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Northampton Man Takes NPower to Court & wins

Christopher Poncelet waged a lone battle against NPower for over three years after a succession of incorrect electricity bills led the energy firm to demand payment for money he did not owe and enlisted a succession of companies to recover the debt. Mr Poncelet finally lost patience after NPower blocked his attempts to switch to another supplier and he decided to take the matter to court.

Northampton County Court today (13 September) ruled in the consumer's favour, criticising NPower for failing to resolve the issue and awarding Mr Poncelet £3,000 in damages for the persistent harassment he faced over a protracted period. Judge Bray described NPower's conduct as "The oppressive and unacceptable conduct of a large company over a small individual" and repeated the words of Lord Justice Jacob in a case brought against British Gas: "It is one of the glories of this country that every now and again one of its citizens is prepared to take a stand against the big battalions of government or industry."

The Judge also ruled that Mr Poncelet could switch his electricity supplier from NPower to a new supplier. Sarah Canning of Franklins Solicitors, the legal firm representing Mr Poncelet, said it was one of the worst cases of company insensitivity and poor customer care she had ever dealt with. "Mr Poncelet received no fewer than 15 inaccurate bills from NPower, faced demands for money which was not owed on 11 occasions, and had to endure 14 attempts by debt collectors to recover money," she explained. "This wasn't an 'automatic billing error' by NPower and involved harassment that required human agency involvement on repeated occasions. It is rare, if not unique, that a consumer manages to secure not just damages against a major utility provider, but a judgment of harassment".

Mr Poncelet, a British software developer with a US company, works American hours, meaning considerable overnight working. His problems started when he noticed that NPower had transposed low-rate overnight electricity costs for higher daytime tariffs. Although he successfully persuaded them to correct early bills, the practice continued quarter after quarter and led to incorrect demands for outstanding payment and interest charges. Faced with visits from debt collection agencies, warnings that a pre-payment meter would be fitted and threats to cut off his power supply, Mr Poncelet attempted to switch to an alternative supplier. He admitted to being at his 'wits end' when his preferred new supplier refused to accept him because of his so-called "outstanding debts".

"I was left with no choice but to take the matter to court to try and end this situation," explained Mr Poncelet. "I had exhausted my patience and energies trying to combat NPower's billing system and couldn't take any more."

Following the judgment, Mr Poncelet said he was just relieved that other consumers would now not have to go through the same harassment that he had endured.

If you're having business disagreements and are in need of the best legal representation in the region, then give us a call on 01604 828270 or fill out our online contact form. Our specialist team of Litigation solicitors are always on hand to help.

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