Licensee takes on Opus online

A licensee who has been in an on-going saga with electricity supplier Opus Energy has taken the battle into cyberspace.

Mike Lyons signed up to have his power supplied by the company when he took over food-led premises Isis in Manchester in April 2007.

But when his bills started to rocket he stopped paying his direct debits because he claimed Opus had not taken a meter reading.

The case ended up going through the courts and Lyons had to pay out thousands of pounds to the company in unpaid bills.

Angered at the way he says Opus handled the situation - by bringing in the bailiffs - he has now set up websites using the domain names www.opus-energy.co.uk and www.opusenergy.eu to make his feelings clear.

He said: "I was really surprised they had not registered the domain names so I decided to use them myself.

"I think at the very least it will make them feel uncomfortable.

"I have already had a solicitor on the phone telling me I am being defamatory about them but I just think the way they treated me is coming back to haunt them."

The sites, which went live earlier this week, feature various articles about Opus as well as mocked-up logos and opinion.

Last year Opus vowed to revamp its sales and prices policies following complaints from licensees. The supplier has about 5,000 pub customers in the UK.

Andy Nash of Opus Energy said they were not aware of the websites until informed by The Publican​.

He said: "Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We are always ready to have a discussion with any customer who does not feel he has been entirely well served by us and it is in everyone's interests to resolve such matters amicably."

• To visit the real Opus Energy webpage go to www.opusenergy.co.uk