Questions of Cash: Where were Extra Energy's 'high standards' when it owed a customer a £106 refund?

An Independent reader contacted the company 15 times about a refund

The windows were put right for an Anglian customer but a financial dispute broke the peace (Getty Images)

Q. I read your answers to the questions about Extra Energy (see link below) with interest. In August I switched from Extra Energy to SSE and since then have been owed £106 by Extra Energy, as my direct debit payments were greater than the cost of the electricity used.

I phoned the company 15 times – and on the five occasions I got through, I was promised payment. I have also written three times to the company's managing director, who has not replied. MH, Oxfordshire

A. Extra Energy explained that "an internal issue" delayed your final bill. It said it advised you when you complained that it would take four to six weeks to issue a refund – a period that seems to us excessive. The refund was apparently processed in November and approved in December.

Extra Energy's managing director, Ben Jones, said: "In this case, we've fallen below the high standards we expect of ourselves, and a senior member of my team has called [the reader] to personally apologise for the delay in issuing her refund."

You tell us you have received the £106, plus a £50 goodwill payment. In addition, you received £125 to cover the cost of a small claims court action that you initiated at the same time you contacted us.

Although the company claims to offer "high standards", we have now had complaints from three Extra Energy customers who did not experience this.

Waiting for Anglian to reimburse my £200

Q. My house was fitted with a complete set of new windows and doors in August by Anglian Home Improvements. I overpaid my account by £200, and despite phone calls and two letters, I have not recovered my money. I would like to avoid having to go to the small claims court. IG, Kent

A. A spokeswoman for Anglian replied: "Having investigated the situation, we owe [the reader] an apology as he is absolutely correct and a £200 refund is due. Despite having sent us copies of the documentation, an administrative error at Anglian meant the refund was not recognised on our systems. I can confirm a cheque has been dispatched."

Charged as I couldn't move my broadband

Q. We moved house in September. We wanted to take our existing Virgin Media broadband service with us, but Virgin Media does not cover our new address.

It wants to charge us £145.50 for cancelling its service, but this seems unfair when it is unable to provide a service. JD, Hertfordshire

A. A spokeswoman for the company said: "Our contracts are very clear that if a service is ended early, a disconnection fee may be charged. We appreciate that not everyone lives in a Virgin Media cabled area, which is why we are investing £3bn to bring broadband to 4 million premises throughout the UK."

Nothing smart about my phone deal

Q. I was given a BlackBerry in May by a relative after her contract. The phone was no longer connected to a network, so I couldn't test it.

In June, my relative arranged to have the handset unlocked. I signed up with Vodafone for a SIM-only plan offering unlimited minutes and texts and 1GB of data.

I found that while I could make and receive phone calls, and texts, I could not use the internet facilities.

I went to the Vodafone shop, which added a full BlackBerry services package. Still the internet could not be accessed. I went back to the shop, where the assistant was unable to help; we concluded that the internet data allowance, a major part of the SIM-only package, could not be utilised.

I wrote to Vodafone seeking its agreement to cancel the contract. I received two letters from the company, one saying I had the right to cancel my direct debit at any time, another assuring me that I had the right to cancel my contract within 14 days of the letter's receipt. I emailed confirming my wish to do that. But I then received a letter requesting payment of £15.30.

However, Vodafone then agreed to waive the charge and told me to disregard the letter.

But in September I had a demand for £19.66 from a company called Debt & Revenue Services, which said that a default notice might be placed on my credit reference agency file. I wrote back saying the matter had been resolved with Vodafone.

DRS wrote again, saying it had left messages for me to which I had not responded – which was incorrect. I received another letter from DRS, so I wrote back saying it should discuss this with Vodafone. I have now been contacted yet again by DRS with a demand for payment; I have also had another demand from Vodafone. PL, Norfolk

A. Vodafone apologises. A spokeswoman said: "We've cleared the balance from the bill incorrectly issued to [the reader], removed any marks on his credit file and made sure he wasn't listed with any debt-collection agencies."

The company offered to reconnect your handset on a pay-as-you-go arrangement, along with a £30 credit. You refused this, saying you wanted nothing more to do with Vodafone, and requested a payment of £30 instead be made to a charity of your choice. Vodafone said it couldn't do this, but was willing to make the payment direct to you, for you to pass on to the charity. You restated your position. There the matter is concluded.