0:00:02 > 0:00:04I've been battling for consumer rights for years,
0:00:04 > 0:00:07but it seems that some companies are still not getting the message.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09The customers are technically paying your wages
0:00:09 > 0:00:11and keeping your company afloat.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Day in, day out, thousands of you are being taken for a ride,
0:00:14 > 0:00:17and it's always the same old things -
0:00:17 > 0:00:21shoddy products, the small print and bad customer service.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Customer service is really important. If the company is good,
0:00:23 > 0:00:25- I'll go back to it.- Too right!
0:00:25 > 0:00:27But some firms are driving you barmy,
0:00:27 > 0:00:30causing you sleepless nights and making you feel
0:00:30 > 0:00:31like you're the one to blame.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33But don't despair,
0:00:33 > 0:00:36because I'll take them on to make sure you don't get done.
0:00:40 > 0:00:41Let's be honest.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Our energy bills are going through the roof,
0:00:43 > 0:00:46and most of us are doing what we can to keep them down.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49We're unplugging TVs, we're switching off the lights.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51We're even turning the heating down.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53And doing all that should mean
0:00:53 > 0:00:56that we don't get any nasty shocks through the post.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58But as Tracey Dillon found out,
0:00:58 > 0:01:00that's not always the case.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03In March 2009,
0:01:03 > 0:01:08Atlantic Electric sent her an eye-watering £2,000 electricity bill -
0:01:08 > 0:01:10almost ten times her previous one.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15It felt like it was a bizarre bill,
0:01:15 > 0:01:18because it was totally out of proportion to what you would expect.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20You can say that again!
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Tracey had only been in the property a couple of months.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24Her electricity needs were minimal.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28My house is quite an old-fashioned farmhouse,
0:01:28 > 0:01:30which has three bedrooms.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32And I live in the farm on my own.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35The heating is from oil,
0:01:35 > 0:01:37and there are log burners and log fires everywhere,
0:01:37 > 0:01:41so all the heat and the hot water is done from solid fuels.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45There's no electricity involved in that at all.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Tracey was sure she couldn't have used that much power,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51so what could explain the bill?
0:01:51 > 0:01:53Well, Tracey had an idea.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55A couple of months earlier,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58there had been a power surge so severe, it had burned out the cables
0:01:58 > 0:02:00leading into her electricity meter.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03The meter didn't appear to have been damaged,
0:02:03 > 0:02:08but Tracey asked Atlantic Electric if the power surge could have affected the bill.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11I explained that we'd had a power surge
0:02:11 > 0:02:14and we'd had the engineers out and that they knew all about that
0:02:14 > 0:02:17and had been informed about it when it had happened.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20And they said, "Oh, that seems to make a lot of sense. We'll...
0:02:20 > 0:02:23"look into it and get back to you."
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Atlantic did send someone out to visit the property,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30and they came up with a different explanation for Tracey's huge bill.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36They've tried to compare my electricity usage currently
0:02:36 > 0:02:40with 2009, before there was the development at the farm.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42So now there's...
0:02:42 > 0:02:44heated areas for the horses,
0:02:44 > 0:02:48but they didn't exist at that time, so I wasn't using that electricity.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Tracey's passion is horses,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54and she's even represented Great Britain as an event rider.
0:02:54 > 0:02:59But in 2011, she began suffering from the debilitating condition fibromyalgia
0:02:59 > 0:03:03and decided to concentrate on setting up her own equestrian training centre.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08It is absolutely my dream set-up and my dream home
0:03:08 > 0:03:10for the rest of my life, hopefully.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Over the last few years,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Tracey has developed the farm, with new stables
0:03:15 > 0:03:16and specialist equipment,
0:03:16 > 0:03:21but at the time of her disputed £2,000 bill with Atlantic Electric,
0:03:21 > 0:03:23the business wasn't up and running.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27All the development at the farm was only finished by the end of 2009,
0:03:27 > 0:03:32so there was no electricity being used for that until that time.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Tracey kept telling Atlantic that the bill was nothing to do with her business
0:03:37 > 0:03:39and kept telling them about the power surge.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44After eight months, they eventually installed a checking device to test her meter,
0:03:44 > 0:03:46and actually found it was running a little slowly.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51So, Atlantic maintained that the power surge wasn't to blame.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53But power surge or not,
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Tracey is adamant she didn't use the electricity.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58And around three-and-a-half years later,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01she and Atlantic Electric are still battling.
