replies to emails I sent to customer services always say a refund will be issued “in due course”. Problem is, nothing happens.
I found online that I am one of a number of former customers complaining about this problem.
I have told them that if I don’t get a refund soon I will start a small claims action. DK, Hereford
I, too, have just left Utility Point after a year-long tariff ended and after finding a better deal elsewhere. It was good value, but its website was very difficult to navigate and provided little information.
We sent your complaint to the company but got no response. A call eventually prompted some action, and it emerged that in the intervening period it had agreed to repay the balance, plus £30 to apologise for the delay.
This letter should serve as a warning against allowing such a big balance to build up in the first place – particularly if you are with a small, less well-known supplier. Too many small energy firms have gone bust in recent months leaving customers chasing money they had overpaid.
There is nothing to stop a customer suspending a direct debit for a month or two, or lowering it, to bring down a credit balance.
The company says it has recruited more staff to deliver “beyond the level of service our customers have a right to expect”.
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