Jamie McKenzie
A Black Isle man has claimed that a major energy provider is overestimating customer bills and causing distress for vulnerable people in his community.
Tom Heath, of Canonbury Terrace, Fortrose, complained to SSE when he received an e-mailed bill that was 216% of actual consumption based on estimated readings.
He claims he was also asked for £346 on top of his monthly direct debit, which he was told would rise from £50 to £123.
After calling in with meter readings the bill was amended and despite being £20 in credit, he claims £123 was still taken from his account at the next billing date.
Mr Heath has written to SSE in the hope they will revise their bill estimation method in the worry that an older, more vulnerable person receiving such an e-mail could be distressed.
SSE said last night they had reviewed the matter and taken sufficient actions to deal with Mr Heath’s complaint, and would not amend the process to suit individual customer’s circumstances.
Without an individual’s meter readings, SSE calculate estimated reads based on historical usage at the home, the average consumption of similar properties in the area and the time of year.
Mr Heath said: “I put myself in the position of the vulnerable single person who does not regularly check their bank balance and does not have spare cash in their account. The additional withdrawal of £73 could easily have put him or her into an unauthorised overdraft situation which at my bank would have led to an penalty of £5 a day, further increasing the distress caused by the inappropriate estimate.
“I can imagine that as soon as they saw a demand for £350 and a more than doubling of their monthly electricity payment, they might become very distressed even to the point of significantly affecting their mental or physical health.”
An SSE spokesman said: “The way we treat our most vulnerable customers is of paramount importance to us and any complaint would always be dealt with on a customer by customer basis.
“SSE has a department called Careline where vulnerable customers can be registered.
“Registration offers a raft of services such as braille or large print bills, knock and wait for visits and quarterly meter readings to ensure estimated bills are not sent.”