Energy Solicitors Saves Sunderland Restaurant £12,000 in Disputed Energy Charges

A well-known North East restaurant has successfully avoided a significant financial setback thanks to the intervention of Energy Solicitors, who helped resolve a long-running dispute with a major energy supplier.

Six, a popular restaurant and wine lounge, was unexpectedly served with a demand for £24,000 from SSE, despite having paid its energy bills via direct debit every month. The issue stemmed from a misunderstanding around the end date of the restaurant’s electricity supply contract, which expired in December 2021. The owners were unaware of this and received no formal notification from the supplier.

As the dispute escalated, Six received an invoice in November 2022 for more than £16,000 in unpaid charges. When the restaurant queried the bill, the supplier responded with a breakdown of charges in a file that turned out to be corrupted and unreadable. Despite repeated attempts to resolve the issue, the restaurant was met with silence.

Months later, Six was served with court papers seeking to recover the full £24,000. At this point, the restaurant turned to Energy Solicitors for legal support.

Victoria Myers, Senior Partner, reviewed the case and identified several grounds on which the charges could be challenged. Energy Solicitors then submitted a detailed defence and successfully negotiated a reduced settlement of £12,000, saving the restaurant half of the original demand.

“Once we reviewed the case, it was clear that Six had grounds to question the figure,” said Victoria. “Given the circumstances, we pushed for a lower settlement and the restaurant eventually paid £12,000.”

Clinton Mysleyko, co-owner of Six, expressed his gratitude for the support we provided.

“We can’t thank the team enough for fighting our corner and saving us so much money,” he said. “As soon as we suspected there was a problem, we did everything in our power to put things right, but sometimes specialist support is required. Energy Solicitors took a deep dive into our case and felt confident enough to contest the amount the energy supplier claimed we owed. We couldn’t have gotten this far without them.”

In a climate of rising energy costs, food inflation and increasing business overheads, this case highlights the importance of expert legal advice when dealing with complex energy disputes.

Unexpected energy bill? Energy Solicitors are here to protect your business and get you back on track. Contact us today.