Latest news with #BethMartin
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Octopus energy to pay £1.5m in compensation for bill errors – are you eligible?
Octopus Energy will pay nearly £1.5 million in refunds and compensation for failing to issue final bills to thousands of customers within the mandated six-week period, energy regulator Ofgem has announced. The watchdog found that more than 34,000 prepayment meter customers, between 2014 and October 2023, did not receive their final bills within the mandated timeframe, a breach of Ofgem's regulations. The energy supplier has agreed to a total payment of £1.483 million, averaging £43 per affected customer. This sum comprises £231,000 in refunds for remaining account credit and £1,250,000 in direct compensation, acknowledging the potential impact on customers, particularly vulnerable individuals, Ofgem added. Ofgem said that although customers have sight of their balance on prepayment meters, it was right that a final bill was produced in order to give them a clear indication of their final debit or credit position. Beth Martin, director for consumer protection and competition at Ofgem, said: 'It's important that customers receive final bills in accordance with our rules, so they are aware of any credit remaining on their accounts and can reclaim it. 'This is particularly important for prepayment meter customers who are more likely to be in financial difficulty. 'We are pleased that Octopus has now rectified the error and put things right with its customers, offering both refunds and compensation where it's due. 'We will continue to closely monitor compliance with our billing rules, and drive improvements in the sector so customers can expect the highest standards of service from their energy supplier.' Ofgem said the issue was identified after Next self-reported the same error to the regulator. Octopus said Ofgem had spent 'two years investigating an alleged issue with prepayment meter bills that had zero customer complaints and had already channelled millions of pounds into customers' hands'. It said that while Ofgem's ruling that prepayment customers must receive a final bill upon moving out was 'sensible in principle', it was impossible to implement in most cases. Some 60% of prepayment customers did not notify Octopus when they moved, Octopus, and other suppliers,relied on slow and unreliable traditional prepayment industry systems for final billing, and Octopus only had bank account details for 10% of prepay customers, while 70% of refund cheques went uncashed due to a lack of forwarding addresses. Rachel Fletcher, director of economics and regulation at Octopus Energy, said: 'Octopus has always been focused on doing the right thing for customers and thinking outside the box to deliver good outcomes for customers despite imperfect industry systems and data. 'With energy costs soaring, we'd like to see Ofgem put people over policies. People want lower bills. 'We'd like to see Ofgem focusing its efforts on delivering that.'
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
UK energy supplier to pay £1.5m in compensation for billing errors
Octopus Energy will pay nearly £1.5 million in refunds and compensation for failing to issue final bills to thousands of customers within the mandated six-week period, energy regulator Ofgem has announced. The watchdog found that more than 34,000 prepayment meter customers, between 2014 and October 2023, did not receive their final bills within the mandated timeframe, a breach of Ofgem's regulations. The energy supplier has agreed to a total payment of £1.483 million, averaging £43 per affected customer. This sum comprises £231,000 in refunds for remaining account credit and £1,250,000 in direct compensation, acknowledging the potential impact on customers, particularly vulnerable individuals, Ofgem added. Ofgem said that although customers have sight of their balance on prepayment meters, it was right that a final bill was produced in order to give them a clear indication of their final debit or credit position. Beth Martin, director for consumer protection and competition at Ofgem, said: 'It's important that customers receive final bills in accordance with our rules, so they are aware of any credit remaining on their accounts and can reclaim it. 'This is particularly important for prepayment meter customers who are more likely to be in financial difficulty. 'We are pleased that Octopus has now rectified the error and put things right with its customers, offering both refunds and compensation where it's due. 'We will continue to closely monitor compliance with our billing rules, and drive improvements in the sector so customers can expect the highest standards of service from their energy supplier.' Ofgem said the issue was identified after Next self-reported the same error to the regulator. Octopus said Ofgem had spent 'two years investigating an alleged issue with prepayment meter bills that had zero customer complaints and had already channelled millions of pounds into customers' hands'. It said that while Ofgem's ruling that prepayment customers must receive a final bill upon moving out was 'sensible in principle', it was impossible to implement in most cases. Some 60% of prepayment customers did not notify Octopus when they moved, Octopus, and other suppliers,relied on slow and unreliable traditional prepayment industry systems for final billing, and Octopus only had bank account details for 10% of prepay customers, while 70% of refund cheques went uncashed due to a lack of forwarding addresses. Rachel Fletcher, director of economics and regulation at Octopus Energy, said: 'Octopus has always been focused on doing the right thing for customers and thinking outside the box to deliver good outcomes for customers despite imperfect industry systems and data. 'With energy costs soaring, we'd like to see Ofgem put people over policies. People want lower bills. 'We'd like to see Ofgem focusing its efforts on delivering that.'
