How to get money and truth from Scottish gas?

ikkleosu

I am wondering if any of you with expertise or experience can give me some advice on how to get a straight answer form Scottish Gas.

My bf has his gas supply with them and we are convinced he is paying way too much in his monthly direct debit. He was paying £58 a month, and they then upped it to £76. He has a 1 bedroomed flat, with gas central heating (4 radiators) and gas cooking. He hasn't had the heating on for months and rarely cooks. His currentmeter reading is 0628.

When he realised he is paying over the odds (my large family home with gas on often has a monthly chareg of around £40) he called up to find out if he was in credit. He has now caleld 3 times and each time been given the run around. 1 advisor said that was the right amount he needed to be paying, 2nd advisor said he was in around £400 of credit nad they would send out a cheque, when the cheque didn't arrive, 3rd advisor claimed her computer was down bu there was no record of this credit and cheque and that he was probably paying around the correct amount.

i cannot believe he needs to pay £78 a month for someone who hardly EVEr uses gas, and each phone call to them is costing him money. How do we go about finding out his credit, GETTING it and of course switching provider? Any help greatfully received.

BigDunc

Do you know what the bills are based on? An estimate or an actual reading? And do you have any older bills to see how much he is using?

ikkleosu

BigDunc wrote:

Do you know what the bills are based on? An estimate or an actual reading? And do you have any older bills to see how much he is using?

The bills have always been based on estimates, afriad don't have any older bills but I know that he has used 1 unit in 2 weeks if that's any help?

Ken68

Does he have the last bill, will be there...so much used...so much balance to pay or in credit.
What about the electric bill, is he dual fuel.More info please, how lon g he been with Scottish Gas.?
He should be a low user. A one bedroom flat could be heated with a candle.

ikkleosu

Ken68 wrote:

Does he have the last bill, will be there...so much used...so much balance to pay or in credit.
What about the electric bill, is he dual fuel.More info please, how lon g he been with Scottish Gas.?
He should be a low user. A one bedroom flat could be heated with a candle.

The only bill he has is from Aril 2006, he's been with Scottish Gas since July last year. The April 2006 says:

Present reading estimated 1199. Then something about 170 units? Sorry I don't really understand gas bills.

Account in debit by £184.77

Ken68

Assuming that in Mid April 06 he owed £184 and made 4 payment of £78 and used very little gas in the interim, then he is owed approx £120 depending when the DD was raised.
Plus any electricity bills.Best to keep bills for several years, and everything in writing and copies.
With gas and electric supplies using the same cables and pipes, it's down to ADMINISTRATION, and with consumers chopping and changing as they are entitled to do, the clerks can get in a muddle.

ikkleosu

Ken68 wrote:

Assuming that in Mid April 06 he owed £184 and made 4 payment of £78 and used very little gas in the interim, then he is owed approx £120 depending when the DD was raised.
Plus any electricity bills.Best to keep bills for several years, and everything in writing and copies.
With gas and electric supplies using the same cables and pipes, it's down to ADMINISTRATION, and with consumers chopping and changing as they are entitled to do, the clerks can get in a muddle.

Thanks so much. So the question is how to go about getting that credit back? If he switches providers using USwitch or the like, will the change mean he automatically gets any credit back or will the credit simply be moved to the new provider?

Ken68

You b.f. well may have to set up an account with a new supplier and start paying them and wait for the final bill/refund from the old.
Best sort it now before moving.
Otherwise go ahead with a new provider, EBICO are ok for low users, but don't expect them to sort it out.
There should be a July bill about somewhere.Start keeping weekly records, gas, electric, water and phone.

gt94sss2

If I have this right:

Your boyfriends current meter reading is 0628
In April 06 British/Scottish Gas were estimating his reading as 1199

In other words the estimated reading/amount of gas used is much higher than the actual amount of gas used - hence the very high monthly payments.

As such, I would first contact Scottish Gas and give them the correct meter reading (can also be done online at http://www.house.co.uk/) and then ask for the monthly payment to be recalculated and a refund of the credit balance given.

I would then read this: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?newsid1103281560,22751, and see if changing supplier is cheaper for you.

So the question is how to go about getting that credit back? If he switches providers using USwitch or the like, will the change mean he automatically gets any credit back or will the credit simply be moved to the new provider?

Credits (or debit balances) do not get moved to new suppiers - they would be refunded to your boyfriend. However, its vital that you give BG your actual meter readings and don't let them estimate them!

Regards
Sunil

Gal

Same as above vastly over - estimated. Call them back give them the reading then get away from scottish gas asap.

If he has been over - estimated by that much then the 2nd advisor that said he would be £400 in credit is probably correct.

ikkleosu

Thanks all for the advice! I should reassure you he HAS given them the correct reading - TWICE - and this is why we're getting so frustrated, as he gives them the correct reading and the advisors are still trying to say that he's paying a neccessary amount per month! One advisor did notice the discrepenacy in estimated and actual and siad he was £400 in credit and would send out a cheque, but that was 2 weeks ago and when my bf phoned up again to chase this up he was told there was no such info on his account, as if the last call he'd had with an advisor hadn't existed.

The latest advisor did say they would send out a new bill with the correct reading on it, but we shall see if that happens. I'm pleased to know though if he does switch, that he should get the credit back. It's just that right now he can't get a truthful answer about how much credit he's in.

I want to say an extra thanks to you all for being so pateint with me, i've never had to deal with this kind of thing myself, and bf is clearly useless at organising himself financially. I am trying to get him sorted out, but he has poor records etc so it's difficult. Thanks for the patience!