0:04:05 > 0:04:06I don't see or understand
0:04:06 > 0:04:09how one person living in a three-bedroomed house
0:04:09 > 0:04:11with solid fuel heating
0:04:11 > 0:04:13could have racked up a £2,000 bill.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15I don't think that's possible.
0:04:17 > 0:04:18I think it's time I stepped in
0:04:18 > 0:04:21to see if I can help Tracey in her dispute with Atlantic Electric.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26By the sounds of it, Atlantic Electricity
0:04:26 > 0:04:29have been giving poor old Tracey Dillon a bit of a rough ride.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33You see, they're claiming she's used enormous amounts of electricity,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35resulting in a whopping bill,
0:04:35 > 0:04:36and she's not having any of it.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39So I need to get to the bottom of exactly what's happened.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44- Tracey, hello. Lovely to meet you. - Hello, Dominic.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46- How are you doing?- Very well, thank you.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48What do you think caused this large bill?
0:04:49 > 0:04:53I don't think it was any coincidence that when the large bill came through,
0:04:53 > 0:04:55we'd had a power surge.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59A power surge - something that was powerful enough to melt cables at a meter...
0:04:59 > 0:05:01Now, I'm not an electrician,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04but I do know enough about electrics to know that that was one huge power surge,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07- because those cables are as thick as your finger, practically.- Yeah.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09- What happened?- There was a lot of smoke and damage.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13And there was so much electricity running through the house
0:05:13 > 0:05:17that an electrician who came and tested on the walls
0:05:17 > 0:05:19said that it was dangerous to be in the house,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22and we had to take myself and the dog outside.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25So you'd think things would get sorted out quite quickly. There's been a power surge,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28wires have melted... Sort it out, cancel the bill,
0:05:28 > 0:05:31- and get back to normal. - That's what I thought would happen.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Initially, Tracey put paying her bills on hold
0:05:34 > 0:05:37while the disputed amount was being investigated.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39But as the bills kept mounting up
0:05:39 > 0:05:42and no resolution was in sight,
0:05:42 > 0:05:44she did pay £1,000 towards her outstanding normal bills.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Right. Now, in the meantime, what's happening to this £2,000?
0:05:51 > 0:05:54It's still sitting there owed, as far as they're concerned,
0:05:54 > 0:05:56and not owed as far as you're concerned,
0:05:56 > 0:05:58but are they demanding that money?
0:05:58 > 0:06:02Yes, they kept demanding it. I actually had the debt collector round once.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04- That's not a nice experience.- No.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08We had a nice cup of tea and I showed him all the information,
0:06:08 > 0:06:09and he went away again,
0:06:09 > 0:06:11because he realised there was a problem.
0:06:11 > 0:06:17The problem remained unsolved, and in 2012, Atlantic Electric took Tracey to court,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19where they were granted a warrant to disconnect,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22but only after a thorough investigation.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28So I actually contacted my MP, Kenneth Clarke,
0:06:28 > 0:06:29who acted very quickly
0:06:29 > 0:06:34and spoke to the Chief Executive at Atlantic Electric,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37but he wasn't able to make any progress with them.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Even though her MP couldn't help her,
0:06:40 > 0:06:44good on you, Tracey, for pursuing every avenue open.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46I did try quite hard to resolve it.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49I was setting up a new business, so I wanted everything
0:06:49 > 0:06:51to be in order and to function.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Has that had any effect on this electricity bill -
0:06:54 > 0:06:56and it's a double-barrelled question here -
0:06:56 > 0:06:58one, as far as you're concerned,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01and secondly, as far as Atlantic Electric are concerned?
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Well, as far as I'm concerned,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06there should have been no effect on the disputed bill,
0:07:06 > 0:07:08because the business hadn't been set up.
0:07:08 > 0:07:09The planning permission
0:07:09 > 0:07:12to start the building work and all the new development
0:07:12 > 0:07:15didn't come through until a month after the problem.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18- They can't be connected, then, can they?- They can't be connected.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22Atlantic Electric know about this new farm, the stables and everything else?
