'My £5,700 energy bill was cancelled as it was too old'

Hayley Jarvis was shocked erstwhile she received a £5,768.09 measure successful aboriginal January for vigor from 2 and a fractional years ago.

"It was a immense magnitude of wealth that would person taken maine an incredibly agelong clip to wage back."

It is simply a signifier known arsenic "back billing", but sending a measure for vigor that was utilized much than 12 months agone was outlawed by regulator Ofgem successful 2018.

But Radio 4's Money Box has learned that 3,308 radical complained to the vigor ombudsman astir receiving these alleged "back bills" successful the 12 months to September 2024.

The existent fig of radical complaining astir backmost billing is apt to beryllium overmuch higher due to the fact that lone cases that cannot beryllium resolved by suppliers successful the archetypal lawsuit get arsenic acold arsenic the ombudsman.

Citizens Advice received 47,000 complaints astir billing successful wide successful 2023, rising to astir 60,000 successful 2024.

In Hayley's lawsuit her backmost measure covered a play betwixt June 2021 and June 2022.

"I'm not going to accidental I wasn't worried, erstwhile I was. Even though I knew I would combat it," she says.

"I conscionable don't deliberation it's close these rules and regulations are determination to support the user and it conscionable seems the vigor institution aren't pursuing their ain principles."

• Back billing is erstwhile an vigor supplier issues customers with a caller measure for vigor utilized much than 12 months ago.
• It is against Ofgem regulations and was banned successful 2018.
• You bash not person to wage immoderate wealth sent connected a caller measure for vigor utilized much than 12 months ago.
• Citizens Advice suggests you constitute to oregon email the supplier to explicate and has a transcript of an example letter radical tin usage arsenic a template.

Matt Lynch told Money Box astir a precise akin situation.

He received a measure retired of the bluish successful November for £1,665 and was told by the institution they would instrumentality it consecutive from his account, by nonstop debit, conscionable 5 days earlier Christmas.

"It was 3 and a fractional years aft I'd moved retired of my flat.

"How bash you find £1,600 with precise small notice? They were going to instrumentality the wealth without adjacent telling me. It was an email I happened to find successful my junk mail."

It took some Matt and Hayley days of aggregate calls and emails of ailment earlier they got their bills rescinded.

But some of those bills should ne'er person been sent successful the archetypal spot nether Ofgem's backmost billing rules.

"It's captious that Ofgem intervenes to guarantee these firms are doing what they're meant to be," says Alex Belsham-Harris from Citizens Advice.

"These bills shouldn't beryllium sent retired successful the archetypal place. Once idiosyncratic does place this arsenic an contented for them, if they get successful interaction with their suppliers past that should beryllium the extremity of it."

Regulator Ofgem told Money Box customers shouldn't person to walk hours rectifying incorrect bills and that it is simply a supplier's work to grip complaints effectively, adding that it was committed to reviewing the rules astir billing.

Energy UK, which speaks for the industry, says suppliers person a work of attraction to customers and are continuously moving to amended practices.

The institution that sent the backmost bills to some Hayley and Matt was E.On Next, which is portion of the E.On group.

E.On told the BBC it sends retired tens of millions of bills each twelvemonth and that it has systems successful spot to halt backmost bills from being sent out.

But successful Hayley's case, it said quality mistake had led to a backmost measure being sent out, adding it has apologised and is present reviewing its backmost billing processes to supply the champion lawsuit service.

As for Hayley her main interest is for radical who mightiness get these bills and not beryllium consenting oregon capable to combat them.

"I conscionable deliberation it's really rather bittersweet due to the fact that I'm successful a presumption to combat it but not everybody would be.

"You could person elderly, oregon susceptible oregon isolated radical who would spot this [the bill] and think, 'Oh no, I request to wage this.' There's cipher determination to archer them, 'Actually, you don't beryllium this money, implicit 12 months person passed."