The smart money's on a refund

GRAPPLING with smart meters that were not so smart had made an electricity customer very wary, but wariness turned to fright when she got an energy bill warning her she was £800 in debt.

- By MAISHA FROST

The bombshell bill Marie Francis received came on the back of yet another installation of an Economy 7 meter in her flat.

"I've already had two smart meters but they didn't work and they were removed," she told Crusader. "I've never had anything against smart meters - they can make things easier especially for someone like me - I'm 90 and live alone.

"But they need to work properly and I'm no expert so I can't tell when they are playing up. I thought this new meter was doing its job but then this bill arrived and is more than I have ever been asked to pay before."

Although energy prices continue to go up, Marie's situation and usage hadn't changed - key commonsense points to consider when question-ing a bill's accuracy.