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Octopus Energy pays £1.5 million for prepayment meter billing errors
Octopus Energy is to pay £1.5 million in refunds and compensation after it failed to provide customers with final bills within six weeks, Ofgem has said. The regulator found more than 34,000 prepayment meter customers between 2014 and October 2023 did not receive final bills within six weeks, as required under Ofgem's rules. Octopus had agreed to pay a total of £1.483 million in compensation and redress, an average £43 per affected customer, in recognition of the impact the issues may have had, particularly on those who may be vulnerable, Ofgem said. This included refunds of £231,000 of credit that was remaining on accounts when they were closed, and a further £1,250,000 in compensation to affected customers. Ofgem said that although customers have sight of their balance on prepayment meters, it was right that a final bill was produced in order to give them a clear indication of their final debit or credit position. Beth Martin, director for consumer protection and competition at Ofgem, said: 'It's important that customers receive final bills in accordance with our rules, so they are aware of any credit remaining on their accounts and can reclaim it. 'This is particularly important for prepayment meter customers who are more likely to be in financial difficulty. 'We are pleased that Octopus has now rectified the error and put things right with its customers, offering both refunds and compensation where it's due. 'We will continue to closely monitor compliance with our billing rules, and drive improvements in the sector so customers can expect the highest standards of service from their energy supplier.' Ofgem said the issue was identified after Next self-reported the same error to the regulator. Octopus said Ofgem had spent 'two years investigating an alleged issue with prepayment meter bills that had zero customer complaints and had already channelled millions of pounds into customers' hands'. It said that while Ofgem's ruling that prepayment customers must receive a final bill upon moving out was 'sensible in principle', it was impossible to implement in most cases. Some 60% of prepayment customers did not notify Octopus when they moved, Octopus, and other suppliers,relied on slow and unreliable traditional prepayment industry systems for final billing, and Octopus only had bank account details for 10% of prepay customers, while 70% of refund cheques went uncashed due to a lack of forwarding addresses. Rachel Fletcher, director of economics and regulation at Octopus Energy, said: 'Octopus has always been focused on doing the right thing for customers and thinking outside the box to deliver good outcomes for customers despite imperfect industry systems and data. 'With energy costs soaring, we'd like to see Ofgem put people over policies. People want lower bills. 'We'd like to see Ofgem focusing its efforts on delivering that.'
The Sun
08-07-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Octopus Energy to pay £1.5million for prepayment meter billing errors to thousands of customers
THE UK's biggest energy supplier has been forced to pay out £1.5million to customers after a series of billing errors. Octopus Energy made the payouts to thousands of customers after an investigation by energy regulator Ofgem. 1 The regulator found more than 34,000 prepayment meter customers between 2014 and October 2023 didn't get their final bills within six weeks. Under Ofgem's rules, customers must get their final bills within this timeframe so they know whether they are in credit or debit. The average amount paid out was £43. This includes refunds of £231,000 of credit that was remaining on accounts when they were closed, and a further £1.25million in compensation to affected customers. Octopus has been trying to contact all the customers affected. Those still with the energy firm have had the payment made directly to their Octopus account. Others have been sent cheques. Ofgem has said all customers should receive their compensation by September. Anyone who can't be contacted will have their money paid into the Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Fund, which funds projects and schemes to support energy customers. Beth Martin, director for consumer protection and competition at Ofgem, said: "It's important that customers receive final bills in accordance with our rules, so they are aware of any credit remaining on their accounts and can reclaim it. "This is particularly important for prepayment meter customers who are more likely to be in financial difficulty. "We are pleased that Octopus has now rectified the error and put things right with its customers, offering both refunds and compensation where it's due. "We will continue to closely monitor compliance with our billing rules, and drive improvements in the sector so customers can expect the highest standards of service from their energy supplier."
Metro
15-06-2025
- Metro
Two hot air balloons with tourists plummet to the ground, with at least one dead
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Two hot air balloons filled with tourists have crashed to the ground, leaving at least a dozen injured and one dead. The tourists were visiting the country's world famous Cappadocia region, known for its colourful hot air balloon displays. However the two balloons made crash landings on Sunday morning. Video from the site of one crash shows a deflated hot air balloon strewn over the ground and a basket overturned. Both hot air balloons came down from mid air after launching from the scenic Ihlara Valley. One was carrying Indonesian tourists and set off at 5am local time (3am GMT). Two hours later, it made a hard landing near the village of Karataş, with the pilot dying in the crash. According to the local province's governor Mehmet Ali Kumbuzoğlu, at least 12 passengers were injured in the crash, which was caused by a 'sudden change in wind'. The other hot air balloon reportedly crash landed near Belisırma village in Güzelyurt district. It is believed as many as 12 tourists were slightly injured in the separate incident, the country's state broadcaster TRT reported. The Turkey's Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure said they would be conducting an investigation of the fatal accident. They added: 'Unfortunately, the pilot of the balloon lost his life as a result of the hard landing. More Trending 'It was understood that the meteorological conditions were suitable for flight at the time of take-off, but the decision to land was made due to unexpected winds in the region.' The Cappadocia region attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year from all over the world. It is home to unique rock formations, dubbed 'fairy chimneys', formed from volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. The area is also famous for its iconic skyline, busy with colourful balloons. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Turkey reveals 'cause of death' of Beth Martin who had 'heart removed' on holiday MORE: Easyjet launches 11 new flights from major UK airport to Greece, Spain, Portugal and more MORE: British dad says he 'almost died' after holiday in four-star Turkish hotel
