EDF Energy system bills customer 18 months late

Back in early 2004 silicon.com exposed a seriously botched IT systems migration at utility firm EDF Energy and this week has discovered some customers are still being held back by the blunder some 18 months after the original glitch struck.

In January 2004 we reported the case of a customer - believed to be one of around 45,000 hit by the blunder - who was struggling to get a final meter reading due to a problem migrating Seeboard accounts over to EDF's Siebel-supplied system.

Now 18 months on from closing the account that customer has contacted silicon.com with news of the long-awaited final bill.

Her account was closed on 30 November 2003.

The bill, almost a year-and-a-half in the making, was for £25.11.

In February 2004, having already tried for three months to get her final bill, the customer described the problem as a "cock-up" on the part of the utility firm. Now it would appear to have long-since transcended even that description.

A member of EDF Energy's customer service team told silicon.com: "We're sorry it has taken so long to be resolved."

She confirmed the delay had been down to "a system error" and confirmed the final bill was requested on 30 November.

At the time the original problem struck, a spokesman for the company said EDF Energy was "working around the clock" to resolve the problem "as quickly as possible".

Now, some 18 months later, a spokesman for EDF Energy told silicon.com: "We apologise for any inconvenience to the small number of customers who may still be experiencing any problems with their accounts."

If any other EDF Energy customers can match this delay then we'd like to hear from you. Email us at editorial@silicon.com.