E.ON took direct debits from my son’s account after it was told of his suicide

My son died by suicide in July last year. He lived in supported accommodation, and his support worker informed his energy supplier, E.ON Next. It was a stressful time, and though his father and I thought we had contacted all the relevant parties, it turns out that his bank account had not been closed.

In April, I discovered E.ON had taken £700 in monthly direct debits after being notified of his death. The bereavement team at first claimed that he owed the money. When I called again, they were more apologetic and told me to claim the money back from his bank under the direct debit guarantee. It said the bank could then recoup it from E.ON. The bank was unable to do this as I had since closed his account, but E.ON insisted there was no other way it could refund a direct debit payment. It suggested I speak to Citizens Advice, which told me to seek legal advice.

I want the £700 to go to my six-year-old grandson. He has just lost his daddy, and his mother has lost the maintenance payments my son was paying, so even this small sum would make a difference.
JR, Staffordshire

This is an agonising situation, and it’s beyond belief that E.ON exacerbated your grief with such callous inertia. And continued to do so even after I intervened and urged it to contact you forthwith.

Eight days, and my deadline, passed in silence, and I had to contact the company again to wring a response. That response finally showed that it could do what any reasonable person would have known was possible all along: refund the money and apologise.

E.ON told you that your son’s direct debits had not covered his consumption, but were all he could afford and the account was, therefore, in debit. It gave a different excuse to me, implying payments had been erroneously collected.

It says: “We will ensure any money incorrectly taken is returned as soon as possible. In cases of bereavement, it can sometimes take a few weeks, or even months, to fully finalise and close the account, due to the complexities and legalities associated with probate, for example.

“But we made an already difficult time even more difficult for JR and her family, and for this we apologise unreservedly.”

You were later paid £700 plus £54.83. It remains unclear how much of this, if any, was owed by your son. If none of it, then almost £55 is a contemptible compensation. But you say you are happy with the outcome, and feel emotional that it has finally been resolved.

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• In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie . In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org , or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org