Highland woman asks energy ombudsman to step in to row over changing electricity arrears
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A Kiltarlity woman is asking the energy ombudsman to intervene in a wrangle with her energy provider which said she owed more than £2000 – despite having been previously told it was just under £600.
Chloe Hardy says during telephone calls over the space of a few hours to clarify the level of arrears for her electricity usage, she was cited different amounts.
Miss Hardy says the saga has left her upset and she is now asking the energy watchdog to investigate People’s Energy based near Edinburgh.
"It is causing me a lot of stress," said Miss Hardy, who suffers long-term health problems due to throat ulcers.
"It is affecting my mental and physical health.
"But I feel this needs to be highlighted. I am concerned other people have had the same experience."
She swapped from her previous provider to People’s Energy in September 2019 when she set up direct debit payments based on previous electricity usage.
But she discovered last December, the payments were not covering the amount she was using at her two-bedroom house in Balgate Mill and she owed £671.
After seeking advice from a charity and a local MSP, she phoned People’s Energy this week to check the outstanding arrears believing that they now totalled £599.
But she was informed she owed £789.
"They telephoned me back in two hours and said all the figures they had given me to date had been wrong," she said.
"They told me I owed them over £2000.
"They said the reason for that was all the previous statements of how much I owed were estimates."
Later in the day, she received an email giving her another debt total of £743. Miss Hardy, whose home is heated via radiators from an air source heat pump, says she only heats part of her house and has minimal electrical appliances such as a fridge, cooker and washing machine.
Although she has a computer, she does not have a TV.
She is baffled over the amount owed.
"I live in a cold house, yet this supposed debt climbed up," she said.
"The figures don’t balance. They don’t make sense."
Miss Hardy said she had swapped to People’s Energy because of its strong message about putting the planet first and ending fuel poverty.
A spokesman for the People’s Energy Company said: "We are committed to providing the best customer service possible and we are cooperating fully with the ombudsman.
"We recognise that at times we don’t fully meet the high standards that we have set for ourselves, and we are working hard to make improvements where that is needed.
"However, we cannot comment on this particular case whilst we are awaiting the ombudsman decision."