Pensioner charged £3,600 as supplier issues bill first and asks questions later

A PENSIONER was billed more than £3,600 for two months’ power supply due to an incorrect meter reading.

Brenda, 78, whose surname was not disclosed, discovered the huge rise in her bills last month.

The Loughborough pensioner’s standing order for December came in at £1,839, with the same sum deducted for January by E.On, a company she has been with for 20 years.

Her usual payment is £78 a month. The increase was due to an incorrect gas meter reading she had sent to the company in August.

Brenda said: “I thought they might have muddled me with someone else.

“I am surrounded by houses in multiple occupation and this sounds like a monthly payment on a threestorey six-bedroom house, whereas I own a small cottage.

“I do tend to check carefully the figures I transmit, but in truth I cannot say one way or another where this rogue figure came from.

“If an E.On reader came round, which I have a vague recollection of, they can just read the meter and carry on, surely?”

Brenda, who is in her third year of chemotherapy treatment for multiple myeloma, said she was keen to avoid extra stress in her life and contacted the energy firm and her bank about the issue straight away.

She contacted online finance guide This Is Money, which reported that after a fortnight of silence from E.On, it stepped in to speak to the energy firm on her behalf.

This is Money said the dramatic rise should have “rung alarm bells” at E.On.

Energy regulator Ofgem also expressed concern that E.On issued the bills before questioning the circumstances. An E.On spokesman said the rogue reading had been sent by Brenda and promised to refund her for the overpayment. The spokesman said: “We’ve spoken to Brenda to apologise for the concern caused by the increase in her direct debit.

“We had estimated her energy use based on an incorrect meter reading previously provided by

Brenda.

‘We have now updated Brenda’s account, refunded the overpayment and lowered her monthly Direct Debit.”

The firm agreed to cut her energy bill to £72 a month.

Ofgem told This Is Money: “Protecting consumers is our top priority and we expect suppliers to identify any unusual readings against historical consumption and to contact customers when such instances arise.”

Energy regulator Ofgem expressed concern that E.On issued the bills before questioning the circumstances