'Threatening letter sent to bereaved Tipperary pensioner over €16 arrears'
Tipperary TD to raise issue with minister
Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath has issued a blistering condemnation of Electric Ireland after an elderly pensioner in his 80s, who was recently widowed and is in poor health, received what McGrath describes as “an aggressive and intimidating arrears letter warning of possible cancellation of his payment plan and implied disconnection, despite owing only €16, an amount that has since been fully cleared”.
Deputy McGrath says his constituent lost his wife last year and has been struggling under the weight of funeral costs and additional unexpected cost of living expenses. His daughter, who is also his full‑time carer, contacted Electric Ireland, explained the situation in full, and worked with the company to establish a €75 per week payment plan. Since then, the man has been paying €80 per week, going beyond what was required in order to clear approximately €800 in arrears.
Despite this level of engagement, which under the industry’s own protections should prevent any threat of disconnection, Electric Ireland issued a letter on July 9 that Deputy McGrath described as “deeply distressing, wholly disproportionate, and utterly devoid of compassion”.
He added, “The tone of the letter that I have personally seen was aggressive, intimidating and completely unacceptable for a state‑owned utility dealing with a vulnerable elderly customer”.
Deputy McGrath said the letter caused significant fear and upset to the man, who believed he was at risk of losing his gas supply over a trivial shortfall that arose only because of additional unexpected expenses.
“My office is seeing cases like this on a far too frequent basis. This is not how we treat vulnerable pensioners, or anyone else for that matter. This man has done everything asked of him. He has engaged fully, paid more than the agreed amount, and cleared the minor arrears immediately. Yet Electric Ireland sent him a letter that reads like a threat. It is disgraceful”.
The Tipperary TD also highlighted the wider context of Electric Ireland’s parent company, ESB, reporting €636 million in pre‑tax profits and a record €2.7 billion capital investment last year.
“At a time when ESB is reporting enormous profits, their retail arm is issuing fear‑inducing letters to elderly widowers over a paltry €16. It is beyond comprehension”.
Deputy McGrath confirmed that he will be raising the matter directly with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Alan Dillon and seeking assurances that all energy providers are adhering to the protections designed to safeguard vulnerable customers.