Dentists join £2 billion legal claim against energy firms
NewsPosted by: Dental Design 29th June 2023
A dozen dental practices have joined a £2 billion legal claim aimed at getting compensation from UK energy giants who are alleged to have paid secret commissions to third-party brokers.
The undisclosed broker commissions which were added onto the unit cost of gas and electricity are said to have falsely inflated energy prices for up to two million businesses and organisations in the UK.
Law firm Harcus Parker is launching group litigation to reclaim these secret commissions from the energy suppliers who paid the money to brokers without customers’ knowledge.
So far 12 dental practices have signed up to the Harcus Parker claim and more are being urged to join.
The claim comes at a time when dental practices face increased costs due to inflationary pressures.
Damon Parker, senior partner at Harcus Parker, said: ‘We are very pleased that we are able to help dentists that have signed up to the legal claim.
‘We’re very aware that, like many other businesses, dental practices are wrestling with inflation and increased energy prices. We hope that by helping to return some of these secret commissions to businesses that it will help ease some of the financial burden.
‘With many claims stretching back several years we would expect individual dentists to be able to claim back thousands of pounds each.
‘We would urge any dentists who have not yet joined the legal action to contact us to see how we can help.’
Harcus Parker has so far signed up more than 2,000 businesses ranging from big manufacturers and sports clubs to community organisations, shops, faith groups, care homes and charities.
Research conducted by the law firm found that one energy supplier offered brokers as much as 10p/kWh in commissions that were then added to customers’ bills, frequently without their knowledge. A large number of suppliers offered brokers secret commissions of between 1p – 3p/kWh.
Unscrupulous brokers are accused of being more interested in getting themselves the highest amount of commission possible rather than getting the customer the best financial deal.
Harcus Parker has set up a dedicated website for those wishing to make a claim: Home – Harcus Parker | Energy Claims (energylitigation.com)
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO MAKE A CLAIM?
To be eligible to enter a claim you should be able to answer ‘Yes’ to the following three questions:
- Are you a business or organisation that has been supplied your gas or electricity as a non-domestic energy customer?
- Did you enter into your contract for the supply of gas or electricity in the past 10 years through a third-party introducer or broker?
- Did the broker and energy company fail to clearly tell you that commission was added onto the unit cost of the gas and electricity that you were charged?
