Hundreds Complain About Gas Bill Issues

The Office of Fair Trading has received over 300 complaints about issues with gas bills since April .

Now former chairman John Wannenburgh (Douglas North) was asked for a figure by Sarah Maltby (Douglas South, Manx Labour Party).

Mr Wannenburgh said that the OFT has received just over 300 complaints concerning gas billing issues since April 1, with 18 recorded on the OFT’s database as being ‘vulnerable’.

He said: ‘Officers of the OFT will have recorded a complainant as being ‘vulnerable’ based on a telephone conversation/home visit, or on information received, e.g. from an MHK or a concerned relative. This means that it is subjective.

‘Most, if not all, of the eighteen complainants recorded as being vulnerable were distressed and confused, as they had not received some or, in rare cases, any of their gas bills and/or were unable to understand their bills.

‘This means that a few may have actually been able to pay their bills once they received and/or understood them. Having said this, based on the information recorded on the OFT’s database, it would be fair to say that the vast majority of the complainants recorded as being vulnerable were either concerned as to how much they might owe, or plainly struggling to pay what they did owe.’

The OFT said it prioritises complaints where the person is recorded as being vulnerable, undertaking home visits in many cases and actively engaging with Isle of Man Energy to get the complaint resolved and that, as it is aware of, IEG doesn’t charge customers as a result of late payments.

Mr Wannenburgh added that of the complaints about billing issues received by the OFT since April 1, 10 related to customers ‘either having had their gas supply cut off, or being advised by Isle of Man Energy that it would be cut off if the amount they ostensibly owed remained unpaid’.

He said: ‘Only one of those ten complainants was recorded as being vulnerable and the complainant concerned had not actually had their gas supply cut off but had been advised by Isle of Man Energy that it would be cut off. Isle of Man Energy has advised the OFT that this particular complaint has been resolved.’

On her Facebook page, Mrs Maltby explained she asked the questions after approached by a ‘number of concerned constituents who have been given notice that their standing order or direct debit for IOM Energy should be increased or they risk having their gas connection cut off’.

She added: ‘Like many people, I was very disappointed to learn that IOM Energy will be closing their counter service permanently and did not trial, at the very least, a reduction in opening hours as a reasonable adjustment in the first instance.’

Mrs Maltby also expressed her concern about the way the company handles its complaints after constituents told her that they can ‘often be waiting a long time for their call to be answered and the decision to remove a counter service may exacerbate this situation’.