Manx gas provider could face legal action over billing issues

Issues with Isle of Man Energy's billing system emerged in November last year

The Isle of Man's monopoly gas provider could face legal action if issues with customer billing are not resolved, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has said.

Issues with Isle of Man Energy's bills, including incorrect figures and missing payments, first emerged in November.

OFT Chairman John Wannenburgh said the matter had now been "escalated" and enforcement action would follow if the complaints were not resolved.

The company said it was working through complaints "as swiftly as we can".

'Completely unacceptable'

Mr Wannenburgh told Tynwald the OFT and the Communications and Utilities Regulatory Authority, had met Isle of Man Energy on Monday and the company had "affirmed that the matter would be resolved in a timely manner".

However, he said if that did not happen, it would be referred to the Attorney General's chambers for court action and a possible fine.

Several politicians spoke about the difficulties customers had faced, including David Ashford MHK, who said the current situation was "completely unacceptable" and had caused a "great amount"of anxiety and distress.

Mr Wannenburgh said the OFT would ensure the matter was resolved, adding: "If that's going to be painful for the company then that's what it's going to be."

Isle of Man Energy said, after a "constructive meeting" on Monday, it would "like to reassure customers that the vast majority of technical issues with our new billing system have now been rectified".

"There remains a backlog of bill issues which we are working through as swiftly as we can, and we sincerely apologise for any delays in responding during this particularly busy time," it added.