Shock energy bills of up to £700 issued to households after error - are you impacted?
Shock energy bills of up to £700 issued to households in error
PA
Hundreds of Britons have been issued with emails and letters telling them to hand over extra cash after being undercharged for their energy.
The glitch came after Boost, which is part of Ovo Energy, had a fault with its meter readings.
A message to customers said: “Unfortunately, when our prices went up in October, your meter wasn’t updated due to a technical problem.
“This means that we were charging you less than we should have for a short period of time. We are sorry about this.”
Boost, which is part of Ovo Energy (pictured), registered a technical fault
PA
Boost, which supplies energy to approximately 200,000 homes, added: “You’ll need to pay the difference in price for energy you’ve used.
“But we’re reducing this amount by 10 per cent to say sorry for the mistake.”
Posts on social media indicate hundreds of Boost customers have been impacted by the fault.
Suzanne Ekpenyong, 41, told The Sun: “I was absolutely fuming to receive a letter in the post explaining that Boost had added a £300 debt to my meter because of their own mistake.”
The mother-of-two, who is self-employed and lives in Woodford, added: “It is absolutely ridiculous that the debt was automatically applied plus the payment plan which I didn’t consent to.”
However, an Ovo Energy spokesperson claimed a “small number of customers were paying too little for a short period due to a technical issue”.
The spokesperson added: “We’re here to help any customers who would like additional support with an affordable plan.”
Ovo Energy also confirmed vulnerable customers who have an existing debt of more than £500 have had their costs waived.
Energy bills have continued to soar in recent months
PABut customers with less than £500 in debt will be required to repay what they owe due to the glitch.
The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) states suppliers can charge households for energy used less than 12 months ago if they have not been correctly billed.
The energy regulator also requires suppliers to work with customers to agree on an affordable payment plan.
Boost customers who are unhappy with the prepayment plan can request a review of payments and debt repayments, ask for payment breaks or reductions, seek a longer payment period, access hardship funds, receive advice on how to use less energy and join the Priority Service registration.
Impacted customers can take several precautions if they are unhappy with Boost
gbnewsPlease write at least 1 paragraphs
They can also send complaints to Boost by emailing complaints@boostpower.co.uk or calling 0330 102 7517.
The Energy Ombudsman can receive complaints about an energy or communications provider.
But customers must submit a formal complaint with their provider and work with the company to resolve the issue before approaching the Energy Ombudsman.
It is also possible to complain if customers have not received a satisfactory solution within eight weeks.
You may like
