RECORD numbers of customers have sought help with energy debt this year, even before winter sets in.
More than 46,000 went to Citizens Advice over the past six months, up 17 per cent in a year.
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The average energy debt of those seeking help has risen by a third since 2020, to £1,711.
But many of the readers who write to Sun Money face a battle over debts they don’t even owe.
Today we speak to those driven to despair by disputes over huge bills. We’ve helped them claw back more than £23,000.
Leah Milner, Laura Purkess and James Flanders explain how you, too, can get unfair demands overturned . . .
‘It’s irresponsible to take big amounts without warning’
£1,733 cut to £800
BEAUTY business owner Victoria Wood, 44, from Felpham, West Sussex has had no end of grief with So Energy since agreeing to have a smart meter fitted last September.
An engineer damaged a gas pipe and the gas had to be disconnected so Victoria could not cook, or heat her home, for three weeks before someone returned to fix the pipe.
She says: “I logged into my account from time to time and it showed I was always in credit.
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“I didn’t think much of it as I’m so careful, barely using the heating, and lighting candles in the evening. I thought I must have built up a lot of credit.
“On top of that there were government energy bill discounts.”
But on August 31, Victoria, who runs greenerbeauty.com, got an email from So apologising for an invoicing glitch and attaching 12 bills for the past year.
“I felt sick. It said £1,733 would be taken on September 13, less than two weeks’ time. I couldn’t allow the money to come out or I’d default on my mortgage. It’s irresponsible to take that amount with so little warning.”
Victoria says she had no choice but to cancel her direct debit, something not normally advised.
When we contacted So Energy, it halved her bill to £800.
So Energy says: “We are proud to uphold leading customer service standards, however on this occasion we have fallen short and apologise for this.”
Check that you are receiving bills regularly as you can be charged for energy used even if it was the supplier’s mistake.
But they can’t back-bill beyond 12 months if it was their fault and they must give you an affordable payback plan.
‘It didn’t leave enough to cover rent and food. I was in a total panic’
£16,239 bill cleared
SHOPWORKER Bruno Sabatini, 35, was hit with a bill for £580 just a month after moving into his one-bed flat in Epsom, Surrey.
It was July so he hadn’t even used the central heating, yet his supplier, Octopus, was projecting his annual cost at £16,239 for gas alone.
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He said: “That’s almost three-quarters of my £22,000-a-year salary and wouldn’t leave me enough to cover rent and food. I was in a total panic.
Bruno, who has medical issues, contacted Octopus straight away but it couldn’t explain why the projected bill was based on usage 27 times the typical amount for a single person in a one-bed flat and is investigating what went wrong.
After Sun Money stepped in it agreed to cancel the bill and Bruno’s standing charge for six months as a goodwill gesture, saving him £101.
Sara Williams of advice website Debt Camel says if you have a long-term medical condition ask your provider to be added to the Priority Services Register, saying: “It could mean that your complaint is dealt with more quickly.”
You can also ask to be added if you are over state pension age, are pregnant, or if you have young kids.
How to fight back
- CHECK the serial number on your meter matches the one on your account as this is a common cause of mix-ups.
- Take photos of readings, note down times you’ve called the supplier and follow up in writing, putting the word “complaint” in the subject line of your email or letter.
- Once your supplier has had eight weeks to try and resolve an issue, or if it sends a letter saying you can do so sooner, go to the Energy Ombudsman (energyombudsman.org, 0330 440 1624).
‘Every time a bill came through the letterbox I felt sick with dread’
£3,688 refunded
SISTER and brother Dawn and David Rutley, aged 75 and 78, are disabled and live together in Swindon. They are housebound and support each other.
David, a retired paint-worker, is undergoing treatment for leukaemia and has arthritis, while Dawn, a former cleaner, is often in hospital with digestive problems.
They are on a special tariff with Ovo which means their meter gives three different readings — for daytime use, evenings and a cheaper seven-hour window overnight.
They have been paying around £300 a month but then last month Dawn opened an Ovo letter asking for an extra £500.
When she spoke to David she found he’d only just paid £900 for an earlier demand while she was in hospital — and this would take their bill to £5,000 a year.
Dawn knew this couldn’t be right and after several calls an engineer came out, but they couldn’t read the meter correctly — then Ovo went silent.
Dawn says: “Every time a bill came through the letterbox I felt sick with dread.
“We don’t want to have to think about whether we can afford to turn on the lights or cooker when we’re not in good health.
“I’ve been worrying every waking moment but Ovo wasn’t interested.”
After Sun Money intervened, it took two further engineer visits before Ovo was finally able to update Dawn and David’s bills with the correct readings.
It has now agreed to refund £3,688 which was overcharged, and reduce direct debits, and is sending a food hamper as a gesture of goodwill.
Ovo says: “We’re very sorry for the time taken to resolve this.”
‘I was terrified they would send bailiffs’
£2,412 debt cleared
OVO told Afsar Parvizi, 77, she could face court action if she didn’t pay a debt of £2,412 — which the supplier has now finally admitted she never owed.
Afsar’s daughter Afsaneh, 58, who lives near her mother in Highgate, North London has been battling Ovo since last winter over bills that seemed far higher than they should be.
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Afsaneh, who runs eco-friendly period-product firm myfreda.com, says: “I was terrified they would send bailiffs to my mum’s door.
“But she wanted to pay up because she trusts authority and didn’t believe they could be so wrong.”
In February, Afsaneh sent in readings and said the billing errors might be due to the meter being replaced in 2021.
Ovo refused to back down, until Sun Money stepped in.
It’s now admitted the errors were the result of the meter upgrade and Afsar has been sent a new bill saying she’s £217 in credit.
Ovo says: “The case is with the Energy Ombudsman and we will provide a goodwill amount as part of the final decision.”
