A support worker claims she has had to choose between heating and eating at times - after not receiving the £400 energy discount she was promised. Elaine Mannin, 53, says she was supposed to be on the government's Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS).
The scheme provides those in need with a £400 non-repayable discount to their bills this winter amid soaring prices. The scheme started in October but, two months later, Elaine, from London, says she has had problems receiving her reduction.
She claims this means she has had to choose between heating or eating at times. Energy provider EDF apologised and said there had been an error on Elaine's account, which has since been resolved.
Elaine said: “The people on pre-payment meters are the ones most in need. Some people will be [using pre-payment meters] because they had a debt.
“They’re usually the poorest in society. How is this fair?
“I’m struggling, I’m really struggling, the way the electric and gas have gone up and I’m still having to pay for that. Sixty-six pounds [a month] doesn’t sound like a lot to some people, but to someone like me it’s a real lifeline.”
Elaine says she was supposed to receive her first voucher for £66 at the start of October. However, she claims she has been left without the additional support for two months, leaving her choosing between heating and eating.
She says that due to the price increases, she has been left without gas for up to four days, and that she believes she is one of thousands experiencing the same issue. Elaine says she tried to contact EDF about the issue, only to be told by customer service agents that the blame lay with the postal service.
Elaine says she has still received letters from the energy company about tariff changes and other updates in the time that the postal strikes had been ongoing. EDF said Elaine's November voucher had been issued as it should have been after the issue was investigated.
But she said: “I was supposed to receive a voucher by the end of October and then at the beginning of each month for the next six months. I’ve spoken to EDF countless times, but it’s very hard to get through to an actual human being.
“You’re speaking to an automated bot. When it says it can’t understand the question, it asks for your account number and says someone will get back to you within three working days.
“I’ve done this six or seven times now and when someone finally does get back to me, they say it’s in the post and due to postal strikes, I haven’t received it. But I’ve received other mail from EDF concerning having a smart meter installed or tariff rates, those get through but not the vouchers.
“Their response to that is that it’s not them sending the vouchers, it’s the government. Wages aren’t great as a support worker, we do a hard job and work all the hours.
"I do shift work as well and often I come home, there’s no electric because it has run out. At times I’m unable to have a hot meal.
“One week I couldn’t have a shower for a whole week because I couldn’t afford to top-up anymore. So I went without gas for four days.
“I'm frustrated and angry because I’m not getting a straight answer from anybody and customer service is dreadful. [I would like] for them to be honest about what exactly is going on instead of excuses all the time.”
A spokesperson for EDF said: "Ms Mannin’s name showed incorrectly on her account. Her EBSS voucher was therefore issued with the incorrect name meaning she was unable to redeem her voucher.
"We’re sorry that this occurred and have updated Ms Mannin’s details to reflect her name, reissuing her October voucher in the process which should arrive within 14 days. Ms Mannin has had her November voucher issued following the name change and has been able to claim this voucher so we’re confident this resolution has worked.
"We’ve tried to contact Ms Mannin to provide an update but have been unable to get through. We will continue to attempt contact but we were keen to provide you with an update in the meantime.
"We recognise this is a difficult time for the customer. We recommend anyone who’s struggling to pay for energy to contact us to see what support is available."
