A bungling energy giant has got its wires crossed and hit a householder with an annual bill for £111,000.
Shocked Diana Dallimore has been paying a £85 a month for gas and electricity at her modest three-bedroom terraced home.
But npower has now updated her account and predicts she will use £80,857.31 worth of gas and £30,831.72 of electricity over the next year.
After making adjustments for VAT and discounts, the monthly charge is calculated at £12,462 over the remaining nine months of the annual contract, starting on May 8.
Letting agent Diana, 35, who shares her house in Salisbury, Wilts., with partner Ray Druce, 39, said: “I’m gobsmacked.
“I’ve phoned them up and told them it’s ridiculous but they’ve said their computer system has worked it out.
“Our meters were read by their representative at the end of March and they’ve based the figures on that.
“I’ve told them they’ve got it wildly wrong and he needs to come back to double-check the readings.
“The meters are in a really difficult position in the house and I can only think he didn’t read them properly.”
npower has told Diana she will have to pay for the second meter reading IF the original figures prove to be correct.
She added: “I’m quite stressed about this as it should never happen.
“What on earth would possess them to think a small, three-bedroom terraced house would cost that much?”
An npower spokesman said Ms Dallimore’s account has been put on hold and they were sending someone to check her meters next week.
They said they could not explain how her monster bill had been calculated.
The scary thing about this is they would have happily accepted the payment and not batted an eyelid.
How many other cases such as these never see the light of day – lord only knows.