Groat steps in after 90-year-old Dunnet man is 'harassed' by power company over huge bill
The Groat has stepped in after a 90-year-old Dunnet man was threatened with court action over a £5000-plus electricity bill he said was "totally wrong".
The pensioner said he was at his wits' end after receiving a series of intimidating letters and claimed the power firm would not listen.
Donald Clark owns properties across Caithness including a garage at Watten that he leases out. After the last tenant left the property, he thought it would be a straightforward matter after the final electricity meter readings were sent in to the provider Maxen Power.
"They've made a mistake with the figures and got it totally wrong," said Mr Clark. "It's been really stressful and very annoying to have them demand over £5000 from me and they just won't listen when I tell them what the real meter reading is.
"They're threatening me with court cases and it's not a nice position to be in, especially at my age."
The sprightly 90-year-old showed a series of bills from Maxen Power that had been sent out since February this year and went from a demand for around £900 to the latest, dated November 2, that soared to £5255.71 and included the threat of a court order to enter the premises and remove the meter.
The letter from N Habershon, authorised officer of Maxen Power Ltd, states: "Total outstanding includes an overdue amount of £5255.71 plus all current charges to date and costs incurred.

"Despite previous communications and an arranged visit to your premises, the above account remains unpaid. As we are unable to gain access, this is to inform you of Blackthorne Utilities Ltd's intention to make application for a Warrant of Entry... to disconnect the electricity supply, if needed, by forcing entry."
The letter continues by stating that Mr Clark can oppose the application by contacting the company's office within 16 days by recorded delivery letter. It further warned that such action may incur additional court costs "in excess of £400".
It went on: "You continue to consume electricity on a daily basis. Should this account not be resolved prior to the hearing we will require payment of the full balance of your account, plus our charges for removal of the meter of approximately £500 whether or not the disconnection proceeds."
Mr Clark said he sent the recorded delivery letter the company asked for but nevertheless claims he received another letter the following week threatening him with a court order. "I've also been getting phone calls from them and when I pick it up there's nobody at the other end. They're on about breaking in, cutting off the supply and the responsibility to fix the door is mine."
He was also worried that if the court order was accepted then the building may be left insecure and that it contained many valuable vintage cars and motorbikes, some dating back to the early 1900s. "It's unbelievable what they're doing," he added.
Mr Clark invited the Groat to check his current meter reading, which clearly showed 34,884 units earlier this week. Maxen Power is, however, demanding payment based on a meter reading of 39,196 units, a difference of 4312 units from the actual reading seen on Wednesday afternoon.
With many energy companies folding over the last few months, it appears that Maxen Power is also struggling and recently defaulted out of Elexon’s Balancing and Settlement Code. Subject to approval, the company has been told it will not be able to take on new customers, as its right to register metering systems has been suspended.
When contacted, a spokeswoman for the company at first denied that there had been regular updates from Mr Clark about the matter and that the bill must be paid in full. When we forwarded a photograph of the meter with a date and time stamp embedded within the image from this week, she eventually agreed that there was a discrepancy and said the bill would be reduced to the figure of £538.23 – a tenth of the amount previously demanded.
When told about the rectified bill, Mr Clark said he thought it was still more than he should have owed and that a similar property he owns in Dunnet only accrued around a quarter of that amount.
However, he was delighted that there had been some resolution and said: "They had been ignoring my requests but I'm delighted you've been able to help.
"I'll be contacting the editor to send my admiration and thanks to the paper. I could have employed lawyers and suchlike but I didn't see why I'd have to pay those costs. This is the greatest news I've had in a long time and I cannot than you enough."