MP Warns of Hampton Electricity Misselling Scam

4.40.20pm GMT Fri 5th Mar 2004

Vincent Cable, MP, is warning local residents (in the Hampton area especially) NOT to admit to their homes people from Southern Electricity who ask to read the meter: "they are operating a scam. They gain admission to peoples homes on the pretext of looking at the meter and then try to bully confused or frightened householders into changing their gas and electricity supplier to Southern Electricity".

Vincent Cable has written a strong letter to the Scottish based Chief Executive of the company and informed the consumer watchdog, Energywatch, who have put out a national warning about Southern Electricity. But Vincent Cable said he is worried that "vulnerable, especially elderly, people will be conned by these cowboys. They chose the wrong person to try to intimidate in my rather formidable caseworker, who live in Hampton, but before and after they got to her dozens of residents must have been exposed to these people. If anyone has been mis-sold one of these contracts they can contact me and I shall demand that the company apologise and withdraw it".

Letter to the Chief Executive of Southern Electricity

Ian Marchant Esq

Chief Executive

Scottish & Southern Energy plc

Inveralmond House

200 Dunkeld Road

Perth

PH1 3AQ

Misselling by Southern Electric, part of Scottish & Southern Energy group

In the course of my work as an MP I have taken up numerous cases of misselling by electricity and gas suppliers. Today, one of the most blatant was brought to my attention by my own constituency caseworker.

At around 12.30pm she answered the door to two men, both clearly identifiable from their badges and uniform as Southern Electric employees. One had a South African or Rhodesian accent. He told her that there had been an error in billing energy supplies in her road (Percy Road, Hampton, Middlesex) and that they were calling to check the meters. My caseworker allowed them into the hall to check the meter. They closed the door after them which immediately made her uneasy.

Having read the meter they then asked to see examples of her gas and electricity bills and appeared to check them against details on a clipboard. The man with the Southern African accent then said that she was overpaying on her gas bill to Seeboard and showed her a couple of numbers on his clipboard to demonstrate this.

At this point her suspicions were aroused. She deals with a lot of cases of misselling on my behalf but even so, your salesmen had got into her house and she was still not absolutely sure of their motives. She asked if they worked to commission which they admitted to but proceeded to tell her that Seeboard (her current gas supplier) were "middle men" and that Southern Electric actually supply the gas in the Hampton area. She could, they said, save money by cutting out the middle man. She knows enough about the energy supply industry to be aware this is utter rubbish and they compounded this by telling her that Seeboard are owned by a French company, something which she already knew and which presumably was thrown in as a negative piece of information which they hoped would rebound to Seeboard's disadvantage. At this point my caseworker told your salesmen to leave which they did.

However, it is her job to deal with such cases and others unfortunately will not be so well informed.

It is clear from my caseworker's experience that your salesmen are operating a scam, entering people's houses on false pretences and then telling further lies to try to get people to switch supplier.

My caseworker has since drawn the attached press release from Energywatch to my attention which tells a very similar tale. She has also reported this case of attempted misselling to Energywatch.

Unless I have a written undertaking from you that this practice of deceit upon my constituents is to stop at once, I will raise the matter in Parliament.

I look forward to hearing from you.