Pensioner, 82: 'Npower raised my direct debit from £115 to £550'

I spoke to npower which says that nine direct debit payments of £104 each had been missed due a system error of its own. Meanwhile, the account balance had grown to £3,048.74.

I did tackle you as to why you had not picked up on the fact that these sums were not going out of your account. You said that you were very lax and that you hadn’t noticed.

You put this down to “getting ancient” and “letting things drift along”. You say your daughter-in-law is now going to help you with such matters.

My involvement has led to £936, equating to the nine missed direct debits, being written off.

You say you are delighted with this outcome and say the reduction is a great help.

Npower says it has also noticed that you have an Economy 7 meter but are not using it to benefit yourself, so it is discussing a new meter option with you. Its energy efficiency team has also called about how much energy you use, the types of appliances you have, and so on.

Vulnerable customers struggling with energy bill debts may want to check out the Charis Grant scheme via Citizens Advice or 01733 421060 or charisgrants.com to find out if it can assist them.

Also see energysavingtrust.org.uk or call 0300 123 1234.

You say your accountant daughter-in-law has taken over the problem of structured repayment, and the outstanding balance will get paid in that way.

• More: 'Npower took £25,000 from our account'

• To find out how to contact Jessica, click here

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