The 48-year old woman who lives alone suffers from arthritis and chronic pain but says she can’t afford to heat her home because she is still waiting for the refund. Sally Wells has been waiting for a refund on her energy bills of just short of £2,000 since June last year and has even turned to the energy ombudsman Ofgem for help.
Sally said her energy firm owes her £2,000 despite contacting them on numerous occasions and speaking to Ofgem.
Her problems started when she swapped her pre-payment meters for monthly billing in a bid to save money during the cost of living crisis.
The Southampton resident had £998 in credit on her electricity meter and £997 on her gas meter.
“They still owe me £2,000 in credit but the cash has been locked away and out of my reach since June last year,” reports The Sun.
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The ombudsman ordered the firm to issue the refund and pay £250 in compensation and although Sally has since received £250 – the £2,000 credit has still not been paid.
A spokesperson for OVO, which bought SSE In 2020, said it is appealing the amount with Ofgem.
The energy firm has lodged an appeal over the electricity meter because it believes the decision did not take into account the amount of energy that has been used.
A spokesperson added: “We contacted Mrs Wells to apologise for the delay and advised that we will issue the refund once the Ombudsman makes a final decision.”
More support for energy bills is on its way from February including the Warm Home Discount, Cold Weather Payment and the £67 energy discount which is being paid to all households.
Customers on pre-pay meters will be sent discount vouchers by text, email or post that they will need to redeem themselves.
The Warm Home Discount of £150 should also be paid to those eligible before March 31, which is usually discounted from energy bills automatically.
Meanwhile, Express.co.uk has been testing cheap ways to heat the home to see which ones could lead to savings on energy bills with some surprising results.
