A law firm has agreed to act on behalf of gas customers unhappy about a £11.56 rebate from Island Energy for an island-wide outage.

Sinels says there has been a clear breach of contract, and the supplier should be liable for losses incurred.

“Sinels is happy to act on behalf of consumers affected by [the] gas outage as, in our view, there has been a clear breach of contract.

Losses have occurred, and as a result, the supplier should be liable for those…we will do our best to recover those for consumers.” - Advocate Philip Sinel.

Around 4,000 homes and businesses were left without heating, cookers and hot water for several days last October when a technical glitch knocked off the supply. 

Some were not reconnected for a fortnight, and several restaurants had to close and incurred big losses.

Last month, Island Energy said it would give customers who were affected a refund of £11.56, equivalent to a month's standing charge, as a goodwill gesture.  Unlike in the UK, the company is not legally obliged to compensate customers for an unplanned interruption to services.

Jersey Consumer Council Chairman Carl Walker called the offer 'pathetic', and said the JCC would be working to secure a better deal.

So far, around 250 people have registered with Jersey Consumer Council.  Its survey is still open.

Please can unhappy Island Energy customers continue to register at https://t.co/3v6EnCUVeF

— Consumer Carl (@CarlWalker7) February 10, 2024