VIDEO: Woman's shock over whopping £9,500 electricity bill

A shopkeeper has told of her shock after she received an electricity bill for a whopping £9,500.
DM17313166a.jpg. Hurstpierpoint shopkeeper Marie Calba wrongly received a £9,500 electricity bill from EDF Energy. Photo by Derek Martin; SUS-170318-190804008DM17313166a.jpg. Hurstpierpoint shopkeeper Marie Calba wrongly received a £9,500 electricity bill from EDF Energy. Photo by Derek Martin; SUS-170318-190804008
DM17313166a.jpg. Hurstpierpoint shopkeeper Marie Calba wrongly received a £9,500 electricity bill from EDF Energy. Photo by Derek Martin; SUS-170318-190804008

Marie Calba, who runs a decorative antiques shop called Marie-France in Hurstpierpoint High Street, said: “The whole thing is completely mad.”

Marie said she had not used anything like that amount of electricity and her bill “should be more like £50.”

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She first opened her shop in August last year and received her first bill last month - for £5,893.93p.

DM17313166a.jpg. Hurstpierpoint shopkeeper Marie Calba wrongly received a £9,500 electricity bill from EDF Energy. Photo by Derek Martin; SUS-170318-190804008DM17313166a.jpg. Hurstpierpoint shopkeeper Marie Calba wrongly received a £9,500 electricity bill from EDF Energy. Photo by Derek Martin; SUS-170318-190804008
DM17313166a.jpg. Hurstpierpoint shopkeeper Marie Calba wrongly received a £9,500 electricity bill from EDF Energy. Photo by Derek Martin; SUS-170318-190804008

She was shocked and says she told EDF Energy that it could not be her bill - but three weeks later she was sent another bill - which had gone up by almost £4,000.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I knew it was not my bill and I wasn’t responsible for using that amount of electricity - I don’t even have any heating in the shop.”

EDF Energy now say the bill had been in the name of a previous tenant. A spokesman said: “Miss Calba informed us in August 2016 that she had taken over the premises and we requested a copy of her tenancy agreement. Miss Calba failed to provide this and the account remained in the name of the previous tenant.

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“Earlier this month, we received a copy of the tenancy agreement and have created a new account in Miss Calba’s name, covering energy use since the property was taken over. Ms Calba has been asked to provide meter readings, so a bill can be generated and the matter resolved.”

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