0:07:22 > 0:07:26Yes. Atlantic have said that the reason my electricity bill
0:07:26 > 0:07:29jumped from £250 to £2,000
0:07:29 > 0:07:32was because I'd developed a new business
0:07:32 > 0:07:35and I was heating all the stables for the horses.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40But as we know, and as Tracey has told Atlantic Electric repeatedly,
0:07:40 > 0:07:45none of the buildings for Tracey's business were built at the time of the huge bill.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Tracey's main frustration
0:07:47 > 0:07:51is that she doesn't think that Atlantic Electric have properly investigated.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55She says she kept asking them if the power surge could be to blame,
0:07:55 > 0:07:58and although they discounted that theory, after testing the meter,
0:07:58 > 0:08:02they couldn't offer an explanation she was happy with.
0:08:03 > 0:08:04What would you like me to do?
0:08:04 > 0:08:08If you can sort out the disputed amount,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11and then I can pay them what I owe.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Tracey currently owes £3,900,
0:08:16 > 0:08:20which is made up of £1,900 of accumulated outstanding bills,
0:08:20 > 0:08:22plus the disputed two grand.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26OK. I'll get to work, see what I can sort out for you.
0:08:26 > 0:08:27Cheers, Tracey. Bye-bye.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33I can't help feeling a little bit sorry for Tracey.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37She's not too well at the moment, and she's had an ongoing battle with Atlantic Electric
0:08:37 > 0:08:38for nearly four years now,
0:08:38 > 0:08:40and she feels they're not listening to her.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Well, let's see whether they're prepared to listen to me.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Now, as I'm always telling you,
0:08:48 > 0:08:50before I get stuck into this case,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53it's important to find out just who I'm up against.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57Atlantic Electric is part of the Scottish and Southern Electricity group,
0:08:57 > 0:08:59otherwise known as the SSE group,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02which is one of the largest energy suppliers in the UK,
0:09:02 > 0:09:05with over ten million customers.
0:09:05 > 0:09:06And according to their website,
0:09:06 > 0:09:10the group has won an award for best customer service
0:09:10 > 0:09:11seven times in a row.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14Crikey! With customer service credentials like those,
0:09:14 > 0:09:18it's even more surprising that Tracey's dispute has gone on for so long.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27Tell you what, Tracey's situation has got way out of control.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30She started off with a two-grand bill that she didn't agree with,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33then she made payments, than she stopped making payments,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36and now, £3,900, plus she's on the verge of being cut off.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41This wants sorted out ASAP.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Right, let's see if their customer service gets a gold star from me.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48RECORDED MESSAGE ON PHONE
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Not a good start, as I'm kept on hold.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55But finally, after three minutes...
0:09:55 > 0:09:58Good afternoon. You're speaking to Rees. Can I take your name, please?
0:09:58 > 0:10:00Hi, Rees. My name is Dominic Littlewood.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02I'm calling from the BBC.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Just to put you in the picture here,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08we're making a programme about a lady who's got a bit of a dispute at the moment.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11I need to speak to somebody about that.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14'After listening to the reason for my call,
0:10:14 > 0:10:16'Rees directs me to a press office manager.'
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Superb. Thanks for your help, Rees.
0:10:18 > 0:10:19That's great. Thanks, Dom.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21No problem. Bye-bye.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24I had a funny feeling that was going to happen.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27I've been diverted on to a specialist department who can deal with me.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30But I got the manager's name and her extension number.
0:10:33 > 0:10:34'And I get straight through.'
0:10:34 > 0:10:36Crikey, that's lucky for me. Hi, Sharron.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40'Sharron doesn't want her voice used,
0:10:40 > 0:10:41'but after introductions,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43'I explain Tracey's predicament.'
0:10:43 > 0:10:46To give you a very brief synopsis of the situation,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48in 2009...
0:10:48 > 0:10:52'I then tell Sharron about the first two perfectly normal electricity bills
0:10:52 > 0:10:55'that Tracey had received from Atlantic Electric,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58'which together came to a total of just over £300.'
0:11:00 > 0:11:03And then she received a bill for £2,001.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08Now, she had a power surge on her home prior to this.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12She's adamant that she thinks this huge bill that came through
0:11:12 > 0:11:13is as a result of that power surge.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16'Sharron says that she feels that it's unlikely,
0:11:16 > 0:11:19'and that they need to do a thorough investigation.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21'Crucially, she wants to make sure
0:11:21 > 0:11:25'that nothing's happening on Tracey's case that they don't want to happen.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29'Hopefully, that means they won't cut her off whilst we dispute this.
0:11:29 > 0:11:30'It's a very promising start.'
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Do you know what, Sharron, I wish everyone was like you.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37But saying that, I'd be out of a job next week.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40'She then reassures me that they'll get it sorted one way or another.'
0:11:40 > 0:11:42Thanks, Sharron. Bye-bye.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Now, I tell you what, the way that call went,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49you'd think this problem is going to be over and done with in the blink of an eye.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53That lady was perfect. I couldn't have asked for someone to be nicer
0:11:53 > 0:11:57and more professional, but somehow I've got a funny feeling
0:11:57 > 0:12:00it's not going to go as smoothly as that call did.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Now, I've taken a look at Tracey's bill from Atlantic Electric,
0:12:08 > 0:12:12and they say she's used over 15,000 units of electricity
0:12:12 > 0:12:14in just over three months.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19Now, trust me, that is an awful lot of electricity, by anyone's standards.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21In fact, I've done a bit of research,
0:12:21 > 0:12:23and it's the equivalent to...
0:12:23 > 0:12:25boiling enough water to make
0:12:25 > 0:12:28850,000 cups of tea...
0:12:32 > 0:12:35..making half a million pieces of toast.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42..or having 113 light bulbs on
0:12:42 > 0:12:4324 hours a day.
0:12:44 > 0:12:45Shocking!
0:12:47 > 0:12:50I've already spoken to the press office manager,
0:12:50 > 0:12:54who said that she'd get on the case and get it sorted.
0:12:54 > 0:12:55But that was two weeks ago,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58and I'm keen to know if there's been any progress.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00Time to call again and find out.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03Hello, Sharron. It's Dominic from the BBC.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05'Sharron quickly brings me up to speed,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08'saying they've been right through it with Tracey
0:13:08 > 0:13:11'and brings up the fact that Tracey is running a business on her property.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16'But as Tracey has explained to Atlantic Electric time and time again...'
0:13:16 > 0:13:19The business wasn't up and running when this large bill came in.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23They didn't even have planning permission to build the business,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26because it's basically an equestrian centre she's got there,
0:13:26 > 0:13:29and the planning permission didn't even get granted
0:13:29 > 0:13:31until the 8th of April 2009.
0:13:31 > 0:13:37Now, that large bill came in for the period December '08 to March '09.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39The business wasn't even up and running then.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42'Sharron's response to this information
0:13:42 > 0:13:45'is to say only that the business was up and running subsequently.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50'Sharron then tells me that Tracey has paid nothing to her account.'
0:13:51 > 0:13:54You say she's never paid... Other than that £1,000 she told us about,
0:13:54 > 0:13:56she's never made any other payments?
0:13:56 > 0:13:59'She then says that she doesn't have the figures in front of her,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02'but she can get back to me and send me full details.'
0:14:02 > 0:14:04That'd be brilliant if you could.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08'Now, Tracey has told me that she did make regular payments to her account,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11'only until February 2012,
0:14:11 > 0:14:13'when she stopped paying completely
0:14:13 > 0:14:18'in the hope it would encourage Atlantic Electric to investigate her complaint thoroughly.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21'However, stopping payments was a breach of contract
0:14:21 > 0:14:25'that landed Tracey in court, and the judge gave Atlantic Electric a warrant
0:14:25 > 0:14:28'to disconnect Tracey's electricity,
0:14:28 > 0:14:32'although the judge did say that the company had to investigate before any action was taken.'
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Thank you, Sharron. Speak to you again soon. And you. Bye-bye.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39We've got a real deadlock here.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Tracey says she didn't use the electricity.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Atlantic Electric say she did.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46And there's no way of proving it either way,
0:14:46 > 0:14:48especially as Tracey's original meter
0:14:48 > 0:14:51has since been replaced and destroyed.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55But apart from the sheer volume of units that were used during that quarter,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58it's clear something unusual has happened
0:14:58 > 0:15:00and unless Atlantic can explain what,
0:15:00 > 0:15:03I think they should give Tracey the benefit of the doubt.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11This whole story has got me thinking.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13You see, when it comes to utility bills,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16we believe what we're told and we trust our meters to get it right.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21So, what can you do when you think your utility company has made a mistake
0:15:21 > 0:15:23and got their wires crossed?
