£102m in billing errors hit customers

More than a million energy customers have been overcharged a total of £102 million over the last year because of billing errors, new research has revealed.

Nearly 1.3 million households were forced to pay an average of £79 more than they owed, and some are still waiting for a refund, according to a study by price comparison website uSwitch.

About one in three of customers affected said they were charged for an amount that did not match their meter readings, while a quarter said their energy bills did not add up correctly.

Claire Osborne, energy expert at uSwitch, said: “Customers having to pay the price for suppliers’ mistakes is unacceptable. Households are already feeling the pinch from recent energy price rises, and having to chase for an average of 35 days to get their money back simply adds insult to injury.”

The findings come just weeks after British Gas became the latest big six energy supplier to hike prices, ramping up the cost of electricity by 12.5% for 3.1 million customers, despite falling wholesale prices.

Other mistakes include suppliers getting direct debit amounts wrong (8%), applying incorrect fees (7%), and muddling bills up with someone else’s (5%).

The cost of billing errors may be even higher than the total of £102m, since over a quarter of consumers admit they either fail to read their bills properly or do not read them at all.