A Borders energy firm has been ordered to pay £250,000 to Citizens Advice for failing to treat its customers properly while establishing itself in the marketplace. Regulator Ofgem found Spark Energy wrongly stopped customers switching to other suppliers and transferred customers when it should not have. It also "fell short" of billing and complaints handling standards. The failings largely occurred between June 2010 and October 2013. Ofgem opened an investigation in June 2013 after receiving a "high number" of complaints about Selkirk-based Spark from several sources. There were complaints about customer transfers, billing and refunds, and Ofgem was also concerned that Spark was not handling complaints according to the regulations.

Sarah Harrison, senior partner in charge of enforcement at Ofgem, said: "The fact that Spark's problems occurred when it was establishing itself in the market is no excuse for not complying with its obligations. "Following our intervention, Spark has made significant progress and has put in place new processes to resolve its issues....Read more here

Spark Energy 'impersonated customers' to remove 'debtors' - Read more here

Ofgem opened an investigation in June 2013 -Read more here