A Fishponds woman has been left upset and frustrated after EDF failed to deliver on a pre-Christmas promise of £100 in credit. Jessica Lockier took up the special offer from the power company, which was advertised to customers as an incentive to have a smart meter installed before the end of 2022.
Mrs Lockier said: “A couple of weeks before Christmas, I receive a text message from EDF saying they would credit my account with £100 if I installed a smart meter before the end of the year. I responded and a couple of days later, a bloke came round and fitted the smart meter, but I haven’t yet seen the £100 credit on my account.”
She added that she has contacted the power company on a number of occasions since having the meter, but said she felt delaying tactics were being employed. She said she was told she would have to wait 35 to 40 days before the credit would be added, and during another call, she was told her query had to be referred to the accounts team.
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She said: “They credited my account with £35 and then started taking off £3 per week. In January I had to put over £200 on the meter, which is far more than I used to pay on my pre-paid meter which was on average £20 or £30 a week.
“I’m upset as I thought they were giving me a helping hand just before Christmas, but they’ve let me down.” She said her last contact with the company was on Friday. She wants to know if any other customers have had a similar experience, or if they received the £100 credit.
She received the text message from EDF's customer service number on December 9. The message, seen by Bristol Live, read: "Hi, it's EDF here. We need to install your smart meter as part of a government-led, UK-wide energy upgrade.
"Reply 'YES' to book an appointment and one of our advisors will respond with the next available date. Great News, if you have a Smart meter installed in 2022, we'll credit your energy account with £100."
An EDF spokesperson said: “We’re sorry to hear about the problems Ms Lockier has been facing and we’re investigating this as a priority. We remain committed to helping as many customers as possible this winter, including providing debt relief and installing energy efficiency for those in fuel poverty.”
In September, EDF faced some criticism for the £100 offer. In response at the time, the company said it wanted to provide customers "with tailored help to reduce their bills this winter, not limited to providing £100 credit for switching to smart prepayment meters".
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