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<\/a><\/p>\nThey examined the Cyfnod bills and the rates they were being charged and calculated that they had been miss-billed on a massive scale \u2013 the Energy Company finally calculated the actual amount of underpayment at just over \u00a311,000.<\/p>\n
They even had that sum cut by a further \u00a35,000 for the stress caused to Eleri and Gareth. The Energy Company insisted that all late payment charges be cancelled and also negotiated two years to pay off the final amount of \u00a36,555.68.<\/p>\n
Eleri said she had a massive shock when the bill came through her letter box: \u201cIt came right out of the blue,\u201d she said: \u201cI nearly had a heart attack when I saw it. It was very, very worrying.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a tremendous amount of money and it could have seriously affected our business.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kept calling British Gas Accounts Manager, explaining the situation and saying there must be some kind of mistake, as we were already paying about \u00a31,000 a month for our electricity.<\/p>\n
\u201cBritish Gas kept sending different people to check the meter readings.\u00a0 Gareth spoke to the Manager regarding the bill and was told they had checked it three times and it was correct.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe refurbished the cafe in 2006, and installed new economical appliances. We are careful and always switch off appliances not in use. We have 35 covers and are open during the day and early evening. We just couldn\u2019t understand how we could run up a bill totalling \u00a349K.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time I tried to call British Gas, I would be transferred to different people in different departments, listening to recorded messages and music and would be on the phone for what seemed like hours, and would get nowhere.\u00a0 If affected my health and I became very run down and stressed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur accountants, De Longa and Co in Ruthin, thought there was definitely something wrong. He said, \u2018It looks as if you\u2019re supplying electricity to the street,\u2019 and advised us to go to The Energy Company.\u201d<\/p>\n
John Davies, MD of The Energy Company examined the Cyfnod\u2019s historic bills and identified serious billing issues by British Gas. He said: \u201cInitially British Gas insisted that the bills were correct and that indeed Mr and Mrs Dolben Evans owed this sum.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing dozens of phone calls and e-mails, British Gas finally admitted that their bills were erroneous.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also commented: \u201cThe deregulation of the energy industry in the mid-nineties was massively miss-managed. There are 14 electricity areas in the England, Scotland and Wales. Each area has a range of different tariffs, prices and metering.\u00a0 It was an accident waiting to happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Cyfnod caf\u00e9 miss-bill is just one of dozens we have identified and helped. No doubt there are many more out there.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the course of six to eight years this had been responsible for the massive bill accumulating in addition to their normal charges.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was an extreme case but it was hugely stressful and upsetting for Eleri and Gareth who were running a successful and popular local business and suddenly found themselves saddled with this enormous bill.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was clear something was wrong and there had been a mistake by their supplier so it was just a case of tracking it down and then fighting their corner for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eleri said: \u201cThe Energy Company have been brilliant and they\u2019re now handling our energy account and we\u2019re delighted with what they have done. We are recommending them to everyone we know.<\/p>\n
\u201cI give them a reading every month and they check them and sort out the payment and arrange our tariffs and it\u2019s working very well.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Energy Company was founded by John Davies 20 years ago and is now based on Lon Parcwr, Ruthin, where it employs eight staff as well as a network of agents across the UK.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe act as brokers for our clients, finding them the best deal and in return we are paid, not by them but by the energy companies with whom we arrange their accounts. We also give all customers an assurance that we will deal with any issues that might arise, including bill and tariff analysis, correct termination, and, of course, competitive quotes\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Cyfnod aren\u2019t the only client that the company have been able to help with overcharging \u2013 they recently won a rebate of over \u00a320,000 for the monks of the isolated Caldey Island in the Bristol Channel.<\/p>\n
John Davies added: \u201cWe\u2019re delighted to help all our customers and we estimated that in the last 10 years alone we have saved them a total of \u00a35 million, money which I am sure they can better spend elsewhere in their business.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re delighted to have helped a thriving and popular business like the Cyfnod which is so much a part of life in the community of Bala.\u201d<\/p>\n