E.ON to pay out to customers hit during switch

Have you been an E.ON customer in the last couple of years? Did you switch after they decided to put their prices up? Well, you might be entitled to a little bit of extra Christmas cash.

The regulator Ofgem has just announced a fine of £1.7 million for the company after mistakes in the last couple of years.

When companies announce price rises, consumers are meant to be given 30 days to switch to a different provider if they want to.

Even if the switch has not been completed in that period, the customer should not be charged the new higher price.

E.ON, however, did charge customers who were in the middle of switching, breaking the rules.

They noticed their mistakes and confessed to the regulator who has now fined them the £1.7 million. It's not the biggest fine in the industry but is not insubstantial.

On average the 94,000 customers who were wrongly charged will receive about £14.

And the company is putting another £300,000 towards a fund that helps people who struggle with their bills.