Cathy Cameron has been left in tears and unable to sleep as OVO and SSE have bombarded her with letters demanding cash for seven months.
The 71-year-old, from Baillieston, Scotland, was told she had gone to using 18,328 kilowatt hours compared to last year’s 2489 kWh – at the same property.
She claims her only change in circumstances has been that she is now terrified to put the heating on or do frequent washings, so has been left confused by the extreme hike.
One bill demanded £623.08 for just one month between November, 15 to December, 12 – compared to her previous bills of around £144.
When Cathy called to complain about the billing in tears and told the agent she was deeply distressed she heard “laughing”, which OVO said was nervous not malicious.
Cathy said: “This full thing has been a complete nightmare for me.
“I haven’t been able to sleep, and I have shed tears over it, it is very stressful trying to sort it.
“To be told you’re in debt and owe money out of the blue and they can’t tell you why is very frustrating, especially during the cost-of-living crisis.
“There is no way I have used more gas and electricity this year, nothing has changed except now I am actually scared to put the heating on.
“Last year I actually became very unwell because I came in from the rain and still left it off, so how can they say I am using more?”
Cathy believes the problems started after noticing a gas leak in November 2023 to which she alerted SSE.
The company came out and replaced the meter for her on November 14 and the next month she noticed her bills had skyrocketed.
OVO Energy now supplies energy and related services to SSE Energy Services customers, so Cathy was moved over to dealing with them in December last year.
Then in February she started to receive letters telling her she was in debt but claims every time she called to complain she was told a different debt amount.
Cathy said: “I had a gas leak and they came out and changed it for me and the problems started after that.
“I have tried so many times to tell them I think I am being overcharged charged, nothing else has changed.
“I tried flagging it as a complaint but haven’t gotten anywhere with it, I can’t keep fighting because it is very bad for my health. I need help.”
An OVO spokesperson: “We are sincerely sorry to Ms Cameron for the inconvenience caused by her high billing – a result of human error.
“We have since corrected her account balance with updated readings and will be offering a goodwill amount in apology.”
