Covid-19: Inaccurate energy bills stress out cash strapped customers, charity says
Inaccurate and inflated energy bills continue to plague customers, a charity has said, adding that five bottom-ranked suppliers gave incorrect bills to 15 per cent of their customers.
Citizens Advice, which ranked energy suppliers, said many people whose finances were already stretched by the pandemic faced further difficulties after receiving incorrect energy bills.
“All companies have a responsibility to deliver the best possible service to their customers and it is disappointing to see such a wide chasm between those who are taking this seriously and those who are not,” the chief executive of Citizens Advice, Clare Moriarty, said.
Suppliers said smart meters would help improve the accuracy of bills, however, the charity warned of “a race to the bottom” among the companies it had placed at, or near, the end of the list.
The inaccurate bills are often made worse when customers seeking a resolution, fail to contact the company.
One elderly customer told the charity: “I’ve contacted them so many times and they say someone will get back to me, but no one ever calls me back.”
Moriarty added: “When customers with billing errors are unable to contact their supplier for help, it can cause immense stress. These problems are even worse for those who are already worried about money.”
A spokesperson for trade association Energy UK said: “In a highly competitive market, good service is as important as price to many customers and it’s essential energy suppliers get the basics right, which includes accurate and timely billing.
“Energy suppliers produce millions of energy bills each year and in the rare cases where errors are made, they need to be fixed quickly.”