SITTING in the dark, too scared to put the light on with her tummy rumbling from a lack of food, 82-year-old Elizabeth Mately cried.
She felt hopeless and alone and had lost half a stone in weight from only eating sandwiches, as she feared her energy would be cut off at any second.
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The pensioner, who used to be an office secretary before she retired and lives in Havant, Hampshire, endured the misery for nine days, where she avoided showering and cooking because of a mistake made by her energy firm Eon.
Elizabeth discovered she was unable to top up her meter when she moved into her new home earlier this month.
No money was left on the meter by the previous tenant, meaning she would have to dip into emergency credit.
But Eon forgot to tell her that her supply wouldn’t be cut off if she ran out of funds.
Unaware of this and unsure of when the meter would be switched over, she was terrified to use the gas and electricity.
“I had just one cup of tea in the morning and one at night,” she said.
“I only had one shower over nine days, I did strip washes instead.
“I only cooked one meal in the microwave so I didn’t have to use the cooker – I’ve been living off sandwiches.
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“I’ve lost half a stone in weight because of worry and having no cooked food.”
Eon can make £5 of emergency credit available to customers and if this runs out, you can be cut off from your supply.
Elizabeth said she spent hours on the phone trying to sort out getting her meter topped up – but was constantly left on hold.
She said her daughter Jacqui Martin, 61, who is also from Havant and can’t work due to arthritis issues, has been trying to help her sort the problem out.
“Me and my daughter spent four and a half hours trying to speak to someone at Eon when I moved in on May 7,” she said.
“We were just left on the phone.
“I went to Citizens Advice as well – one of their helpers was on the phone for two and a half hours and couldn’t get through either.”
She finally got through to Eon on Tuesday – a full 10 days after she moved in.
Eon said it should have told her that she would not be able to officially become a new customer until May 19.
That’s why she hadn’t been given an account number so she could top up her account.
She was told she should have been informed that she would not be cut off if she used up all the emergency credit left on the meter.
“I had no reason to have all this worry, someone just forgot to tell me,” she said.
“I live alone and when my daughter had to go home, that’s when I got scared.
“I’m not usually a weeper but I’ve felt so useless, it’s been horrible.
“I’m scared of sitting here in the dark and not being able to do anything about it.
“I’m sure I’m not the only one in this position – more needs to be done to help people like me.”
Desperate for help, Elizabeth wrote a letter to Sun Money asking us to fix the problem.
It wasn’t until we phoned Eon to get them to urgently look at her case that anything was done.
The energy firm apologised for the “poor service” and has agreed to put £50 on her pre-payment meter, plus reimburse her for the £40 she tried and failed to put on her meter.
A spokesperson said: “We have spoken to Mrs Matley and have apologised unreservedly for the poor service she has received.
“We will continue to keep in close contact with Mrs Matley to ensure this matter is fully resolved.”
Elizabeth said: “I’m very happy now it’s been sorted, it’s such a relief – it’s not been pleasant at all.
“Without your help, I don’t think I would have got through to Eon to resolve it.”
What to do if you’re having supplier transfer issues
Before you move house, you’ll need to tell your new supplier.
Citizens Advice says not to use a key or card or put money on the meter until you have been in touch with your new supplier.
This is because you could risk paying extra for debts owed by people who lived there before you.
If you are having trouble getting through to your energy supplier, you can complain.
Citizens Advice says that energy suppliers’ customer service is now the worst it has been on average since 2017 – which means you’re more likely to be left hanging with a problem.
You should complain to your supplier if you are unhappy with how your situation has been dealt with.
If you’re still not happy, then you should take it to the Energy Ombudsman.
They handle issues between customers and suppliers.
If you’ve tried to resolve a problem with your provider and you’re getting nowhere, the Energy Ombudsman will look at your case and see if they can help you deal with the complaint.
It helps resolve issues on billing, installations and delays, loss of service, customer service, and switching suppliers.
If they help take your complaint on, they can only help back bill you for 12 months.
That means you won’t be able to get help getting money back before this.
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