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Well, one man who can shed a bit of light on this
0:15:26 > 0:15:29is Jonathan Elliott, who works in the energy industry.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35So if you think there's something wrong with your bill -
0:15:35 > 0:15:37if your bill's really high -
0:15:37 > 0:15:40probably before you call the supplier to challenge it,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43I'd advise you just to take a look at what you're using
0:15:43 > 0:15:47on your meter on a daily basis, over a couple of days.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49And just see if that sort of matches
0:15:49 > 0:15:54with the consumption the supplier is saying you've used on your bill.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57But if you feel the problem is with your meter,
0:15:57 > 0:15:59there is still something you can do.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Contact your supplier,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04and they're obliged to send someone out who's independent
0:16:04 > 0:16:06from the National Measurement Office.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10And that independent electrical contractor will come and check your meter
0:16:10 > 0:16:14and assess whether it's correct or incorrect.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17But what if your dispute with your energy supplier
0:16:17 > 0:16:18remains unresolved?
0:16:20 > 0:16:22There are organisations you can go to.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25There's Consumer Direct or the Energy Ombudsman,
0:16:25 > 0:16:30both of whom are online, and you can raise your complaint and your issue with them
0:16:30 > 0:16:34and they will pursue it with the supplier on your behalf.
0:16:34 > 0:16:39The other thing we can all do to help ourselves when it comes to knowing our energy consumption
0:16:39 > 0:16:41is to install an energy monitor.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46They're very easy to fit. They sit on your kitchen worktop.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48And they'll tell you exactly how much energy
0:16:48 > 0:16:51you're using at any moment in time in your house.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Sounds good, but possibly the best news for us consumers
0:16:54 > 0:16:58is what the energy industry is cooking up for the future.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02By 2020, every household and every business will have one,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05and smart meters will provide electronically
0:17:05 > 0:17:07meter readings to the relevant supplier.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09So that means no more estimated bills.
0:17:09 > 0:17:15Now, considering that estimated bills are the source of most energy customers' complaints,
0:17:15 > 0:17:19the arrival of smart meters can only be a good thing.
0:17:19 > 0:17:20But remember this -
0:17:20 > 0:17:23if you've got a problem, don't bury your head in the sand.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27There is help out there, so find it...and sort it.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Back now to Tracey's case.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35And there's been a dramatic turn of events
0:17:35 > 0:17:37that has got me fuming. You wouldn't believe it,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40but they've only gone and sent round a disconnection team.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45What I'm really shocked about here, Sharron... I'm going to put my cards on the table.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49You and I are trying to sort things out, we're very amicable, you're getting me the information,
0:17:49 > 0:17:54although I've asked three times for something that hasn't arrived yet.
0:17:54 > 0:17:59Your guys turned up to cut her off. And then, she said, "I believe I owe this amount," and he's taken it
0:17:59 > 0:18:01and she's bought a stay of execution.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05I can't believe you sent them round there while you and me are in the middle of a discussion.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08'Sharron agrees that we are in the middle of a discussion
0:18:08 > 0:18:12'and just said that this wasn't the first time they had a warrant and had put off using it.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14'She then asks me to remember that
0:18:14 > 0:18:18'this is a business contract between themselves and the business.'
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Sharron, I think we've got to agree something -
0:18:20 > 0:18:24that this amount is not her business account. This is her personal account
0:18:24 > 0:18:28and the business hadn't even been built when the dispute was in effect.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30'To be fair to Sharron, she's in the middle here,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33'and is relying on information she's been given,
0:18:33 > 0:18:35'which she agrees to email over to me.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39'But she has already sent me information about Tracey's payment history
0:18:39 > 0:18:44'which confirms that Tracey was paying up until February 2012.'
0:18:44 > 0:18:47You said to me that since this account's been up and running,
0:18:47 > 0:18:49she's only paid you a one-off payment of £1,000.
0:18:49 > 0:18:50I looked into that.
0:18:50 > 0:18:56£5,732 she paid you, and that's before the £1,900 she gave you the other day.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58That's over £7,000 now.
