Pensioner receives backdated rebate

A customer, a pensioner, discovered that a concession that had previously been provided had not been applied to their bills for many years. They complained to their Retailer, who provided a credit for the missed rebate back several years to a previous call between the customer and the Retailer. The customer complained to the Energy and Water Ombudsman that the rebate should be further backdated to the time the rebate was incorrectly removed from their account.

The Energy and Water Ombudsman’s investigation considered a range of relevant matters, including the contract between the Retailer and the customer, the case notes held by the Retailer and good industry practice. The investigation found that the rebate was incorrectly removed and that there were no records showing that the Retailer attempted to inform the customer that the rebate had been removed from their account. As a result of the Energy and Water Ombudsman’s investigation, the Retailer agreed to backdate the rebate to the time it was removed.