Eligibility
Work out whether you have anything worth pursuing
You can get a long way with the paperwork already in your possession. Nothing here requires a solicitor, and none of it commits you to anything.
Six checks
Go through your own file first
01
Was a broker or intermediary involved?
If you dealt directly with the supplier and nobody else, there is no broker commission to recover. Look for a third-party name on the quote, the covering emails, or a letter of authority.
02
Did you sign a letter of authority?
Brokers usually need one to approach suppliers on your behalf. Its wording matters: a document appointing someone to search the market for you supports the argument that duties of loyalty and disclosure arose.
03
Does anything state what the broker earned?
Look for a figure, a percentage, or a pence-per-kWh uplift. A vague line saying the broker 'may receive a commission' is not the same as being told what you were paying. That distinction is central.
04
What did the broker say about how it was paid?
A broker that described its service as free, or as costing you nothing, while earning an uplift built into your rate, is in a materially different position from one that explained the arrangement.
05
Are the contracts within six years?
The general limitation period is six years from when the contract was entered into. Older contracts are not automatically out, but they require an argument about concealment.
06
Do you have the consumption figures?
Your annual statement gives kWh used. Without consumption, contracted rate and term, no loss can be calculated.
The one thing you cannot establish yourself is the rate the supplier offered the broker before the uplift was added. That figure sits with the supplier, and obtaining it is normally the first substantive step in a claim.
Usually worth reviewing
- Contracts arranged by a broker where you cannot say what they earned
- Multi-site businesses with several supplies signed at the same time
- Long fixed terms of three years or more
- Renewals arranged over the telephone with little paperwork
- Contracts where you were moved off an out-of-contract rate in a hurry
- Charities, care providers, pubs, hotels, manufacturers and multi-let landlords
Usually not a claim
- Domestic household energy contracts
- Contracts arranged directly with the supplier, with no intermediary
- Contracts where the broker's fee was clearly quantified and agreed in writing
- Complaints about the price rising, where the rate was disclosed and fixed
- Billing disputes, meter faults and back-billing, which are supplier matters
These are patterns rather than rules. Cases turn on their own facts, and the only way to be certain is to look at the documents.
Free review
Send us what you have
Tell us roughly what you spend and who arranged the contract. We will confirm what documents we would need to see and whether it is worth your time going further.
What happens after that