The Government is launching a new scheme to help businesses to claim up to £10,000 in compensation for broker fees hidden in their energy deals without having to go through the courtsThe Government is set to announce that almost every business in the UK will get free support to claim compensation for secret broker fees hidden in their energy bills., a new scheme is set to be launched that could help businesses claim up to £10,000 in compensation without having to go through the courts.
The ombudsman has the power to order suppliers to provide compensation of up to £10,000 or take action to resolve issues – such as raising standards for their customers, or to credit or amend customer accounts. “All businesses deserve to get a good service from their energy supplier – and today’s changes will empower small businesses with free redress support via the ombudsman.“This is just the beginning. Rip-off energy brokers have no place in our market, and we will act to raise standards for customers.”
Alongside the Government announcement, Ofgem are also setting out plans to improve energy services for businesses and other non-domestic customers, including a new requirement for brokers to provide full transparency on fees within contracts. It will also change the rules so that energy suppliers can only work with brokers who are part of a redress scheme when securing small business contracts.
So when someone tries to take advantage of our small business owners, they should know they are picking the wrong battle. We will always back British businesses. When Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine sent energy prices soaring, we stepped in with a £40bn package for both families and businesses. And this week, small businesses received another boost as further tax cuts came into force.Today we’ve expanded the Energy Ombudsman so from later this year, small businesses with fewer than 50 employees will be able to get free support on issues with their energy bills.
Energy suppliers will also be required to only work with brokers that are part of a redress scheme, so customers can always access free and fair support with any issues. Queenie’s Casino Slots, based in County Durham, recouped £14,000 from French power giant Engie after a judge ruled an energy broker hid additional fees in the business’s bills.
Victoria Myers, a lawyer at Energy Solicitors who represented Queenie’s Casion slots, added: “We are pleased to see that the government and the Energy Ombudsman have acknowledged and respected the judgement in our recent groundbreaking court ruling, brought to light by“We are supporting many other businesses right across the country amid a growing scandal which highlights how energy brokers and energy suppliers frequently omit to disclose broker commissions made on contracts, which are then...