Energy firm EDF have apologised to a North East woman who was left shocked after they double billed her over £8,000 for a house she no longer lives in.
Dawn Gibson, a cleaner from Spennymoor, contacted EDF when she moved from her Morgan Drive home, where she had paid for her energy by direct debit since in 2018, and was initially sent a cheque for £400 after finding out she was in credit.
Dawn, 58, was left shocked when she then received a bill from the energy provider for £8,117.72 for four years’ worth of energy use.
Mrs Gibson says she was ‘scared’ when she opened the mammoth bill.
She told The Northern Echo, “When I rang EDF to tell them we were moving house they said I was in credit and sent me a cheque for £400.
“A month later I received a bill for the new owners. I rang them and they said not to worry about it.
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“Then they sent me a bill for over £8,100.”
When she rang EDF to complain she was told there had been two accounts created for her old home and that the bill was for her energy use since March 2018.
Dawn added: “It was scary. I had no idea what it was for.
“How they can generate two account numbers and send me a bill for that much when I’ve already paid is beyond me.”
EDF have now apologised to Mrs Gibson and offered her compensation.
A spokesperson said: “We are very sorry for causing Mrs Gibson worry for an incorrect bill she received due to an error on our system.
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“We have been in touch with Mrs Gibson to confirm that there is no outstanding amount on her account and she will be sent a new bill to confirm the zero balance.
“We always aim to offer our customers the best possible service and in recognition that on this occasion we fell short, we’ve offered Mrs Gibson a goodwill gesture of £50 which she has accepted.”
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