British Gas Electricity Bill

windshadow · 17 January 2007 at 12:29PM

I have just switched from BG to N Power Juice. I am on a prepayment meter, and have been for over 10yrs. Today I recieved a Electricity bill from BG for £179.55.

I called BG and as usual spent 25 minutes on hold, listening to power saving tips and cheesy music. Finally I got through to a human and asked her how I could possibly owe £179.55, when I have been on a pre pay for over 10yrs and didn't owe anything.

After her going off to investigate and being put on hold again for 10 minutes, she came back and told me, the bill was due to my meter not being set to the right tarrif. She said BG were changing taffis on pre pay and they hadn't gotten round to changing my tarrif. I told her it wasn't my fault the tarrif hadn't been changed, nor had I been informed of any change in tarrif. She basically told me tough, you still have to pay it.

Could someone tell me were I stand in this, the reason I have been on pre pay was to avoid large bills :mad:

Regards
Kyla

tripled · 17 January 2007 at 3:46PM

Legally they can do this, you have to pay the rates advertised by the company and not the ones the meter is set at. If your meter hasn't been reset, you can always phone them and book an appointment.

However, energywatch takes a dim view of this practice and on 1st December BG announced they would no longer backdate charges for pp customers whose meters hadn't been reset, so depending on when your changeover went through it may be worth giving them a bell.

windshadow · 17 January 2007 at 3:55PM

tripled wrote:

Legally they can do this, you have to pay the rates advertised by the company and not the ones the meter is set at. If your meter hasn't been reset, you can always phone them and book an appointment.

However, energywatch takes a dim view of this practice and on 1st December BG announced they would no longer backdate charges for pp customers whose meters hadn't been reset, so depending on when your changeover went through it may be worth giving them a bell.

Thanks for your reply. The changeover went through on 27th Dec 06. I have rang them and they say I have to pay

The billing period on the bill I recived is 31st May - 26th Dec 06 Total owing £179.55.

malifax_2 · 17 January 2007 at 5:41PM

I am currently working for BG and part of our role is to change the old token meters for new key ones, this is giving them access to properties to change the tariffs, usaully from 7.44 per KW to the new rate of 12.43 (Yorks region) but I have yet to visit a property purely to change the tariff. As far as I am aware me and my colleagues are not changing tariffs unless there is a change of tenant etc.

tripled · 17 January 2007 at 5:49PM

Surely being as the key meters can be set remotely you wouldn't have to change the tariff?

windshadow · 17 January 2007 at 5:53PM

I am on a key meter and have been for the past 19months.

tripled · 17 January 2007 at 7:01PM

Was there anything carried forward from the previous bill (May 05-May 06)?

There is a similar thread just a few below yours, maybe have a look in there for ideas and advice too:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=349551

TheImportanceOfBeingIdle · 17 January 2007 at 7:20PM

I had one of these letters from them. It is their problem that the incorrect tarrif was set on the meter. If I went into B&Q and bought 20 litres of paint yet only paid for 10, then that aint my problem.

I'd suggest ringing energywatch. Find their details here http://www.energywatch.org.uk/

It is unfair that they are lumbering people on pre-payment meters with these bills. If they had done their wrk correctly then they shouldn't have let you switch anyway due to there being an outstanding balance.

It took me a few phone calls to energywatch and a couple of letters to BG but they finally succumed to the idea that this is ludicrous.

British Gas Electricity Bill

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