is it legal for seasonal campsite to take back/remove electricity units credit already purchased on meter card on previous tariff due to new tariff hikes ?
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Quote: Originally posted by AlwaysSmiling27 on 04/3/2022
is it legal for seasonal campsite to take back/remove electricity units credit already purchased on meter card on previous tariff due to new tariff hikes ?
Did they refund you for those units? I would think that under consumer law when you added the original units a contract was formed to supply those units at the price paid. Maybe they are in breach of contract? What sort of amount is involved and is it worth the hassle as the owner could ask you to leave the site for even a frivolous reason?
Several seasonals have been asked for electric card back which then had reduced amount of units entered. Personally I had £40 / 200 units, but some others had over £100 reduced which seems very unfare and illegal possibly.
The maximum that the site can charge users has to be the same as what they are paying per kwh. All their meters are sub meters therefore no standing charge per meter as there is probably only one MPAN or power point for the whole site.
If the site recently entered into a new supply contract with their supplier and new cost maybe higher that is their issue as the moment you paid them for the electric in advance a binding contract was formed and they are obliged to fulfil that contract even if their costs have increased.
If you want to fight this there is a good chance you and the others will win, but ultimately you may lose out.
Saying this in the nicest possible way as I would also feel aggrieved if the same happened to us. It needs to be remembered that the cost of power has jumped up significantly and they are a business and not a charity whether or not you agree with them.
If you want to push this further firstly you need to raise a complaint with the site owners pointing out that you had a contract regarding the electric. If they refuse to acknowledge then you need to get a deadlock letter before escalating it to Ofgem.
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It sounds like you have been treated unfairly but there are probably wider considerations here. We have been looking at seasonal pitches for ages and can’t find one anywhere as all the ones we have tried are full and have long waiting lists. If you antagonise the site owners, you may find yourself without a seasonal pitch next year as the site won’t renew with you once your contact for this season is over. You might just have to accept it if you like the site and want to stay there for a few years, however, if you plan to leave at the end of this season anyway, it might be worth pursuing through the likes of ofgem.
Thanks everyone for your comments, I know we are lucky to have our seasonal oitch. However I really feel agrieved that pre-paid units should be removed . Absolutely any subsequent units should be charged at new rate, but for those that had credit removed from either the meter or cards still seems unlawful.
The simple answer is no, they are not legally entitled to deduct prepaid credits if energy prices change. You purchased X number of units, at a price of £Y/unit. If the price goes up or down after you you have bought X units, those units are still legally yours. It is the same with any commodity that is subject to price fluctuations. A petrol company cannot demand that you return purchased fuel if the price increases just after you buy it.
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Topic: Campsite electric credit removal legality
via mobile 04/3/2022 at 8:33pm