0:18:58 > 0:19:03'Sharron says that she's answering questions based on the information she's got at the time,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05'and states that this point is irrelevant.'
0:19:05 > 0:19:08Sharron, if you know exactly what she's paid,
0:19:08 > 0:19:12how can you possibly say to me that when you said she's only paid £1,000,
0:19:12 > 0:19:14and she's actually paid nearly £6,000,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16how can that be irrelevant?
0:19:16 > 0:19:18'Sharron then gives me her word
0:19:18 > 0:19:21'that nothing else will happen with Tracey until she and I have resolved this,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24'and her pledge to me is to sort it out.'
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Thanks, Sharron. Bye-bye.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Can't get anywhere near. I'm sitting in the car.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34I'll read her email - it's coming through tonight and I'll call her back in the morning.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42I think it's high time Tracey had some support from a specialist.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45So I've arranged for Tracey to meet Dr Robert Brown,
0:19:45 > 0:19:47a chartered electrical engineer
0:19:47 > 0:19:51who spends his life unravelling the secrets behind burnt-out wires.
0:19:51 > 0:19:56Does he think the power surge could have anything to do with the meltdown in Tracey's meter?
0:19:56 > 0:19:59What could have been done to get to the bottom of the problem,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02and could her energy use explain the excessive bill?
0:20:02 > 0:20:06He's having a look around the property to get a feel for the kind of system that's installed,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09and Tracey's keen to hear his thoughts.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15What do you feel could have happened
0:20:15 > 0:20:18to make the bill run up to just over £2,000?
0:20:18 > 0:20:20In my opinion,
0:20:20 > 0:20:22there was a fault on the system,
0:20:22 > 0:20:25and that fault was on the system for a long period of time.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27And in that time period,
0:20:27 > 0:20:32excessive electrical current has been drawn into your system.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36The current has caused heating of the wires
0:20:36 > 0:20:39around the electricity meter,
0:20:39 > 0:20:44which probably culminated in the burning-out of the wires
0:20:44 > 0:20:48at the end of the quarter in March 2009.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51And when you say it's been going on for a long time,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54do you mean weeks or months or days?
0:20:54 > 0:20:56It's difficult to say,
0:20:56 > 0:21:00but I would suggest, given the energy consumption
0:21:00 > 0:21:03of the quarter before and the quarter in question,
0:21:03 > 0:21:08that it could have been going on for probably a few weeks.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11It would have been a good indication to me
0:21:11 > 0:21:16that given the energy consumption in the quarter of the incident
0:21:16 > 0:21:19was three, four, five times more
0:21:19 > 0:21:23than the energy consumption after the incident,
0:21:23 > 0:21:27when you had additional electrical equipment installed,
0:21:27 > 0:21:29that would have been an indication to me
0:21:29 > 0:21:32that there was something seriously wrong.
0:21:32 > 0:21:37So even with all the extra electricity consumption used by Tracey's new equestrian centre,
0:21:37 > 0:21:40her bills are not as high as that one £2,000 shocker she received
0:21:40 > 0:21:43before the business had even been built.
0:21:45 > 0:21:50Thank you very much, Robert. You're the first person who's really showed me any support
0:21:50 > 0:21:52or made me understand what's happened.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56For Tracey, Robert has been the first person to acknowledge
0:21:56 > 0:22:00that the power surge could possibly explain the £2,000 bill.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03And even if it wasn't the power surge,
0:22:03 > 0:22:07he thinks Atlantic could have done more to investigate.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09I thought Robert was excellent.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11He was, um...
0:22:11 > 0:22:14much more positive in his views than I was expecting.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18And he gave me a lot of confidence that there was a real problem,
0:22:18 > 0:22:22so I'm very hopeful that it might get resolved.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25And that I won't be without any lights!
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Whether or not it WAS the power surge,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31the point here is that Atlantic could have done more
0:22:31 > 0:22:35to get to the bottom of why Tracey had this sudden £2,000 bill.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38It's time to get back on the blower,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41to see if I can push this just a little bit further
0:22:41 > 0:22:43without the sparks flying.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48Atlantic Electric!
0:22:48 > 0:22:50I'm sure they're getting fed up with my voice.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52As I am with theirs.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01Hi. Is Sharron there, please?
0:23:03 > 0:23:05It's Dominic at the BBC.
