Customer penalised with very high catch-up bill among 24,000 complaints to regulator
A gas customer whose meter was “safety locked” after a leak was penalised with a very high catch-up bill after his meter readings were rejected “with no explanation”, the energy regulator has said.The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) found “serious failings” from both Gas Networks Ireland and the customer’s supplier across seven years, with the supplier trying to re-bill the customer at the current much higher rates when the meter was finally read correctly in 2024.It upheld the complaint made, and directed that payments be made back to the customer to the tune of €1,265.This was one case study forming part of the CRU’s “customer care annual report” for 2024. Last year, it said it received 24,496 contacts from water and energy customers, which was a decrease of 22% on 2023.After receiving a contact from a customer, CRU can escalate the matter to the level of a “complex complaint”. In 2024, 614 such investigations were opened and 467 were closed.
Over two in five (42%) of Uisce Éireann complaints and just under three in 10 (29%) energy complaints were upheld in favour of the customer.In the case of energy companies, complaints centred on billing, smart metering, microgeneration, the allocation of the Government electricity credits and switching suppliers.For the customer penalised over the gas meter being safety locked, CRU said they had done “the right thing” by continuing to try and submit readings and paying bills on time.While the safety lock was installed over a leak, it was then removed but not updated on Gas Networks Ireland’s system that it had been leading to meter readings being rejected.“The customer contacted both GNI and the supplier multiple times, and neither could explain why the reads were being rejected nor decided to investigate further,” CRU said.Incorrect bill In another case, a business was billed incorrectly, leading to a catch-up bill of €500,000 which caused “substantial financial difficulties”.While they still had to pay the bill, the regulator found they were still overcharged €35,000 in network charges which was refunded.CRU’s director of customer policy and protection Karen Trant said: “The CRU would advise all customers to remain informed when it comes to their rights and to be aware of the recent price reductions the suppliers have available to ensure they are on the best tariff for their needs.”
