If your business energy supplier only offers web chat, keeps you waiting on the phone or has stopped answering, Black Sheep Utilities can take the problem off your hands. We are a business energy and water broker in Brighton with a phone line and real people, and we deal with suppliers on our customers’ behalf, usually under a Letter of Authority.
What problems do business customers bring to us?
Supplier problems are rarely about price. They are usually about an account that has gone wrong and a business owner who cannot find the time, or the right person, to put it right:
- meter readings that have not been taken or accepted, and estimated bills that no longer match real use
- billing errors, such as the wrong rate, the wrong meter or charges for a period you were not supplied
- erroneous transfers, where a site has been moved to a supplier nobody at the business agreed to
- renewals that were missed, leaving the business on deemed or out-of-contract rates
- a supplier that only offers web chat, or phone queues that take up the working day
Deemed and out-of-contract rates are easy to fall into. Ofgem explains that a business is put on a deemed contract automatically when it moves into new premises without arranging a formal contract, and that deemed rates are usually higher than negotiated contract rates. Some suppliers also move a business onto out-of-contract rates when a fixed-term contract ends without a new deal being agreed, and Ofgem says those rates are usually more expensive than fixed-term contracts too.
Contact channels also differ. British Gas, for example, describes British Gas Lite as an online-only product for small businesses whose customers can only use web chat, 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. That suits some businesses; others would rather hand a long-running problem to someone who will follow it through.
Why does a broker get further with a supplier?
A broker gets further because we do this every day and you do it once in a while. We know how suppliers’ processes work, which evidence they need to correct a bill or reverse a transfer, and what to ask for so that a query does not go round in circles. You get one point of contact at Black Sheep Utilities instead of a new chat or a new adviser each time.
The Letter of Authority makes this possible: a short signed document authorising us to speak to your supplier about your account and act for you. With it, the supplier can discuss your meters, bills and contract with us directly, and we chase the query to a conclusion so that you do not have to.
Ofgem notes that energy brokers can help a business find a suitable contract and then negotiate with the chosen supplier. While we are sorting out the problem in front of you, we can also look at whether a better contract is available for your electricity or gas, so that a renewal is not missed again.
How do I get help if I am already a Black Sheep Utilities customer?
Call us on 01273 914000. We already hold your company, site and meter details, so we can normally start on the problem straight away. It helps to have the latest bill or letter from the supplier to hand.
How do I get help if I am not yet a customer?
Tell us what’s happening. We need your company name, your contact details, the meter and site information for the supply concerned, which supplier it is with and a description of the issue.
Once we have that, we send you our Meter Information Form. With a Letter of Authority signed, we contact the supplier on your behalf and keep you updated as the query moves forward. If it makes sense, we will also show you what a new contract could look like, and whether you take that further is up to you.
Which suppliers does this guide cover?
We have written a page for each of the suppliers business owners most often search for when trying to get through. Each sets out, from the supplier’s own website, how it handles customer contact, and how we can help.
The British Gas Lite page covers the online-only product, and the British Gas page covers its standard business energy accounts. Pozitive Energy, which now trades as PE Solutions, has its own page, as do Corona Energy and E.ON, whose small and medium business customers are moving to E.ON Next accounts. The Opus Energy page explains where its customers went, now that its website says it is permanently closed.
Frequently asked questions
Will you give me my supplier’s phone number?
No. The point of these pages is that you should not have to spend your day in a queue or a chat window. We are a broker, and dealing with suppliers for businesses is our job. If you want the problem handled, call us if you are a customer, or tell us what’s happening if you are not.
What is a Letter of Authority?
It is a signed document that lets us speak to your energy supplier about your account and act on your behalf, and it is how a supplier knows we are allowed to discuss your meters, bills and contract. We send it to you once we have your supply details.
What should I do if I smell gas?
This is not a job for a broker or a supplier’s customer service team. National Gas runs the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999, 24 hours a day, and asks anyone who smells gas or suspects a leak to call that number straight away.
Whatever is going wrong with your supplier, talk to the Black Sheep Utilities team and we will take it from there.