Why did npower keep my mother's money 15 months after her death?

By Victoria Bischoff

Updated: 10:18 BST, 3 July 2013

When her mother Margaret Brenchley died, Yvonne Abbott was left to wade through the daunting paperwork grieving families 直面する when a loved one passes away.

Days were spent 接触するing companies, の近くにing accounts at banks, cancelling 保険 政策s and arranging to put her mother’s house on the market.

It was time-消費するing, but the 強調する／ストレス was at least made easier by the sympathy and helpfulness she received from most of the staff she dealt with.

Most, that is, apart from energy 巨大（な） npower.

More than 15 months after Margaret Brenchley died, and a year after her 広い地所 was finalised, the 会社／堅い has still not returned the £273 she overpaid for electricity.

Cash struggle: Yvonne Abbott with her husband Kenneth

Even when her house in 物陰／風下d was sold in January, npower still failed to 支払う／賃金. Mrs Abbott has 地位，任命するd her mother’s death 証明書 three times and was 約束d a cheque in May.

Mrs Abbott, 47, who lives in 物陰／風下d with her husband Ken, says: ‘It was a 失望させるing nightmare. I had to do everything.

‘I had to の近くに all her accounts, arrange for her furniture to be sold at auction and put all her 着せる／賦与するs in 黒人／ボイコット 捕らえる、獲得するs ― I was reminded all the time about when she last wore them.

‘The last thing I needed was npower asking me to keep going over her death again and again with them.’

Sadly, （民事の）告訴s such as Mrs Abbott’s are not unusual. Money Mail receives many letters about the horrendous problems people 苦しむ trying to の近くに an energy account after a 親族 dies.

There are no 公式の／役人 指導基準s on how energy 会社／堅いs should を取り引きする these 状況／情勢s.

This means some providers 保留する 顧客 credit built up for months, 誤った continue to send 法案s 見積（る）ing energy use for months after a death and 辞退する to talk to 任命するd family members.

There are no 産業 time 限界s for companies to 会合，会う ― one month to 返す credit after a death 証明書 has been received, for example. Staff are 定期的に （刑事）被告 of insensitivity に向かって 嘆く／悼むing 親族s.

Gillian Guy, 長，指導者 (n)役員／(a)執行力のある of 国民s Advice, says: ‘に引き続いて a bereavement, 取引，協定ing with a loved one’s 事件／事情／状勢s can be difficult and 苦しめるing.

‘It should be a straightforward 過程 to 取り消す a 公共事業（料金）／有用性 法案, but いつかs things are going wrong.’

Executors of a will usually need to 供給する a death 証明書. In theory, once this has been received by the energy company ― which should take? just a week or so in simple 事例／患者s ― all 月毎の 法案s should stop and a final 法案 worked out and sent to the 死んだ’s house. After probate (the 権利 to manage the 死んだ’s 事件／事情／状勢s) has been 認めるd, a new gas or electricity account can be opened in the executor’s 指名する.

British Gas 許すs up to six months for the executor to 得る? 認める of probate, during which time the account is put on 持つ／拘留する.

After six months ― sooner if probate is 認めるd ― the account is の近くにd and a new one opened in the executor’s 指名する. If the 所有物／資産／財産 of the 死んだ is to be sold, the energy account can then be passed on to the 買い手.

If the 所有物／資産／財産 is kept on and a tenant 設立する instead, the account can be passed to them.

Any refund 借りがあるd should be sent 支援する to the 広い地所, while 優れた 法案s are paid out of the 広い地所.

But in reality, with many companies these 過程s often 落ちる apart.

It took E.ON four months to send English teacher Julie Harvey, 58, a 訂正する final 法案 after her aunt, Mary Dewey, died in February. In the 合間, the 会社／堅い 接触するd other family members and sent 概算の 法案s to her aunt’s house.

Part of the problem was that Mrs Dewey had 適用するd to switch energy 供給者 before she died.

Energy: Money Mail receives many letters about the horrendous problems people 苦しむ trying to の近くに an energy account after a 親族 dies.

E.ON 許すd the move to Scottish & Southern Energy even though it knew Mrs Dewey had passed away. After this, it took two weeks to get the account 支援する. At last, in June, Mrs Harvey received a final 法案. This showed the 広い地所 was 借りがあるd just £3.

Mrs Harvey says: ‘I’m so angry. E.ON’s bereavement support team was an 絶対の joke.

‘I’ve never known anything like it. Every day I was going backwards and 今後s and they just couldn’t sort it out.

‘They saw the 所有物／資産／財産 was empty when they （機の）カム to take the メーター readings, so why on earth did they still 移転 the energy account? It’s 完全にする nonsense.’

E.ON has sent flowers to Mrs Harvey to apologise and paid £136 in 補償（金）.

A spokesperson said: ‘We are truly sorry for the poor service. The 終結 of Mrs Dewey’s account was 妨害するd by an 使用／適用 we’d received for the 移転 of the electricity 供給（する） to another 供給者.’

A 広報担当者 for npower says: ‘We were so sorry to hear about the problems Mrs Abbott has experienced ― 特に at such a difficult time for her.

‘It is not （疑いを）晴らす why it has taken so long. We have 接触するd Mrs Abbott to let her know that we have now 過程d her refund and sent her a cheque for £100 補償（金）.’