BG have overcharged me and don't seem bothered - HELP!

phasmid_uk

This is complicated and going to be long-winded but please bear with me and see if you can help.

We have bg for gas and electricity. we have pre-payment card/key for both. In May the electricity key was refused by two terminals and we were advised to contact bg for help. We phoned them and explained and they promised a new key by post. It didn't arrive so with a dwindling credit on the meter we called them and said 'Help'. They replied that the new key had been sent and we'd have to sit tight and wait. We explained that due to disabilities we simply could not do that, we needed some credit on the meter right then as we were down to pennies and it wasn't going to last the night! They despatched someone from the meter people to give us a new key.

On arrival the guy put either £5 or £10 worth of credit on the meter to tide us over and set it to take that back at £1 a week. Fine. But all of a sudden our average weekly spend on the meter nearly doubled from around £10 to nearly £20. Even allowing for the price increase and paying back the credit they had put on this seemed way too high but when we queried it that just said it was due to the new charges and that was that! So although not happy we were left with little choice in the matter we had to keep paying it.

Courtesy of here we had had the winter rebate this year - for the gas only the electric one never arrived and we had forgotten about it. That was until they sent a letter out a few weeks ago saying we wouldn't have to claim it this year as the payments ahd been automated. That reminded us about the missing electric rebate so we phoned up to enquire what had happened to it - after all £20 is £20 and I'd rather it was in my pocket than theirs if it was mine. Thats when all hell let loose!!

It appears that around the time the key packed up someone else was registered as a customer with them at my address and my account was closed!!! Shame no-one asked me...I haven't moved, got a lodger or anything else I told them - but I do seem to be paying a lot for my electricity! Am I paying someone else's bill or arrears I asked. I got passed to another dept. I had to send proof of tenanacy and other bits with a letter to their fraud dept stating I had never moved out or anyone else moved in etc and ask them to investigate - this I did. They said over the phone that there was 'an anomoly' on the account and they would investigate...but yes, they were thinking that was a dsitinct possibility. Wonderful!!

So we waited....and waited....and for good measure waited some more. This week a letter arrived saying they were looking into it and thanking me for my continued patience - like I had much choice. I have just had a phone call from them and their story is this:

When the key was replaced the guy put us on the economy 7 tarrif 'accidentaly' - which upped our bill. We didn't ask for this and they have said we didn't. They have also said that this 'may' be the cause of the extra payments we suddenly found ourselves making. Fine - so what about paying us back the difference between that and what we should have been paying then? Their response : We'll we can't really do that because you have already used the electricity. -DO WHAT???

So, what do I do know. I have been put back on the correct tarrif, or will be when another 'new key' arrives. But what about the over-payment I have made - it was their error not mine, they have even said so!


We did get the name and extension number and location of the girl who phoned us today and we have kept the letter they just sent. We're wise to that one at least!

Oh...and the electricity winter rebate? Still haven't had that yet either!

Suggestions???