Horrified Couple Receives Almost $15,000 Energy Bill After Switching To Smart Meter

A horrified couple told they were charged almost $15,000 for one night of electricity after they changed to smart meter in their four-bedroom home in Kilmarnock.

 Stewart and Gayle Neely usually keep a close eye on their bills and pay $179 per month for their gas and electricity, which went up to $202 last month. 

Garry F McHarg/Daily Record

But after checking his balance on supplier OVO Energy's website, Stewart was shocked to find that overnight it had shot up to almost $15,000.

Stewart, a police officer, found his account had gone from $217 in credit to $14,948 in debt, when he logged on last Monday. The 54-year-old was again horrified when he called up the company to ask about the huge sum, but the handler in return asked him if he would like to settle the balance over the phone.

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It was only after he took the matter to the press this weekend that the energy supplier – which was ranked the second-worst for customer service by Citizens Advice in July – contacted the couple to fix the error.

The father-of-one even claims that previous meter readings were adjusted in line with the higher bill. The couple think the confusion began when they installed a smart meter just weeks before.

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They eventually discovered that one of OVO's agents had accidentally entered their gas reading instead of electricity, Gayle said. 

The firm did not sort the error out until it was asked to explain the bill by Scotland's Sunday Mail newspaper. OVO apologised to the family and informed them they had fixed the error, and topped their account up with $172 credit as a good will gesture.

Stewart said: 'We changed to OVO energy for my gas and electricity supply last year after they took over SSE."

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'We are always in credit on our account but I have been keeping a close eye on the bills and usage due to rising costs.'

Gayle, 48, said she had received a 'nice call' from the supplier setting everything right after days of confusion. "I got a nice call from OVO to say everything was sorted and to say a $172 credit had been added to our account as a good will gesture.

"I’m in no doubt we wouldn’t have had it resolved as quickly if the Sunday Mail hadn’t got involved."

Garry F McHarg/Daily Record

When approached by the Sunday Mail, an OVO spokeswoman said: 'We're very sorry to Mr and Mrs Neely. We have corrected the error and they've accepted a goodwill amount in apology for the inconvenience caused.' 

All's well that ends well.