People power

IT'S easy for customers to feel disheartened when trying to rectify mistakes made by large faceless utility companies. Waiting on the telephone listening to a recorded jingle while chasing up problems with unexplained bills, meter readings or switching providers is now a familiar part of 21st century consumerism.

They should not despair, however. Barry Payling, from Rotherham, has shown that perseverance can pay. After a visit from British Gas debt collectors demanding money he didn't owe and his mother being sent a letter asking her to rejoin the firm after she had died, the 59-year-old photographer decided – rightly – that enough was enough.

By logging every call, letter and the time that he spent chasing the firm during working hours, he turned the tables on the utility provider by billing them for his time.

When they refused to pay, he started court proceedings and has now received a cheque for the 2,108. Such a sum is hardly a significant loss for a company which recorded profits of more than 500m, but it is certainly a significant victory both for Mr Payling, and all those customers, who expect better standards of service from such companies.