North East cafe re-opens months after energy supply was cut off by providers

The Seaglass Café on Sunniside in Sunderland City Centre is now back in business - after its energy supply was cut off on September 2 as part of an ongoing dispute. The team were forced to throw out thousands of pounds worth of food and the shutters of the café have remained down until now. An intervention by Sunderland BID and Procure Smart who have now managed to get the team a deal on their energy and have been able to accelerate the case to the Energy Ombudsman.

James Usher, Operations Manager at the Seaglass Café, said: “We are so grateful to the BID for introducing us. We were being bounced around from one person to the next and could also never get any response to any of the questions we raised about the bills. “We were shut for 35 days which is devastating for a small business but Procure Smart worked to get us reconnected so we could reopen and are still working with us to get the on-going situation resolved.



” “We had a number of companies get in touch and offer to help but they all wanted something like a promise that we would sign up with them when it was all sorted,” he said. “Procure Smart was just happy to help, although of course we will definitely be using them when this is all completed. We’re absolutely over the moon with what they have done and how they continue to help us.

” Craig Shields, managing director of Procure Smart said that the company was still working to get a satisfactory outcome. “Because we work in the industry day in and day out we have the contacts to go directly to the right people and to be able to sort out situations like this,” he said. “We followed the paper trail for James and have helped him take the case to the Energy Ombudsman.

“We are still in almost daily contact and will continue to work on his behalf. It’s just part of the service we offer and we’re delighted to work so closely with Sunderland BID and be able to support all of the businesses in the city centre.” Recommended: Get more content including the stories that matter to your community from The Northern Echo for just £2 for 2 months for a limited time only here.

Sharon Appleby, chief executive of Sunderland BID, believes that there are many businesses that can benefit from Procure Smart. “As part of our commitment to supporting businesses in the city we work with Procure Smart so they can help them save money and get the best deals available,” she said. “It’s also invaluable to have an expert in your corner on the occasion that an issue does arise and that is also all part of the service that Procure Smart offers.

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