2 June 2008
Energy firms have been branded the worst in terms of accuracy by consumers in a new poll carried out by uSwitch.com.
Of those surveyed, one in three had reported errors on bills to their service providers in the last two years, while 43% have had to give unexpected money over to these companies.
And payments matched up to energy bills on just 26% on the statements, with 40% of consumers owing money back to energy outfits, uSwitch.com revealed.
Director of Consumer Policy at uSwitch.com Ann Robinson contended that the introduction of meters could banish poor-quality and inaccurate readings.
"In the meantime suppliers are trying to work with their customers to resolve the issues and tackle the root cause - discrepancies between estimated and actual readings - which can often leave households unexpectedly out of pocket," she commented.
She urged customers not to rely on estimated readings and instead take matters into their hands and supply their own.
Last week, the government pledged new help in the form of data sharing measures for those who have difficulty paying for electricity.