A WOMAN was thrilled to receive a "reward" cheque from her energy provider – but was stunned to read how much it was.
Sharon Patrick, 47, was given the payment for being a loyal E.ON prepayment customer.
But the mum-of-one from Rochester, Kent, was appalled to discover the cheque she was sent was worth just 1p.
E.ON apologised and said the cheque should not have been given out in the first place.
Sharon said: "When I opened the cheque and saw how much it was for, I thought it was laughable and insulting at the same time.
"With energy bills going through the roof at the minute, sending someone a one pence cheque is a joke."
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Sharon says she has been a customer of E.ON for seven years, and buys both her electricity and her gas from the energy provider.
When Sharon saw a letter from E.ON last week explaining she was the beneficiary of a cash cheque, she was excited to see how much she'd been gifted.
But her excitement quickly turned to disappointment when she realised the amount was so small.
Sharon said: "I haven't contacted them yet, but I may do soon to see why they've bothered to send it.
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"The funny thing is it probably cost 80p to send in the post, so really what was the point?
"I'd love to know if anyone else has been sent a similar cheque from them because it just seems crazy to me."
A spokesperson for E.ON said: "We're sorry, this was a simple error on our systems and the cheque should have been stopped from going out in the first place."
Prepayment meters provide a pay-as-you-go service, and 4.3million top up using a key, card or app and pay for the energy they use in real-time.
There's two types of prepayment meters:
- Traditional or "legacy" prepayment meters – you'll need to top these up using a card or key fob which you can add cash to at local PayPoint kiosks.
- Smart prepayment meters – which you can top-up at home over an app or online.
You only pay for the energy you have budgeted for but it is important to keep the meter topped up so you don't lose power in the middle of a wash or during the finale of your favourite series.
However, using a pre-payment meter can be more expensive than a standard meter.
They are often installed in homes that have fallen into debt so customers can manage their bills better or by landlords in some rental properties.
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Earlier, The Sun revealed the exact amount prepayment meter customers will pay in October.
And here is a full list of energy suppliers handing out up to £1,500 ofbill help this winter.
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