Caroline Leith, a single-mum from Lincoln, faces bankruptcy after an electricity bill of more than £20,000 from SSE energy was issued. Caroline initially contacted energy company SSE about her electric meter after noticing the reading was lower than the figures quoted on the estimate provided by the company.
“I was shocked because I have no money to pay the debts,” she said.
“Paying a £20,000 electric bill is not going to happen – I laughed because of the shock.
“I am really struggling. I am a single parent of two children and I have no idea how I am going to pay.”
Ms Leitch says she emailed the company head office but after waiting two days for a reply, still hasn’t had a response.
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The former nurse says she had no option but to leave her role as her two kids were both experiencing issues and says she had to “choose to put my kids first” over doing the long hours.
The latest development has left her fearing she will be financially ruined as she has no way of paying off the debt and she admits the timing couldn’t be worse with Christmas on the horizon.
“It has been a constant battle this year with debts. I have just had to struggle.
“If [the bill] can’t be changed, I will have to go bankrupt – I can’t pay it,” she said.
Express.co.uk has reached out to SSE energy for further comment.
A SSE spokesperson said:“We have been in touch with the customer to apologise for stress this has caused her.
“The high bill occurred as a result of a system error which we are looking into. We are also speaking to the customer about additional assistance we can offer to reduce her energy bills going forward.”
However, it might be time for Caroline Leith to swap energy providers all together, as suggested by Martin Lewis earlier this year.
The Money Saving Expert who regularly offers his fans financial advice, previously, urged viewers, when he appeared on This Morning earlier this year, to change energy providers to save money on their energy bills.
In his TV segment he revealed how easy it is to compare and switch to the cheapest energy tariffs on the market via comparison sites such as Martin’s Cheap Energy Club or any Ofgem-approved sites.
Martin warned that effects of a series of serious global events have already hit the energy market, pushing up prices.
British Gas and EDF are among the suppliers who’ve hiked the price of their cheapest tariffs by up to £75 a year.
This is because the cost of wholesale prices has also risen, which is passed onto customers.
Martin urged: “f you haven’t sorted a cheap deal for winter, DO IT NOW as many more may go.
“Switching is easy,” he added. “Some are worried by it, but the energy never goes off, nobody visits you (unless you want a smart meter) and it’s the same gas, electricity and safety.
“In reality, only price and service change.”
Even though the savings that can be made by switching are smaller, it is still hundreds of pounds cheaper than sticking with a variable tariff.
Even though the government announced that it will be lowering the price cap from £1,254 to £1,179 back in October, according to Martin home owners can actually save up to £280 a year by fixing into a deal.