Scottish and Southern Energy lose appeal over misleading sales

SCOTTISH and Southern Energy (SSE) has lost an appeal against a ruling that it was guilty of using doorstep salesmen to mislead potential customers.

Three judges at the Court of Appeal in London rejected a challenge by the big six company, announcing that they were “not persuaded that this conviction was unsafe”.

In May last year the company was found guilty of two counts of “engaging in a misleading commercial practice” in a prosecution brought by Surrey County Council Trading Standards.

The prosecution was believed to be the first of its kind against one of the big six energy firms.

Following today’s decision, SSE is now due to be sentenced at Guildford Crown Court in Surrey on May 4.

Surrey’s trading standards said salesmen from Scottish and Southern Energy had used a sales script and a print out to convince customers to switch suppliers.

After a five-day trial at Guildford Crown Court, SSE was found guilty of the two counts of taking part in misleading selling practices relating to the script between September 2008 and July 2009.

At the time of its conviction SSE said it wanted to reassure customers, and potential customers, that the case related to sales aids used in February 2009 which were no longer in use, and added that it was “confident that our sales processes continue to be fair and responsible”.

Steve Playle, of Surrey’s trading standards, said after today’s ruling that as a result of the case five of the big six, including SSE, have now stopped doorstep selling altogether.

He described it as a classic case of “David and Goliath” - with SSE having a “turnover something like £28 billion” and Surrey Trading Standards having a budget of “just £2 million”.

Mr Playle called on SSE to write to every customer they signed up using the “illegal script” to “make a serious offer of compensation”.