Utility companies 'are hitting households with incorrect bills'
Published On 18 April 2008
Utility companies are sending out millions of bills with errors on them, a new study has revealed.Data gathered by moneysupermarket found that 17 per cent of people in the UK have received a utility bill with an error on it in the last three months.
Despite this, 50 per cent of consumers said they still do not check every utility bill they receive.
"The staggering amount of people who've been hit with an incorrect bill only goes to show how inadequate some providers can be," commented moneysupermarket's Rob Barnes.
"Consumers are already facing increased living costs, the last thing they need is to be charged for something they never had.
"Worryingly there are millions of people who still don't check their bills, meaning they could be paying over the odds for a service they have never received."
Despite the errors, the study revealed that many utility customers still pay by direct debit. In fact, 48 per cent of gas bills and 54 per cent of electricity bills are settled automatically.
Recently, Fool.co.uk reported that around 2.4 million households have paid too much for their utilities when they moved house because they were put on more expensive 'deemed' tariffs.
