Smart meter’s £40k bill error ‘distressing’
AUTISTIC MAN AMONG MANY AFFECTED BY THE BLUNDER
AN autistic man was left “distressed” to find his energy smart meter telling him he owed £42,000.
The man’s mother, Dr Terri Enyon, county councillor for Coalville, said she thought it was a “cruel April fool hack” – but then discovered people across the country were experiencing the same issue.
Energy provider SSE accepted responsibility for the blunder.
Dr Enyon tweeted: “My son’s smart meter says he owes £42k in energy bills today. It seems he is not alone.
“If this is an April Fool hack please sack the perpetrator immediately. Frightening people is not funny.”
Others posted photographs of their smart meters on social media, with some reading as high as £45,000.
SSE said it was aware of the issue, but could not say when it would be resolved.
A spokesman for the energy company said: “I have no idea when it will be fixed. We have escalated the issue and will inform all of our affected customers.”
Dr Enyon said: “My son is autistic so this came as a huge shock to him.
“He doesn’t use social media and I am worried about other customers who do not have access to it either.
“He is a frugal person who lives on benefits and was left utterly distressed.”
SSE has put out a tweet in response to the complaints.
It said: “We’re aware of a fault on some of our Smart Energy
Trackers and In Home Displays that’s causing them to show incorrect costs.
“We’re sorry and are working hard to resolve this. Customers do not need to do anything at this time.”