Apology after Woodhouse Eaves butcher's energy bill rose tenfold

Butcher Andrew Johnson said his energy bills increased tenfold

A village butcher in Leicestershire saw his energy bills increase tenfold after errors by an energy company.

Andrew Johnson, who runs Johnsons of Woodhouse, in Woodhouse Eaves, said Gazprom Energy increased his energy rates before the end of his contract.

He said the company's "ridiculous" complaints department did not reply to a number of his requests.

SEFE Energy, the company's new name, offered their "sincere apologies" to Mr Johnson.

The butcher was shocked to see his gas bill skyrocket in September 2021, after his rates were increased four months before the end of his contract.

Mr Johnson said he struggled to get answers from the company when challenging the fees.

Mr Johnson said bills for his business increased four months before the end of his contract

"It was pathetic," he added. "We didn't get responses to some of the emails that I sent.

"When I did send emails asking specific questions or asking them to clarify things, they didn't give me the information back."

Mr Johnson said his debts to the company started to build up, meaning he was unable to switch supplier.

He said: "There's no way I was going to pay them that money because I didn't owe it to them.

"I'm quite a laid-back person, but when it comes to this kind of thing, I'm not playing."

'Full accountability'

Mr Johnson complained to the Energy Ombudsman - which resolves disputes between consumers and suppliers - and his case was upheld on appeal.

In a statement, SEFE Energy said: "We take all customer complaints very seriously.

"While we corrected the errors on the customer's account prior to the complaint being raised with the ombudsman, we acknowledge it was more difficult than it should have been for Mr Woodhouse to reach a resolution.

"We take full accountability for these mistakes and admit that in this case, our service did not reflect the standards our customers have come to expect from us.

"We have offered our sincere apologies to Mr Woodhouse, and all remedies recommended by the ombudsman were actioned promptly after we received them."