Britain lands the wrong bill

8 million people have received a bill with mistakes on it. A third of people feel they lose control paying by direct debit

At a time when household budgets are being squeezed more than ever, the last thing Brits need is to be landed with an incorrect bill.

However, in the last three months over eight million people have been overcharged*.

The billing study by moneysupermarket.com** revealed 17 per cent of Brits have found a mistake in their bill in the last quarter, and over a third (34 per cent) in the last year.

Despite supplier inadequacies, half of those surveyed (50 per cent) said they still don't check every bill they receive.

Rob Barnes, head of broadband and mobiles at moneysupermarket.com, said: "The staggering amount of people who've been hit with an incorrect bill only goes to show how inadequate some providers can be.

Consumers are already facing increased living costs, the last thing they need is to be charged for something they never had.

"Worryingly there are millions of people who still don't check their bills, meaning they could be paying over the odds for a service they have never received.

If you don't check all your bills you're leaving yourselves open to being taken advantage of." The research also showed direct debit is the most popular way to pay gas (48 per cent), mobile (34 per cent), landline (63 per cent), electricity (54 per cent) and credit card (25 per cent) bills.

However, with millions of unchecked and incorrect invoices landing in Britain's letterboxes, consumers could be throwing away hundreds of pounds as direct debit payments are made automatically without question.

Of those who don't use direct debit to pay for some or all of their bills, their main reason for choosing alternative methods of payment is to monitor how much they're paying each month, with women (42%) keeping a closer eye on their payments than men (33%).

A third (33 per cent) feel direct debits reduce their control on their finances.

A wary one in 10 (11 per cent) do not trust their supplier enough to take the correct amount.

Barnes added: "People should monitor every bill they receive - especially if they pay by direct debit.

If payments are made automatically against incorrectly charged bills, suppliers are raking in millions of extra pounds.

Also, anyone who doesn't pay by direct debit should check whether they would be hit with extra charges as some suppliers, such as BT and Virgin, charge for not paying by direct debit***.

Consumers are already going through a hard time with rising living costs, it is about time suppliers started treating them fairly." * 17 per cent of the adult population (47.778m) said they had received an incorrect bill in the last three months.

** Total sample size was 2,016 adults.

Fieldwork was undertaken by Opinium Research between 01 and 04 April 2008.

The survey was carried out online.

The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

*** Virgin Media charges andpound;5 per month and BT £4.50 for quarterly bills and £1.50 for monthly invoices.

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