Electric Ireland: Customers angry at continuing power outage - BBC

Electric Ireland: Customers angry at continuing power outage - BBC News

Electric Ireland: Customers angry at continuing power outage

- Published

Some Electric Ireland customers in Northern Ireland remain without electricity because of a fault with keypad top-ups.

A number have said they have been without power for more than 48 hours as a result of the issue.

NIE Networks said it was now installing new meters for all customers who were still cut off.

Electric Ireland apologised for the fault, which it said had affected a small number of people.

The company is Northern Ireland's third-largest electricity supplier, with about 100,000 customers.

It said the fault affected top-ups purchased between midnight on 30 August and 13:23 BST on 31 August.

Electric Ireland said the issue meant keypads had been capped at a £10 limit, so anyone who bought a credit of £10 or more during that time period could not add it to their keypads.

Many customers who tried to do so received a "Credit Hi" message on their meter.

This meant they were unable to enter new top-ups to the meter until Electric Ireland cancelled all previous attempts - leaving some without electricity.

'It's a shambles'

Christopher Stephens, a father-of-five from Ballymena, has been without power since 17:00 on Friday.

He has had to dispose up to £250 worth of fresh and frozen food.

"The amount of food fired in the bin is just not acceptable," he said.

"It's just madness... it's a shambles how we've been left... it's been a crisis for me," he said.

"There's the cost-of-living and you're throwing things in the bin just because somebody can't deliver electric to my house, it's not my fault."

Mr Stephens said the lack of power was stressful as his children prepared to return to school on Monday.

"It's depressing, it's stressing...you feel like you're letting your children down, they can't sit in the house, they have to be moved from pillar to post to get washed and everything else, it's just not on," he said.

Mr Stephens also said that communication with Electric Ireland had been poor.

"I'm standing here waiting in the dark to be told what's happening," he added.

"As soon as I get sorted I'm bouncing... I'll not be back near them again. They're good enough to take the money but they're fairly taking their time to sort the problem out."

The company said people should not buy any more top-ups until it contacted them as this would "delay the resolution".

"We are working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible and will provide updates when they are available," the company said.

"We will re-issue cancelled top-ups as soon as possible. Our initial priority is to fix all meters affected."

'Brutal' communication

Mark Graham from County Down has been without power since 15:00 on Friday.

Mr Graham, who lives with with his wife and son in Ballynahinch, said the house was "freezing" because he has also been left without heat.

"The only reason I have charge in my phone is because of my powerbank, which has run out now," he told BBC News NI.

His wife's parents have been bringing them flasks of hot water and the family have been eating takeaway food, "which we can't really afford with the cost-of-living at the moment".

Communication with Electric Ireland had been "absolutely brutal", Mr Graham said.

BBC News NI understands Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) Networks has doubled the number of on-call engineering teams on Sunday to help reconnect people.

NIE Networks owns the network of lines, poles and substations that takes electricity from power stations to homes and businesses.

It does not generate electricity, nor does it sell power to consumers.

Mr Graham had contacted NIE on Sunday morning but it told him it was prioritising vulnerable customers affected by the Electric Ireland fault.

"That's understandable but at the same time I have a family and we have had no electricity since Friday afternoon, and it's now Sunday," Mr Graham said.

"I don't know how much more we're going to be able to cope."

Later on Sunday, NIE confirmed it was to carry out meter replacements for all affected customers.

"We appreciate that a number of customers have been off supply for some time now and as such additional NIE Networks metering staff have been mobilised to carry out meter replacements for all customers who remain off supply," a spokesperson said.

'Stress is horrible'

Another Electric Ireland customer, Kathryn Williamson from Bangor in County Down, said communication with the company had been poor.

"Today I called NIE and was given another number to Electric Ireland that is not public," Ms Williamson said.

"After 45 minutes I got through and was told they need to send my top-up codes to another business to have them deleted . Then I must wait for a text . Once I get the text I have to ring again to get the go ahead from them to try and top-up.

"This is terrible. No one had even reached out, I had to call.

"The fridge and freezer food will be destroyed soon, I have an autistic child at home who needs appliances for sensory needs, he only eats certain food that must be cooked."