Couple charged £13,000 for energy bill in just one night

Stewart and Gayle Neely had gone from being in credit score, to owing OVO greater than £13,000 (Image: Trinity)

A pair had been left anxious after their vitality invoice instantly shot as much as £13,000 in a single day.

Stewart Neely, 54, and his spouse Gayle often pay £156 monthly for gasoline and electrical energy to OVO Power, which was ranked the second-worst provider for customer support this yr.

However after studying the newly put in good meter, the dad-of-one discovered he had gone from being £189.99 in credit score to owing £13,037.71 within the house of 1 evening.

Police officer Stewart, from Kilmarnock in Scotland, mentioned: ‘We're all the time in credit score on our account however I've been maintaining an in depth eye on the payments and utilization attributable to rising prices.

‘Final week I checked my on-line account and it was £189 in credit score, as anticipated. Nonetheless, final Tuesday I checked my account and to my horror I found we had been £13,000 in debt.’

Regardless of calling their provider to plead for the debt to be amended, they had been merely requested in the event that they needed to pay the complete quantity over the telephone.

The couple even had their direct debit fee elevated from £177 the earlier month, and declare their earlier meter readings had been altered to replicate the considerably larger invoice.

They felt that they had no alternative however to contact the press to assist them problem the debt.

The couple additionally declare their earlier vitality metre readings had been modified to replicate their new invoice (Image: EPA)

Gayle, 48, mentioned: ‘I bought a pleasant name from OVO to say all the things was sorted and to say a £150 credit score had been added to our account as a superb will gesture.

‘It seems it was the fault of one in all their brokers who had entered an electrical energy studying as a gasoline one.

‘I’m in little doubt we wouldn’t have had it resolved as rapidly if the Sunday Mail hadn’t bought concerned.’

When approached by the Sunday Mail, an OVO spokesperson mentioned: ‘We’re very sorry to Mr and Mrs Neely.

‘We have now corrected the error and so they’ve accepted a goodwill quantity in apology for the inconvenience prompted.’

OVO provides vitality to 4.5 million prospects throughout the UK.

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