Opus energy bills drive licensee out

A former Wadworths tenant says he was forced out of his pub by the "crazy" costs charged by under-fire electricity supplier Opus Energy.

As licensees continue to call the MA with complaints about Opus, John Tomlinson blamed the company's sky-high prices for forcing him to leave the Crown at South Moreton in Didcot, Oxfordshire.

Tomlinson said a cold-caller agent working for Opus promised that monthly bills would be between £200 and £300 and he signed a three-year contract in September 2005.

But since then bills have increased sharply, averaging at around £600, Tomlinson said.

"We started doing things like using energy-saving light bulbs, but no matter what we did the bills kept going through the roof."

The final straw came after Opus said costs would rise to £730 - and Tomlinson also owed two extra payments of £950 because he had apparently been undercharged.

Tomlinson handed back his keys in February and is set to return to work as an aircraft engineer. He said the costs were too high at a pub that takes around £6,000 a week.

"It's a crazy amount for the size of my pub," said Tomlinson. "I called the brewery and said I can't cope with this. I can't speak to anyone at Opus about the charges. I just get the cold shoulder. They've driven me to despair."

Tomlinson is trying to secure a rebate from Opus. He said there were problems with the pub's meter and he has been charged the wrong tariff.

Opus' head of customer services Andy Nash said: "We believe the meter had a faulty time switch. It's taking us a bit of time to sort it out. We are reliant on the meter operator to look at it on our behalf."