Sir Grayson Perry hits out at £39,000 EDF energy bill error

Turner Prize-winning artist Sir Grayson Perry has criticized energy firm EDF, alleging that the company attempted to increase his monthly electricity bill from £300 to an astonishing £39,000. Sir Grayson shared his frustration on X (formerly Twitter), revealing that EDF sought to deduct this inflated amount via direct debit. Other customers, including journalist Jon Sopel, chimed in with similar experiences.

EDF responded by stating that “unusual” direct debit changes might occur due to incorrect meter readings recorded on its system. Speaking on Radio 4’s Today program, Sir Grayson detailed receiving around 15 bills totaling £39,000 out of the blue. Despite spending hours trying to resolve the issue with the call center, the artist faced difficulties communicating with what he described as a computerized system.

Sir Grayson emphasized the broader issue, noting that he raised it because others online were experiencing similar problems. He highlighted the potential impact on vulnerable individuals facing such situations. Former BBC journalist Jon Sopel shared his own story of a bill increase from £152 to £18,000 but stated that the matter was subsequently resolved.

Energy suppliers, including EDF, have faced scrutiny from regulator Ofgem regarding the setting of direct debits. While EDF asserted that the issue was not indicative of a wider problem with its billing system, concerns persist among customers. The company explained that unusual changes could occur due to erroneous meter readings, and it assured customers that robust interventions were in place to verify significant increases in direct debits through human checks.

The context of rising energy bills, exacerbated by global events like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has added strain to households. Ofgem recently highlighted that customers owed suppliers a total of £2.9 billion, proposing an increase in the energy price cap to provide funds for payment plans or debt write-offs.