A Northumberland family were left out in the cold after waiting more than a month to receive their first £66 energy rebate payment.
Every household in UK that pays an electricity bill will get 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.
The Patterson family, of Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, have a prepayment meter 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, as stated on their energy supplier' EDF's website.
Read more: Concern grows for vulnerable families with a prepayment meter as energy price cap hits
But mum Vivian said they were kept in the dark until this week about their October voucher and received their November payment before it eventually came. And when she called her energy company EDF to find out what was going on, she said she was none the wiser after a variety of explanations, including:
- That the vouchers would not be sent until the end of October at the very earliest;
- That she is not the only one struggling and she has to be patient;
- That the only option is for the voucher to be reissued, which will take four weeks;
- That staff 'had no idea' if the voucher had been sent and had no way of checking
The delay was cold comfort for the low-income family, who were only able to afford to have their heating on in 10-minute bursts while they waited - and waited - for the voucher to arrive.
Vivian, 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. Her partner, Jason Beggs, 37, who had to give up his job as a van driver last year to care for his partner, said the family used to top up their meter with around £30 every week, but they were now using £70-80 due to the colder weather and soaring energy bills.
"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."
An EDF spokesman said: "The voucher for October was originally issued to the customer's address on October 4, but unfortunately due to the postal strikes we know there is a delay to some customers receiving their October voucher and currently it can take between 2-4 weeks to receive reissued vouchers. We apologise for the inconvenience and frustrations this has caused for Ms Patterson and we are also aware of Ms Patterson’s health issues. She is also on our priority services register. A member of our customer service team has spoken with Ms Patterson to apologise again and confirmed with her that the voucher for October has been reissued and our customer services has also agreed with Ms Patterson to call every week until the vouchers have been received."
Vivian received two vouchers in the post on November 11, but was only able to use one, as the other was declined when she tried to redeem it, causing more stress. EDF said that the two vouchers had been sent in error and cancelled the declined voucher, and the family finally received their October voucher on November 23, more than a month after the date that EDF originally said all of the October vouchers would be issued.
She also received a cheque for £30, which caused further confusion as she says that she was told the cheque was a goodwill gesture, but was later told by another adviser that it was a loan and would be added to the family's account to be repaid. However, the EDF spokesman clarified that "I can confirm 100% it is a gesture of goodwill. We know that this has been a frustrating time for the customer and again we apologise for the inconvenience this has caused for Ms Patterson.
"If customers are worried about having to manually redeem their vouchers each month there is an alternative option available – where they can upgrade to a smart pay as you go meter and credit will automatically be applied to the smart Pay As You Go meter. Customers should contact us if they would like to discuss further."
The Patterson family have a traditional prepayment meter, which means they were due to receive their energy rebate as a voucher through the post. Customers who have smart pay as you go meters were sent the rebate directly to their smart meter.
If you pay for energy by topping up , you should've received at least one £66 government energy support voucher by now, with suppliers saying that almost all vouchers have been issued so far. Many families will have received two, one for October and one for November. 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.
Now read:
- Energy crisis: Can your energy company move you to a prepay meter to clear debt?
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- Households worry £400 energy vouchers will be delayed due to postal strikes
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