Suppliers told to refund energy customers after pricing error
Thousands of households have been incorrectly charged on their gas bill - are you due compensation?
Thousands of households have been overpaying for their gas, with some charged nearly three times too much.
The mistake came to light when one supplier discovered it had mixed up measurements from older imperial meters with modern metric ones.
E.ON revealed it had overcharged 350 of its customers, with some overpaying for up to 15 years.
The company said that all of the compensation would be worked out on an individual basis.
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'Thousands more' affected
It's not clear how many other energy firms made the same error, but energy regulator Ofgem believes that several thousand households may have been affected and has called on all energy firms to identify any customers who have been overcharged by this Friday (August 19).
The issue will apply to households whose imperial meters were replaced with metric meters.
In some cases the supplier may not have altered the records properly, meaning that their energy consumption was measured in cubic feet, rather than cubic metres.
Underpaying
There will also be households in the reverse situation who have been undercharged for their gas, but thankfully they won’t have to pay any extra.
E.ON says that there were 250 customers who should have paid 65% more than they did, but Ofgem believes that several thousand households have been affected across the energy market.
All the other energy firms have been ordered to identify any households that have been overcharged by Friday August 19.
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Getting compensation
Affected customers don’t need to take any action.
But if you want a bit more clarity anyway, have a look at the Government’s rundown of the key differences between imperial and metric meters and how your energy bill is calculated on each.
Source: gov.uk
An Ofgem spokesman said: “Working with Energy UK, we’re ensuring suppliers take immediate and decisive action to identify affected customers.”
Energy UK added: “Any customer affected will be contacted shortly by their supplier and where there has been overcharging, a refund will be issued as quickly as possible.”
Still feel like you’re owed a refund? Read How to reclaim money from energy firms to find out more.
Better yet, switch your energy supplier and get a cheaper deal altogether. Get a free, no obligation quote with loveMONEY today
More household money essentials:
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