I was slapped with a £500 energy bill for a building I haven’t used in YEARS… it’s been a nightmare
A DESPERATE pensioner says he has been living a nightmare after he was slapped with a £500 energy bill for a building he hasn’t used in years.
Malcolm Jones, 69, from Penrhyndeudareth, who is a full-time carer for his wife Dwynwen was left in shock when he received the massive bill from Scottish Power.
He said he called the company “countless” times to explain that the bill was from his former workshop where the power had not been switched on for years as he keeps it as a storage container.
The ex-plumber retired seven years ago after his wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Scottish Power has since apologised for the mistake and said he owes £17.
Mr Jones told North Wales Live: “Dealing with all of this on top of trying to care for my wife is a stress I don’t need.”
“It’s stressful because it took so long to resolve the issue the last time it happened and it’s so difficult to get through to the people in the call centres.
“If I get an amended bill I’ll pay on the day it arrives, I’ve told them this but it’s like speaking to a brick wall. I was on the phone for over half an hour the other day and at the end of the conversation they asked me if I wanted to pay the full £500 that day – they just don’t listen.
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“I’m at my wit’s end now. My life is just a nightmare at the moment – I’m on the phone pretty much every day with them – and seeing my wife in her condition, it’s a very difficult situation, to be honest and I just don’t know how it’s going to end.”
He explained that this is not the first time this has happened as last year he received a bill of over £700.
He was able to get the amount down to £40 after spending hours on the phone.
He added: “When I got another bill for over £500 for the workshop my first reaction was ‘here we go again’. I received the bill earlier in January and I’ve been on the phone to them so many times since and I keep on getting fobbed off.
“I’ve got enough stress in my life without having to deal with these people. My fear is that the case will be escalated and that bailiffs will be sent over even though I keep contacting them about it.”
A ScottishPower spokesperson said: “Mr Jones’ initial bill was an estimated bill, which should have been updated when he provided the accurate meter reading.
“This didn’t happen, which was our error.
“We’ve now recalculated the bill, which brings his balance down to around £67, and reduced it by a further £50 as a goodwill gesture, leaving an outstanding amount of less than £17.
“We’re sorry for any inconvenience and distress caused and that the error wasn’t corrected sooner.”