One in four UK households have been sent an incorrect bill from their energy provider and have paid more than they previously thought they would.
A report from uSwitch.com showed that 14 per cent have received the wrong statement more than once, with a third of households having been left owing money because of a discrepancy.
If an inaccuracy is discovered, it takes on average just under two months to resolve, with 42 per cent being sorted out within a week.
Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at uSwitch.com, said: "Consumers are paying
hundreds or even thousands of pounds a year on household bills – the least they should expect
is for these bills to be accurate. Billing blunders can cause consumers to end up out of pocket,
as well as wasting time and effort trying to get the issue resolved."
One area which could be improved, in order to reduce the number of inaccurate bills, is smart metering and knowledge of this.
Earlier this month, proposals were made to ban sales during installation visits, along with giving consumers control access to their data.