Do two wrongs make a right? Generally not, but the story of Spark – the small energy supplier we interview this week on page 8 – poses an interesting conundrum. At first glance, the supplier is a politician’s dream: an entrepreneurial start-up spotting a gap in the market and taking on the big six. Look a bit closer, though, and worrying details emerge. The company is under investigation by Ofgem for switching customers with histories of bad debt to larger suppliers without the customers’ knowledge. As regulatory breaches go, this is pretty flagrant. Chris Gauld, the managing director, acknowledges mistakes were made, insists they have been rectified, and says the company has now grown up and moved on.
Regulatory minefield is a barrier to entry
