A fifth of prepayment meter customers are struggling to receive their energy vouchers, with some missing two or even three months, as the region suffers from bitter cold weather.
Last month, Vivian Patterson, from Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, told how her family was left out in the cold after waiting more than a month to receive their first £66 energy rebate payment, and actually received the second month's payment before the first one arrived. Ms Patterson, who is physically and mentally disabled, told how she broke down in tears after calling EDF daily after October 14, the latest date she says she was told she could expect the voucher in a flyer from EDF.
"We are on a really low income and have no wages coming in," said Vivian, 52. "I am disabled and still awaiting my correct PIP award and my partner had no choice but give up work to care for me. we have two teenage sons so we need every single penny and while this £66 isn't a vast amount, it's a lot to us. I felt as if I was constantly being fobbed off and it has really affected my mental health, which is the last thing we need." EDF apologised for the inconvenience and frustration, saying the vouchers had been reissued along with some compensation for the delay.
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Kerry Emmerson, of Benton. Newcastle, also got in touch after her patience ran out while she waited for October and November's vouchers from Ovo Energy until early December. Ms Emmerson, whose account has been changed from SSE to Ovo Energy after Ovo took over SSE's domestic customers since 2020, had her traditional prepayment meter changed to a smart meter in September, which Ovo said was the cause of the mix-up.
Although Ms Emmerson has received her vouchers in the past few days, she is still angry that she found it virtually impossible to speak to anyone about the issues, and when she did, was simply told there was nothing more Ovo could do and she had to wait. "I have phoned Ovo constantly, emailed them, gone through their web form on the website and even written to them and I have had no response from them at all. "What can a customer do? It was only when Chronclelive became involved that Ovo have now rapidly paid me all that is due to me, even the December payment."
Ovo said: "Ms Emmerson had her traditional PAYG meter changed to a smart meter in September. A new customer account was created and the old account left pending awaiting a final meter reading. We received the final meter reading on November 4,which closed the traditional PAYG meter account and activated the new smart PAYG meter. We reissued the EBSS vouchers for October and November as vouchers. The December payment was made via her new Smart PAYG meter, as will the remaining three further payments. We sent an email explanation with a goodwill gesture which Ms Emmerson has accepted."
Every household in UK that pays an electricity bill is getting a £400 rebate towards their energy bill this year, payable in six instalments from October to March 2023, as part of the Government's cost of living support package. How you will receive the money depends upon how you pay for your energy.
Both the Patterson family and Ms Emmerson have prepayment meters fitted and were due to receive their first payment in the form of a voucher, which they expected to receive in the post within the first two weeks of the month. Customers who have smart pay as you go meters are sent the rebate directly to their smart meter.
If you pay for energy by topping up on a card or key, you should've received at least two £66 government energy support vouchers by now, with suppliers saying that almost all vouchers have been issued so far. But according to a survey by Money Saving Expert, more than one in five energy users on traditional prepayment meters say they're yet to receive either of their £66 Government energy help vouchers for October and November, with customers of British Gas being the worst hit.
Around 31% of British Gas customers who responded to the survey of 5,500 people said they still hadn't got their October or November voucher – more than any other firm. SSE (Ovo) and Scottish Power also scored poorly, with a fifth of their customers (23% and 20% respectively) saying they hadn't got either voucher.
To make things worse, most of those responding echoed readers' complaints, saying they've found it difficult to contact their energy firm about missing vouchers. And even when they do manage to get through on the phone, dozens report feeling "fobbed off" by their energy firm.
One British Gas customer told Money Saving Expert: "I have contacted British Gas twice previously (via the live chat, involving several hours of queuing) and the issue has not been resolved. The first of these conversations seemed constructive – but did not result in me receiving the vouchers. The second conversation, two weeks later, just consisted of me being fobbed off. They just repeated generic lines like 'please rest assured you will get them this week' alongside 'I can't give a timescale for when you will get them' and 'we will pass this on to the specialist team'. They just say whatever to get you to end the chat."
Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, said: "This is simply not good enough from British Gas. The country's biggest energy provider is withholding crucial funds from many of the poorest in society, as we head into winter amidst an energy crisis. Scottish Power and SSE don't seem to be that much better either. Things need fixing and that must happen with a sense of urgency. The Government effectively subcontracted energy firms to provide an energy welfare payment, and these firms are failing in their duty to do it. Worse still, it's those on old school prepay meters – which are often installed in the homes of some of the most vulnerable – whose shoulders this falls on."
British Gas said: Our teams are working hard to deliver this Government scheme to millions of customers. December payments are being sent and all October and November payments were issued. If for any reason a customer hasn’t received one of these payments, our advice is to get in touch with us and we’ll resolve it as quickly as possible."
Here's what to do if your voucher has not arrived yet
Make sure your supplier has your latest contact details: As pay as you go meters don't generate bills, suppliers don't always have up-to-date address details for their customers. You should be able to check this in your online account if you have one or by contacting your supplier directly.
Ask your supplier to reissue missing vouchers: The vouchers are sent from your energy supplier by post, email or text message. If you haven't got yours, or you have lost it, contact your energy supplier and it should be able to resend it. The Government says suppliers are required to make all reasonable efforts to ensure you get your discount, so ask if it can be resent by email or text message instead.
Don't forget to redeem it: Once you've got a voucher from your energy supplier, you then need to take it to a Post Office or PayPoint shop to add it to your gas or electricity top-up key or card. You'll need to do this within three months to avoid the voucher expiring.
