A couple were hit with a massive £13,000 bill for their gas and electricity in one night.
Many Brits are keeping a weary eye on their monthly bills as the cost of living crisis continues and the weather gets colder.
Stewart Neely, usually pays £156 per month for his gas and electricity to supplier OVO energy, but last month this had increased to £177.
The 54-year-old monitors the direct debit closely, but last Monday found his account had gone from £189.99 in credit to £13,037.71 in debt the next day.
Overnight the dad was slapped with the mammoth bill, leaving him stunned, The Daily Record reported
Stewart and wife Gayle both believe the problem began when a smart gas and electric meter was installed at their four-bed detached house in Kilmarnock.
It was put in at the start of October, just weeks before the massive bill landed. Stewart also claimed past meter readings and bills were altered to reflect the higher bill.
The dad reached out to the firm but was shocked when the call handler just asked if he would like to settle the balance over the phone.
It was only after being approached by the Sunday Mail to explain the bill that OVO got in touch with the family to fix the error and offered them £150 credit.
Stewart, who is a police officer, said: “We changed to OVO energy for my gas and electricity supply last year after they took over SSE. 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. Last week I checked my online account and it was £189 in credit, as expected.
“However, last Tuesday I checked my account and to my horror discovered I was £13,000 in debt.”
An 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.”
Gayle, 48, said: “I got a nice call from OVO to say everything was sorted and to say a £150 credit had been added to our account as a good will gesture.
“It turns out it had been one of their agents that had entered an electricity reading as a gas one. I’m in no doubt we wouldn’t have had it resolved as quickly if the Sunday Mail hadn’t got involved.”
OVO was launched in 2009 by former City trader Stephen Fitzpatrick and supplies energy to 4.5million customers.
In July, it was ranked the second worst energy supplier for customer service by Citizens Advice.
