The Rebranding to Ruby Energy

BES decided to rebrand to Ruby Energy to distance themselves from BES's negative reputation and rebuild trust with customers. The rebranding follows a string of legal complications and issues regarding customer service. Ruby Energy aims to provide better customer service and cleaner energy, which can be seen as a fresh start for the company.

Controversy surrounding BES Utilities (Now Ruby Energy)

BES found themselves in quite a bit of controversy when the director (Andrew Pilley) was sentenced to 13 years in prison for fraud. As the judge handed Andrew his sentence, he described the company as "a salesforce of cold-calling liars and manipulators."

Andrew was found guilty of:

1. Two counts of fraudulent trading–including causing or allowing fraudulent mis-selling of energy supply contracts and concealing this from customers, Ofgem, and/or the Energy Ombudsman.
2. Being concerned in an arrangement which facilitates the acquisition, retention, use or control of criminal property by another – namely the proceeds of fraudulently mis-sold energy contracts.
3. Fraud by false representation based on posts on MondaySavingExpert.com and Ise.co.uk which falsely purported to be made by customers and contained fabricated content.
   

The fraud was carried out through a telesales operation run by companies that appeared to be independent but were controlled by Pilley and his sister, Michelle Davidson.

When it was time for businesses to renew their energy contracts, BES would trick them into signing an extremely long and expensive contract. One way in which BES would 'trick' customers into energy contracts is by providing misleading information regarding the length or costs of the contract to persuade businesses to secure their contracts with them

The customers would then be transferred to a sales representative who would verbally provide the terms and conditions of the contract and confirm the agreement. The customer would then be stuck in a legally binding contract.

What the National Trading Standards Said:

Lord Michael Bichard, Chair of National Trading Standards, said:

"This was a sophisticated fraud that involved careful planning. Junior sales representatives would cold-call innocent businesses before passing over potential victims to senior sales agents. Cunning agents would then close the deal by telling lies. Once the customer had been persuaded to enter into the deal, they were told that the call would be recorded to go through a formal contract process. The lies which had induced customers to enter into the contract during the front-end call would then not be repeated as the binding verbal agreement was made."

Who Owns BES Utilities / Ruby Energy Now?

Due to the complexities of energy companies, along with all of the licenses they have to hold.

Many suppliers have multiple different companies for different departments of the business.

For the case of BES Utilities, they had 3 companies,

These were all owned by: Andrew (Andy) Pilley,

The three companies were:

1. BES COMMERCIAL ELECTRICITY LTD (06882734)
   21 Apr 2009 - 06 Aug 2024
2. BES UTILITIES HOLDING LTD (10126191)
   15 Apr 2016 - 06 Aug 2024
3. BUSINESS ENERGY SOLUTIONS LTD (04408013)
   02 Apr 2002 - 06 Aug 2024

These three companies have now became:

1. RUBY ELECTRICITY LTD (06882734)
   07 Aug 2024 - Now
2. RUBY ENERGY HOLDINGS LTD (10126191)
   07 Aug 2024 - Now
3. RUBY GAS LTD (04408013)
   07 Aug 2024 - Now

These companies have remained with the same company number, although Andrew (Andy) Pilley has now resigned as a director and Jamie Pilley is now a director of all of the above companies.

BES Utilities / Ruby Energy Online Portal:

Yes your previous account and password that was once with BES Utilities will be the same with Ruby Energy.

You will be able to log into your online account using this link : https://account.rubyenergy.uk/

On the portal you will be able to view previous meter readings, view contract details and upload meter readings to Ruby Energy.

What does this mean for current customers and contracts?

For current customers of BES Utilities, Ruby Energy will now carry out the previously agreed contract under their name - meaning you are not free to leave your current contract. However, it is a good idea to check with Ruby Energy to see if there are any changes to the terms and conditions set out in your contract. There should be no immediate disruption to service. Ruby Energy aims to provide better customer service, meaning you may receive better support and a more supportive service than in the past.

If anything in this article affects you and you would like some advice, please don't hesitate to contact us. Our trustworthy team of energy experts would be more than happy to help. Or get a quote with us.