A 79-year-old woman says she has been "threatened" and "harassed" for nearly two years over over a £20 gas bill.
Christine Lewis lives in Blueleighs Park, a residential park in Great Blakenham, near Ipswich, where she uses gas from Calor Gas to heat her home and cook.
In November 2023, she began receiving messages telling her she owed £20.74 on top of the £130.66 she had paid in June.
The grandmother, who had recently returned from living in Spain, was told that Calor Gas had increased their prices during this time.
However, she felt that it was not fair that the business had changed its prices "retrospectively", while her messages explaining this were ignored.
"It was like going into a store and buying goods only to be told later, I have to pay more", said Mrs Lewis.
READ MORE: Bridge left damaged for four months labelled 'pathetic'
She has since received at least three emails every month and regular texts telling her that she is "in debt" and threatening debt collectors.
This paper has seen messages from the business saying "act now or we'll refer you to a debt collection agency".
Mrs Lewis said: "It's harassment plain and simple.
"They've been threatening me for nearly two years."
"These false accusations really upset me, as I know what debt collectors can do to people.
"I don't owe that money and it's just wrong.
"I just wanted them to leave me alone.
"These types of accusations can ruin people's lives."
After being contacted by this paper, Calor Gas says the messages were triggered by automatic reminders in their system, and they have now written off the balance.
READ MORE: Flags taken down across Suffolk as 'patriotism' row breaks out
A spokesman added: "We are sorry for any confusion and frustration caused by our communications to Ms Lewis regarding her account balance.
"We recommend that any customers who have concerns about payments or their energy bills speak to our customer services team directly, who are on hand to provide help and advice."
However, Mrs Lewis maintains that there was "no confusion over the payments" and that many of her neighbours had also experienced "threatening messages".
She hopes that she will not receive any more messages about the charge moving forward.
Share