Customers Seek Assistance
More than 46,000 customers have turned to Citizens Advice in the past six months for help with energy debt, a 17% increase compared to last year. This surge in numbers comes even before the onset of winter.
Rising Debt Levels
The average energy debt of those seeking assistance has risen by a third since 2020, reaching £1,711. This increase suggests that more customers are struggling to keep up with their energy bills.
Battling Unfair Bills
Many readers have written to Sun Money detailing their battles with energy companies over debts they don't owe. Sun Money has been successful in helping these individuals overturn unfair demands, recovering a total of over £23,000.
How to Fight Unfair Demands
Leah Milner, Laura Purkess, and James Flanders share their experiences and offer advice on how to challenge and overturn unfair energy bills.
Case Study: Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood, owner of greenerbeauty.com, experienced a billing glitch with So Energy after having a smart meter installed. She was faced with an unexpected invoice of £1,733, which she couldn't afford to pay. Sun Money intervened, and So Energy reduced the bill to £800.
Case Study: Bruno Sabatini
Bruno Sabatini, a shop worker, received a projected energy bill of £16,239 from Octopus for just one month of usage. Sun Money helped him cancel the bill and save £101 on his standing charge.
Case Study: Dawn and David Rutley
Dawn and David Rutley, both disabled and on a special tariff with Ovo, were shocked to receive an extra bill of £500. After numerous calls and engineer visits, Ovo updated their bills with the correct readings and agreed to refund them £3,688.
Case Study: Afsar Parvizi
Ovo threatened Afsar Parvizi with court action over a debt of £2,412, which she didn't owe. After months of battling with Ovo, Sun Money intervened and the supplier admitted the errors were due to a meter upgrade. Afsar has been sent a new bill indicating a credit of £217.
Source: Sun Money
Did you miss our previous article…
https://hellofaread.com/money/woman-furious-after-landlord-increases-rent-by-200-a-month-without-discussion/
