Licensee wins David and Goliath case against energy supplier

A licensee who vowed to go to court to fight his case against energy supplier Opus Energy has thanked The Publican for its help.

Paul Blyth, tenant of the Good Companions in Eastleigh, Hampshire, was outraged that he was pursued for £6,684.65 by the energy supplier for a bill period of five months.

He was appalled as he claims he was being charged close to £1,400 a month for electricity while he now pays only £350 with a new supplier.

However, after intervention by The Publican, Opus Energy has admitted "we made mistakes" and is sorting out the issue with Paul by charging him at the same rates as his current supplier.

The licensee, who took on the premises in June, says he sent Opus Energy updated meter readings because he was transferring over to a new supplier.

Opus blocked the transfer claiming it had not been informed of a change of tenant and was charging him at 'out of contract' rates.

He said: "I only found out that the account had not been transferred when Opus Energy sent me an invoice of close to £7,000. There is a loophole in the law as there seems to be no limit to what energy companies can charge. It has been a nightmare.

"If The Publican had not got involved nothing would have happened. I would have had to go to court. But the company has agreed to drop the prices."

A spokesman for Opus Energy said: "It was a confused situation. We recognise mistakes have happened within mitigating circumstances. The bill will come down significantly."

Energywatch, the energy watchdog, had already intervened in the case.