Bill blunder left me £632 in debt – now we time the kids in the shower
TEARS rolled down Tim Kearney’s cheek as he realised EDF had mistakenly taken £442 from his bank account . . . for the SECOND time. The error left him unable to buy food and pushed him into an unarranged overdraft. The 48-year-old self-employed decorator fell behind on his bills last year as he struggled to find enough trade. […]
TEARS rolled down Tim Kearney’s cheek as he realised EDF had mistakenly taken £442 from his bank account . . . for the SECOND time.
The error left him unable to buy food and pushed him into an unarranged overdraft.
The 48-year-old self-employed decorator fell behind on his bills last year as he struggled to find enough trade.
He reached an agreement with the energy giant to pay what he owed in smaller chunks of £11 a month on top of his monthly bills.
But EDF took the full £442 in December. After Tim got in touch, EDF refunded the cash within 24 hours.
But it happened again last month, leaving him overdrawn and without cash for essentials.
Tim says: “I had no money to feed myself. I had to borrow money from my parents to pay for rent, food and bills. They are 81 and can’t afford it.”
He contacted EDF to complain and after seven days he received a refund of £364 — still £78 short.
When The Sun contacted EDF, it quickly refunded Tim, apologised and offered to pay his overdraft charges.
‘Now we time the kids in shower’
An EDF spokesman said: “We’ve also offered Mr Kearney a goodwill payment and can set up an affordable payment plan for the outstanding balance.”
He is one of thousands forced to complain to energy providers.
Annual bills are set to rise by an average of £693 to £1,971 in April when the new price cap kicks in.
The Government has pledged to help households with a £200 credit in October to be repaid in £40 chunks from April 2023.
Households in council tax bands A to D will get £150 off their bills too.
Prices are not the only thing going up.
Complaints to the Energy Ombuds-man are rising too — up 31 per cent year on year, according to data analysed by The Sun.
More than 20 suppliers have gone bust in the past year, resulting in 2.7million customers being moved to other providers.
Many of those people have faced billing issues.
A billing blunder left Gill Mewett owing money when she believed she was in credit.
The stay-at-home mum had been diligently recording her meter readings with Avro Energy. When Avro went bust she was sent a final statement in September 2021 showing she was £220 in credit.
The 51-year-old, who lives in Wiltshire, was transferred to Octopus Energy along with 580,000 other customers and set up with a smart meter.
Gill was then sent a flurry of bills in the space of two weeks from her new supplier, for varying amounts, telling her she owed up to £973.
It was not until The Sun contacted Octopus that it admitted these were a mistake.
The firm claims they were based on meter readings sent by Avro — and that Avro’s final bill to Gill was incorrect.
In total, Gill now owes £632 — which comprises the debt she owes and her energy usage from September to January this year.
She says: “When I had so much credit, I thought, ‘Fab, I must still be paying the right amount for what we use’. Now we’re doing research on how we can cut costs. We don’t use the tumble dryer and the kids have a timer for how long they can shower.
“If I had known earlier, I could have made the adjustments I am now making to my energy bills and there would have been more consideration given to the bills before presents last Christmas.”
‘Meter showed I’d used £41,300 electric’
Octopus told The Sun the error was due to “incorrect billing” by Avro.
An Octopus spokesman added: “We are working with Gill to allow her to pay this debt over time and set up a reasonable direct debit for her to do so.”
As well as billing blunders, energy customers have been hit with smart-meter glitches.
SSE customer Adrian Vanheems, 72, woke one morning last month to find his smart meter showing he owed an absurd £41,000 for just five hours of energy usage.
Adrian says: “I went to the kitchen to make tea and was greeted with the reading on my smart meter.
“I apparently used £41,300 of electricity between midnight and 5.30am in my small semi-detached house.
“It’s a big inconvenience. There’s no point having a smart meter if it’s not going to give the right amounts.”
Adrian, who is retired and lives in Reading, will not be charged for the error. But SSE only assured him of this after The Sun intervened.
The energy firm claimed it could not initially check his account as he is moving to Ovo Energy.
The error is not yet fixed, leaving Adrian with a smart meter he cannot use and unable to track his energy costs.
A spokesperson for SSE said: “We’re sorry for the error and can reassure Mr Vanheems the issue would have impacted the display only, not the actual meter or meter readings. He will not receive a bill for the amount on the display.”
Common issues with invoices
YOUR BILL IS VERY HIGH. It is hard to know if you are being billed incorrectly or if it is simply a price rise. If your bill jumps suddenly, it is worth checking with your supplier. Take a look at your consumption and work out if that has gone up.
Avoid estimated bills at all costs. Give your provider a meter reading every month and take a photo as evidence.
Suppliers can only bill you for the previous 12 months if the error was its mistake.
YOU ARE OWED CREDIT. We get lots of letters from consumers who have been switched to a new supplier after theirs has gone bust. Many are waiting for credit from these failed firms.
Gillian Cooper, of Citizens Advice, says: “If your supplier fails and you’re moved to a new one, the new supplier is responsible for protecting your credit.
“However, it’s a complex process, so it can take several weeks to get a refund.
“Your supplier should keep you updated on how things are progressing and when you’ll receive your new bill.
“If you’re struggling to pay, speak to them about the support they can offer.”
YOUR SMART METER IS ON THE BLINK. If your smart meter is not working properly, your supplier should investigate and replace the meter if required.
In the meantime, you should continue to take meter readings in the usual way to track your usage.
Suppliers should try to get a proper meter reading at least once a year.
IF YOU CAN’T SOLVE IT . . . If you are not happy with what your energy firm says, or it does not sort your problem, you can report the firm to the Energy Ombudsman.
You must have complained to your supplier and given the firm eight weeks to resolve the problem.
The ombudsman will then take a look at your case and decide whether you are entitled to compensation.
You must take your case to the ombudsman within 12 months of your supplier telling you of its decision.
Energy expert Tashema Jackson, of energyhelpline. com, says: “There is nothing more frustrating than being incorrectly charged for anything. But in a time of rising bills and high energy usage, suppliers getting your energy bill wrong is particularly irritating.
“They should take steps to resolve it promptly. If you feel things are taking too long, raise a formal complaint. Then, if that is not resolved to your satisfaction, you will be able to take your complaint to the Energy Ombudsman.”