Help! British Gas problems

laurenthefreecycler

Hello, i hope i have posted this in the correct place - this is my first ever post!
i have a problem that i hope some of you can help me with - I have just received a demand for payment from british gas for an electricity bill for nearly £400 out of the blue, for a house i lived in 2 years ago.
I had been with british gas from june 2006 to november 2006 and switched to swalec in november 2006. I lived in that property 7 months after leaving british gas and was not sent any further bills even though i had given them a final meter reading back in june 2006 when i left them.
I just called them and they didnt send out the final bill until 6th april 2008!!!!! which means it took them just under 2 YEARS to send me a final bill to an address i didnt even live at anymore.
I find this ridiculous and very worrying (how can 2 people in a house have a bill for 5 months just for electricity in the summer for £400??!), does anyone think i have a case to fight this and not pay? i really cant afford to, i am also really stressed as they have threatened court action and have passed it to bailiffs, i have managed to suspend action from bailiffs for 14 days.

Choc

Try getting some advice from Ofgem. Im sure they could help.

Mark

spiro

Did Swalec bill you correctly from Nov'06 because the new supplier provides the supply the change of supplier reading to the old supplier? Did you have your mail redirected and if so for how long? It may be that it took the 2 suppliers months to agree the change of supplier reading by which time you may have moved. If you moved without redirecting your mail then maybe your final bill has been going to your old address and they have only just caught up with you.

brysiewysie

Afraid to say they can chase for debt up to 6 years after the last communication sent to what was thought to be the right address.

As previously said have you checked the accuracy of the bill (meter details, meter readings, dates of the fianl reads etc)?

Joyful

Of course if they didn't actually produce any bill till 2008 then they can't bill you as it's over 12 months. If they did though then I would be asking where the bill went to and when it was first sent.

brysiewysie

Joyful wrote: »

Of course if they didn't actually produce any bill till 2008 then they can't bill you as it's over 12 months. If they did though then I would be asking where the bill went to and when it was first sent.

I think the key from the OP is the comment 'and was not sent any further bills'. The 12 month issue therefore doen't apply.

laurenthefreecycler

Hi all thankyou for your help. i contacted British Gas and Swalec again to try and find out if it was an accurate bill - They both said it was the correct amount and it was because I had not provided British Gas with sufficient meter readings in the time that I was with them. However, the bill was only ISSUED to me April 6th 2008 and my contract with British Gas ended in 2006 - and Swalec confirmed that they had received my final meter reading for the British Gas just after I switched providers and passed on the reading and closed my account with British Gas on my behalf so how did it take them 2 years to figure out the bill and post it to me? British Gas have no record of trying to contact me for a bill that I needed to pay in 2006?! So although I accept that the bill is legitimate, do I have a case for challenging the lateness of it?

spiro

The ERA Billing Code says they can only back bill for 1 years if its their fault. Therfore query with them why it has taken this long to send you a bill on the basis they got your closing read just after you left.

laurenthefreecycler

Thank you so much for all your advice, i contacted the ombudsman and found the clause on their website and as it had been over 1 year ago that i left british gas - I didnt have to pay!!! As soon as I mentioned the clause they said it was scrapped immediately! You have all saved me a much needed £400 and I am so so grateful, I am going to spread the word about these forums! x

spiro

Glad you got such a good outcome. As someone new when you want to thank someone for their response you can click on the 'Thank You' icon at the bottom right hand side of their post. This add to the 'Thank You' count you see against a person when they post. Spread the word and get all your mates on the newsletter list as well 2.4m people can't be wrong.