Ulverston town band faces axe over electricity bill
Last updated at 16:17, Wednesday, 28 October 2009
A BAND more than 150-years-old will have to fold if it is forced to pay a bill members say is unfair.
Ulverston Town Band treasurer Thomas Irving said he was told by energy supplier e-on last week that the band suddenly owed £15,000 in electricity costs. He said the only warning was a letter received on October 13 to say there would be a “high bill”.
Mr Irving said he had been told by e-on over the phone that the fee had built up over six years because staff from the energy supplier had been reading the six-digit meter in the band’s practice room as a five-digit meter.
But Mr Irving is adamant he should not be forced to pay for what he calls “e-on’s mistake”. Mr Irving, of Garden Terrace, Ulverston, said: “It started with them basically accusing us of stealing electricity. They wanted £15,000 for six years, all because they read the meter wrong. They’ve brought it down to £12,000 and then £6,000.
“But even then I told them: ‘I tell you what mate, you have just killed Ulverston Town Band’.”
The band survives on performance fees and an annual Ulverston Town Council grant. Mr Irving said he usually has to pay around £300 a year for electricity at the band room in Canal Head, Ulverston. Mr Irving added: “I’m not denying we’ve used the electric. But there has been no warning and we’ve had no reason to query the bills.”
An e-on spokesman said: “We have spoken to Mr Irving regarding this matter and as a gesture of goodwill we have reduced the amount owed and offered a payment plan to cover the balance and ongoing usage.
“We’ve also arranged for an energy efficiency consultant to visit the band to help them understand their energy use and help them to reduce their usage.”
The Evening Mail put the spokesman’s comment to Mr Irving, but he said the e-on member of staff that he spoke to over the phone yesterday did not make the same promises.
First published at 13:11, Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk
And there was me thinking that the only people that can get away with admitting their mistakes and still making the innocent pay for them is HMRC!
Have your say
It's amazing how if a customer makes a mistake, they make you pay and if they make a mistake, then you still have to pay. If they make a mistake they should swallow the loss just as any business does if they screw up.
Posted by Ian on 28 October 2009 at 20:38