Fury as energy giant Eon sends pairs of socks to customers to encourage them to turn their heating down
- Customers slammed the marketing gimmick as insensitive and a waste of money
- Eon said it was to motivate households to consider reducing carbon footprint
- Energy bills are expected to soar by more than 50% to nearly £2,000 in April
- Ovo also sparked outrage for suggesting people cut bills by cuddling their pets
Energy giant Eon is facing a furious backlash after sending pairs of socks to customers to encourage them to turn their heating down.
The supplier said it was intended as a fun way to motivate households to consider how they can reduce their carbon footprint.
But with energy bills expected to soar by more than 50 per cent to nearly £2,000 in April, customers slammed the marketing gimmick as insensitive and a ‘waste of money’.
It comes after Ovo Energy sparked outrage earlier this week by suggesting people cut their heating bills by ‘having a cuddle with pets’, ‘eating hearty bowls of porridge’ and ‘doing a few star jumps’.
The firm later issued a grovelling apology for its ‘poorly judged’ advice.
Leaving lighter footprints: Energy giant Eon is facing a furious backlash after sending pairs of socks to customers to encourage them to turn their heating down
One woman wrote on Twitter: ‘So with energy bills about to rocket, Eon thinks the best thing to do is to send customers (my mother in this case) a pair of socks.’
Another added: ‘My elderly auntie on income support just received this pitiful package from her energy company. Shame on you Eon.’
Martyn James, of complaints website Resolver, said: ‘Even with the best intentions, this type of marketing stunt will feel like a slap in the face to households panicked about the soaring cost of energy.
‘It’s also a complete waste of money that could surely be put to better use given the current crisis.’
Charity Age UK has warned that energy price rises could trigger a ‘national emergency’ for older households, who spend more time at home than other age groups.
It said it had heard thousands of stories from elderly people who are so worried about price hikes, they are turning off their heating and living off soup and sandwiches.
Eon said the marketing stunt was intended as a fun way to motivate households to consider how they can reduce their carbon footprint.
Without urgent intervention, millions could be forced to choose between eating and heating this winter, the charity added.
Eon said around 30,000 customers were sent the socks after engaging with an energy saving campaign last year.
They were sent to encourage them to think about their carbon footprint and a spokesman added: ‘It was in no way designed to detract from the seriousness of the current energy crisis and the work we are doing to lessen its impact on our customers and we apologise to anyone who feels otherwise.’
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