IT glitch emptied E.On customers’ bank accounts on Christmas Eve

... with no hope of refunds till Tuesday

CUSTOMERS of energy giant E.On have told of their fury at an IT glitch which saw direct debit payments taken f rom accounts two weeks early.

The error meant many were left out of pocket on Christmas Eve after the company said it could not process refunds until December 29 at the earliest.

About 1.5million customers – including households and small businesses already hammered by coronavirus – were affected.

Direct debits that should have been taken in the next two weeks were taken on Thursday.

The company apologised and said refunds would be made on the first available date. But many customers said they were facing Christmas overdrawn as a result of the IT blunder.

Others told of their frustration at being unable to contact the company for an explanation.

Naomi Lordan, 36, from the Isle of Wight, said she has been left ‘penniless’ over Christmas after £150 was taken early.

She added: ‘I phoned E.On who blamed the fault on my bank, Barclays, even though I had just listened to a recorded message to say there has been a technical i ssue which has caused the early payment.

‘I phoned Barclays which told me yes E.On have taken the payment early and they put in a request to have my f unds returned. Ten minutes later I had my money back in my bank and can’t thanks Barclays enough.’ Customer Natalie Vellacott, 39, from Rochdale, said she was saving to pay for building work which is due to take place in January.

She had £55 taken from her account on Thursday.

It was not due to be taken until January 4. ‘I already paid them £46 on December 1,’ she added. ‘If I hadn’t checked my account today my council tax direct debit may have bounced affecting my credit score.

‘I phoned E.On but there’s a recorded message about what’s happened which says they are returning the money immediately. I think they should pay compensation and allow customers to switch if they aren’t happy with their service without penalty.’

Karen and John Miller, from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, said they had £101 taken from their account which was due to go out in January.

Mrs Miller said: ‘Luckily I have been paid early, as has my husband, so we can afford this, but we are very aware so many people will now be in difficulty.’

One distraught customer wrote online: ‘Christmas ruined, can’t afford to pick up my preordered Christmas shop today because E.On took my direct debit early. Thanks a lot, excellent way to round off an already s***** year.’

An E.On spokesman said: ‘We are sorry for this error and are taking steps to contact affected customers where we can...

‘Customers do not need to do anything or contact us, and we ask that they bear with us while we work to refund them on the first available date, which is December 29. Customers’ direct debit payments will then be taken [as usual].

‘If a customer has incurred bank charges as a result of this issue, we will of course reimburse this money to them. Any customer who is concerned should contact us.’

‘We’ll reimburse bank charges’