Business and economics |

In an illustration of how energy firms are continuing to fail their customers, despite huge price rises over recent years, the 76-year-old was chased for a debt caused by npower's mistakes.

Almost two years of blunders by npower were only corrected after This is Money stepped in and won back for Mrs Brooks almost £890.

Npower spent nine months undercharging Mrs Brooks for electricity before the suddenly demanding £886.35. Despite a string of letters and phone calls to try and sort out the problem, Mrs Brooks son-in-law Stuart Robinson was still struggling to solve the billing error more than a year later.

And in an experience reminiscent of many badly treated customers who contact the media for help, it was only when This is Money stepped in that the problem was solved – with npower wiping the remaining demand for £765.44.

Mr Robinson, 49, said: 'It affected my mother-in-law quite badly; she was reduced to tears on a number of occasions and was scared that her gas or electricity would be cut off all together.'

Mrs Brooks, from Leeds, first switched to npower in June 2006, when two meters for gas and electricity were installed. But due to a fault by the meter installation company, the meter was never registered with npower. The energy firm then continued to undercharge Mrs Brooks for her electricity for more than a year by using estimated figures.

In March 2007 Mrs Brooks received a backdated electricity bill for £886.35. Mr Robinson, of Hertfordshire, then contacted npower to rectify the situation.

More than a year later, in April 2008, npower were still demanding full payment despite the introduction of rules in 2006 for energy suppliers to prevent backdating of bills if the company was at fault.

The rules stated that suppliers cannot backdate bills for customers for more than two years. This limit was then cut to a year when incorrect bills have been sent if the supplier is at fault.
Tags: billing, nightmare, npower, Pensioners