Terminally-ill mum left hundreds of pounds in debt after energy provider error
A terminally-ill mum was left in distress and hundreds of pounds in debt due to a blunder by her energy provider - which then called in a debt recovery agency.
Jennifer Edwards, 67, found the ordeal extremely traumatic, particularly as she was undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Jennifer received threatening letters, including warnings of county court judgments and legal action, according to her son Jamie. He felt that EDF Energy showed no compassion for his mum's situation, leaving her and her family in a constant state of anxiety and despair. He added that Jennifer's delicate health made her particularly susceptible to the emotional strain of such "relentless correspondence".
Speaking before the issue was resolved, Jennifer said: "It's made me feel really terrible - my mental health has just plummeted. I've never had any other problems with debts... and this has really affected me, my confidence has gone. Obviously, I can't manage my affairs because the chemotherapy gives me a foggy brain - they call it chemo brain. Because I take morphine on top of that, Jamie has taken over all my financial affairs and this was a real shock for me. It really made me depressed and worried about what's going to happen to me.
"It's [now] over £1,200 (in debt) and I just can't afford that. I'm not of pensioner age and it's through no fault of my own. I changed suppliers in July and now they say I owe them this money - why did they send it to me if it wasn't mine?" Jennifer added that the only income she received was from her private pension, which wasn't enough to keep her afloat."
Following complaints from the family and inquiries from WalesOnline, the matter was escalated to a more senior level at EDF and Jennifer was given a full refund. However, Jamie still feels it's important to share their distressing ordeal, and to shed light on the need for greater empathy and fairness in how energy companies handle customers.
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An EDF spokesperson: "We're really sorry to hear about the problems that Ms Edwards and her family have been facing. We have spoken to Ms Edwards' son today [Thursday, October 12] and confirmed that we will be removing the debt balance on her account."
Jennifer, a resident of Caerphilly, south Wales, was mistakenly refunded hundreds of pounds by her energy provider, only to be told three months later that she had to pay it back. She received a refund of £827.18 on May 26, which led her to believe that her electricity account was in good standing. However, when she tried to switch energy suppliers, her family discovered an error and a large debt she didn't know about.
During this tough time, Jennifer has been fighting terminal ovarian cancer, and her family says the stress of this situation has harmed her health. They're currently in talks with her energy provider, Electricite de France S.A. (EDF), and have asked for the debt to be written off due to the refund being an internal error, Jennifer's critical health, and lack of communication.
Jamie said that EDF initially offered a goodwill payment of £100 due to the mistake - before agreeing to clear the debt from Jennifer's account- but he felt it didn't fully address their unique situation. He added that if EDF had promptly informed his mum of the error, she would have been willing to cooperate in finding a solution, before spending the money she thought was hers on other outstanding expenses.
Jamie, speaking to WalesOnline after his mum's debt was cleared, said: "The resolution, when it did get to the senior team, was a prompt one. It's been raised to really quite an executive level in regards to how this issue has got to where it has, and [why it] hasn't been picked-up or flagged [before]. I can't wait to tell my mum because she'll be massively relieved. But I still think it needs highlighting because there could be other people in the same scenario who haven't gotten to this point yet - and this was a lot of effort. It's taken a lot of work, but they've finally come to their senses."
The family expressed their concern over the lack of communication during the mediation process. Jamie insisted that their main aim was to reach a fair and compassionate resolution, and to ensure that no other family had to go through a similar ordeal. They hope this will highlight the need for more empathy and fairness from energy companies when dealing with customers, especially those facing difficult personal circumstances.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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