0:23:06 > 0:23:12'I get put straight through, and in reply to Sharron's question about how things are going...'
0:23:12 > 0:23:14It does seem that we are not getting anywhere.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16What's your stance on it at the moment?
0:23:16 > 0:23:20'Sharron then tells me that she thinks she's done all she can
0:23:20 > 0:23:22'in terms of answering my questions,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25'and she'd like to think they've gone some way
0:23:25 > 0:23:27'in putting my mind at rest in the way they've treated Tracey.'
0:23:27 > 0:23:30As you were saying there, you're not particularly happy
0:23:30 > 0:23:33to be dealing with this yourself, because you don't think you can go any further.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36It's probably a case of I'm going to need to speak to the CEO at Atlantic.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Would that be Ian Marchant?
0:23:38 > 0:23:39'Now, I've done my research,
0:23:39 > 0:23:43'and I know that Ian Marchant is the CEO of the SSE group.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45'But Sharron just states that
0:23:45 > 0:23:49'they've escalated this as far as they're going to escalate it.'
0:23:49 > 0:23:52As far as you're concerned, you've escalated it as far as you're happy with,
0:23:52 > 0:23:54not as far as I'm happy with.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56'Time to lay my cards on the table.'
0:23:57 > 0:23:59I think you guys haven't done a particularly good job
0:23:59 > 0:24:01of proving she owes this money,
0:24:01 > 0:24:06and the resolution for me is you wipe the £2,000 and we start again from scratch.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09'Sharron then assures me that either she or her colleagues
0:24:09 > 0:24:12'will get back in touch with me, all being well, by the end of the week.'
0:24:14 > 0:24:17Sharron, it's been lovely talking to you again.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Thank you, Sharron, Bye-bye.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24Now, what's very interesting... We're just banging our heads together.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27I'm asking questions, she's giving me answers. We're not really getting anywhere.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31On two or three occasions, I've said, "What's the CEO's details?" and she didn't give them to me.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Not a problem. I can easily find them if I need to.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37It's Wednesday today. She said, "Give me till Friday and I'll let you know."
0:24:39 > 0:24:41I'm feeling lucky.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45And do you know what? It might be with good reason,
0:24:45 > 0:24:46because, eight days later,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49a colleague of Sharron's in the press office calls
0:24:49 > 0:24:53to say they've been able to escalate the case after all
0:24:53 > 0:24:56to their Head of Customer Services.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59I'm off to meet Tracey, because I've got some news.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04Tracey has had a dispute ongoing now for nearly four years
0:25:04 > 0:25:05for over £2,000.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09Well, let's see if I can put a smile on her face.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12- Tracey, good to see you again. How are you?- Dominic.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15I can tell you, with all the conversations I've had,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17they started up there.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20I was getting on really well with everybody, everyone was very polite, very nice,
0:25:20 > 0:25:24and they promised me they would sort things out. And they have been very thorough in what they did.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27I can say things slowly went down.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30- Did they listen to you at all? - They did, but believe me,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33the emails went backwards, forwards, phone calls, backwards, forwards...
0:25:33 > 0:25:35So what I've got here for you
0:25:35 > 0:25:37is your up-to-date bill.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42Now, this is the bill they say you owe for electricity.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44It's £496.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46I think you're more than happy with that, are you?
0:25:46 > 0:25:49That's great that it hasn't got the £2,000 in front of it!
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Right. You're back to square one now. That's your bill.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55That's your up-to-date usage only for the electricity -
0:25:55 > 0:25:57no disputed amount on there at all.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00- Are you happy?- I'm absolutely delighted, Dom.
0:26:00 > 0:26:01Thank you very much.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05- What are you going to do now?- Well, I shall pay this bill and I shall leave them as soon as possible.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07I had a funny feeling you'd say that.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10Well, I think if you have a problem and they won't deal with it,
0:26:10 > 0:26:14- you don't want to stay with a company like that.- OK. That's your prerogative.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Tracey, all the best for the future. You take care.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Thank you.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21- See, two kisses - it's very horsy, isn't it?- It is!
0:26:22 > 0:26:25The SSE group, who own Atlantic Electric,
0:26:25 > 0:26:28had the following to say about Tracey's case...
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Well, there you go. One very happy lady
0:26:57 > 0:26:59and one very content TV presenter.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Job done.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd