Blunder saw my Eon energy bill jump from £78 to £1,839 a month

With the cost of energy bills surging, millions of households are already feeling the pinch financially.

One This is Money reader, Brenda, 78, from Loughborough, has been temporarily hit harder than most on the energy bill front, after seeing the price of her gas and electricity bill with Eon surge from £78 a month to £1,839 a month late last year.

Having been a loyal customer for 20 years, Brenda was left dismayed when her energy bill suddenly jumped 2,257 per cent.

Brenda told This is Money she swiftly contacted Eon about the matter, but claimed that after a fortnight she had still heard nothing back from them. She also contacted her bank about the issue. 

Shock: An Eon customer was dismayed when her energy bill direct debit jumped from £78 to over £1,800 a month (file image) 

After This is Money stepped in, the energy firm claimed the bill had been triggered by an incorrect meter reading sent in by her. She told us that she does always check figrues correctly and also vaguely remembers an Eon meter reader visiting, but conceded it could have been her mistake.

However, the crucial questions are how did Eon’s systems fail to pick up someone’s monthly usage bill soaring 23-fold and why did it fail to act when she contacted customer services for help?

In November, Brenda paid £78 via direct debit for her energy bill as normal, but the December bill came in at a whopping £1,839, with the same high figure deducted for January 2022. 

For two months worth of energy, she was charged £3,678.

She added: ‘I thought they might have muddled me with someone else. I am surrounded by houses in multiple occupation and this sounds like a monthly payment on a three storey six-bedroom house, whereas I own a small cottage.’ 

Brenda has also started her third year of chemotherapy treatment for multiple myeloma and is keen to avoid extra stress in her life. 

After This is Money contacted Eon, the company claimed the problem stemmed from one rogue meter reading provided by Brenda in August. 

The reading meant the energy supplier significantly overestimated Brenda’s gas use.

Brenda told This is Money: ‘I do tend to check carefully the figures I transmit but in truth I cannot say one way or another where this “rogue” figure came from.

‘If an Eon reader came round, which I have a vague recollection of, they can just read the meter and carry on surely.’

An Eon spokesperson said: ‘We’ve spoken to Brenda to apologise for the concern caused by the increase in her direct debit. 

‘We had estimated her energy use based on an incorrect meter reading previously provided by Brenda.

‘We’ve now updated Brenda’s account, refunded the overpayment and lowered her monthly direct debit.’

Since This is Money got involved, Eon has agreed to refund Brenda the overpayment and cut her energy bill to £72 a month. However, as of today, Brenda is still awaiting the £3,678 refund. 

Despite the origin of the August meter reading, with the possibility of incorrect figures being input by mistake, we asked watchdog Ofgem whether it should have been picked up.

Ofgem told This is Money: ‘Protecting consumers is our top priority and we expect suppliers to identify unusual readings against historical consumption and to contact customers when such instances arise.’

In this instance, this shock bill increase should have rung alarm bells at Eon and it could have been avoided.

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk