Many people could be paying over the odds on bills due to errors
May 15, 2008
Over recent months consumers in the UK have had to face real financial struggles in order to cope with increased mortgage repayments, rising living costs such as petrol and food, and higher bills. However, a recent report has suggested that many consumers may actually be paying too much on their bills as a result of an error by the provider rather than as a result of simple inflation.
Officials from Moneysupermarket.com have suggested that around eight million consumers may have been hit by higher bills due to provider error in the last three months alone, reflecting just how serious these errors can be and how many household they can affect. Around 17% of consumers found mistakes on bills in the last three months, and over the last twelve months 34% had found mistakes on their bills. However, worrying around 50% of consumers do not bother to check if their bills are correct.
One official involved in the research said: “The staggering amount of people who’ve been hit with an incorrect bill only goes to show how inadequate some providers can be. Consumers are already facing increased living costs, the last thing they need is to be charged for something they never had. Worryingly there are millions of people who still don’t check their bills, meaning they could be paying over the odds for a service they have never received. If you don’t check all your bills you’re leaving yourselves open to being taken advantage of.”
He added: “People should monitor every bill they receive - especially if they pay by direct debit. If payments are made automatically against incorrectly charged bills, suppliers are raking in millions of extra pounds. Also, anyone who doesn’t pay by direct debit should check whether they would be hit with extra charges as some suppliers, such as BT and Virgin, charge for not paying by direct debit. Consumers are already going through a hard time with rising living costs, it is about time suppliers started treating them fairly.”
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