Four million overcharged

Almost four million UK energy customers have been overcharged by their supplier due to billing errors in the last year, at a total of £270 million, a survey suggests.

Suppliers most commonly applied the wrong tariff or product details to an account – affecting 36% of overcharged customers, applied incorrect fees, 31%, or set a charge based on a meter reading that differed from the one provided by the customer, 27%, the poll for price comparison site uSwitch found.

Other errors – which left customers on average £72 out of pocket – included wrong direct debits, muddling bills up with someone else, charging twice for a product and adding up totals incorrectly.

Some 14% of those overcharged said a special offer or discount was not applied to their account.

Half, 51%, waited more than a fortnight before the issue was resolved by the supplier, but almost one in 10 are still waiting, the poll found.

USwitch energy spokeswoman Claire Osborne said: “Consumers have a right to expect correct bills. It’s unacceptable in this day and age that customers are picking up the cost of suppliers’ mistakes.”