Eon to pay £14.5m to almost 250,000 customers over meter billing failures

Energy company Eon Next has agreed to pay out £14.5 million after “unacceptable” failures in providing final bills and refunding credits to almost 250,000 customers with prepayment meters, the energy watchdog said.

A glitch in the billing system between February 2021 and September last year meant people who switched suppliers or canceled their contracts did not receive the final invoice within six weeks as required.

Many faced financial problems as energy prices soared.

Eon Next failed to make compensation payments of £30 or £60, while 100,000 customers were not informed of the remaining credit – worth an average of £51 – and received no refunds.

Each affected customer will receive an average of £144 after Eon agreed to pay £14.5 million in compensation.

Beth Martin from Ofgem said: ‘During a period when households have been facing a cost of living crisis, it is unacceptable that consumers have not received a refund for the credit they were owed.’

Eon self-reported the error and agreed to write off the debts of nearly 150,000 customers who closed accounts.