A great-grandmother received a nasty surprise in the mail after energy provider Scottish Power informed her she was dead - by letter.
On January 9, spiritualist Tillie McDonald got some post, passing on "sincere condolences", while also requesting that a £75.51 outstanding payment be made.
The 89-year-old from Greenock in Scotland was undergoing treatment for breast cancer and gallstones when she received the letter.
"Some bright spark obviously thought it was fine to address a letter to me telling me that I'd passed away," she said. "I'd like to know who informed Scottish Power of my demise so I could strangle them.
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"A man I spoke to on the phone told me that I was off their system altogether."
The letter read:
"Dear customer, we have been notified that our customer has passed away and send our sincere condolences.
"We don't seem to have received the outstanding payment of £75.51 for the balance on this account. Please make the necessary arrangements to pay this."
Mrs McDonald told the paper the letter had made her extremely upset given that it coincided closely with the anniversary of her husband's death.
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"I'm a spiritualist and even I myself didn't know I was dead," she joked. "You should hear some of the cracks I get for that because of this letter.
"I went to the warden in my building and asked her to feel my arm and she asked me if there was something wrong with my arm and said, 'No, I'm dead apparently'.
"I think she thought I was bonkers."
McDonald, who has three children, three grandchildren and a great-grandchild, said she had spoken to the energy provider over the phone for "three-quarters-of-an-hour" before being cut off.
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Scottish Power said it wanted to 'sincerely apologise to Mrs McDonald for the distress caused by this error, which is being fully investigated'.
Featured Image Credit: SWNS