British Gas-Estimate way too low-Surprise!

MikeM

BG sent me an email two weeks ago reminding me to submit a meter reading - which I did immediately ! Bill arrives a few days later by post and is about half of what I calculated. I notice that it is an ESTIMATED bill.

Telephone and am told that 'they didn't receive my reading' and that this will 'save me money' ! I say that I would prefer to pay for the gas I have actually used at todays prices - not the prices after the price increase on 10th Dec.

Mention this at work and three other people have experienced exactly the same thing.

So are BG doing this on purpose to make people pay for yesterdays gas at tomorrows prices ?

I should add that previously they have always received and used my readings.

SwanJon

No.
Try searching the forums.

MikeM

Would be most grateful if you could point me to the relevant posts ?

I did have a quick search through recent posts

Cardew

This accusation comes up every time there is a price rise and with every company. This is a post a day or so a go:

That is another 'urban myth' I am afraid and covered many times on MSE.

When estimating meter readings for a price rise all of the companies use an algorithm(computer program) that takes into account weather statistics from the Met Office, and this algorithm is independantly audited. (a contributor to MSE used to write these algorithms)

To do what you suggest(i.e deliberately billing low) would not just be 'sharp practice' it would be 'conspiracy to defraud' - a very serious criminal offence that would almostly certainly carry a custodial sentence, and the company fined £millions.

Who would order the person writing the computer program to commit such a crime? If some disgruntled employee blew the whistle even years later, the offence would come to light.

You might recall what happened to Severn Trent when they 'fudged' some statistics. Nowhere as serious as you are suggesting - yet it cost the company many millions of pounds; and that was because an employee reported the company.

MillicentBystander

To do what you suggest(i.e deliberately billing low) would not just be 'sharp practice' it would be 'conspiracy to defraud' - a very serious criminal offence that would almostly certainly carry a custodial sentence, and the company fined £millions.

I'm assuming there would have been similar rebuttals on here and elsewhere when the npower gas sculpting 'theory' was first muted. Which is not to say that BG in this case are deliberately doing anything untoward. But some big companies, historically, have been known to do the odd dodgy thing.


PS Here's another thing - anyone experienced any problem in getting their energy company to actually bill on the pre-increase tariff when you have informed them that you are switching and you don't accept the increase?

SwanJon

What searches did you try?
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/search.php?searchid=94331008

MillicentBystander

SwanJon wrote: »

What searches did you try?
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/search.php?searchid=94331008

Probably that one ...on account of this coming up when you click on it::D

Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms.

SwanJon

Weird, works fine for me. Must be a personal search.
ah well, moot point. Comes up everytime there is a rise/drop.

If you look at the number of estimated reads, there will always be some that are too high, and some too low.
If you have benefited from the estimate, you are unlikely to come on a forum complaining about it, so we have a self selecting sample, which is useless for statistical purposes (like the Israeli Air Force daughters).

Mike, what was your estimated read when the prices dropped earlier this year? Last year? when they rose the year before? Can you see a pattern or is this just based on a single read?

MillicentBystander

SwanJon wrote: »

Weird, works fine for me. Must be a personal search.
ah well, moot point. Comes up everytime there is a rise/drop.

If you look at the number of estimated reads, there will always be some that are too high, and some too low.
If you have benefited from the estimate, you are unlikely to come on a forum complaining about it, so we have a self selecting sample, which is useless for statistical purposes (like the Israeli Air Force daughters).

Mike, what was your estimated read when the prices dropped earlier this year? Last year? when they rose the year before? Can you see a pattern or is this just based on a single read?

Unless you actually work for British Gas, how can you be absolutely sure, though?

MikeM

I have just been updating my meter readings on:

http://www.imeasure.org.uk

I have been recording my weekly (gas & electricity) readings on this site since May 2009 so only have one other winter period to compare with.

The BG estimate was almost half the actual reading but I was more concerned by them then 'ignoring' my carefully submitted reading.

I would never suggest that BG computer programs 'fiddle' their estimates but when prices went down last Spring I did have a feeling that they had piled the consumption into the expensive period !

I notice that BG now offer 'EnergySmart' - 'no more estimated bills' by allowing users to submit their own readings monthly. Not much use though if they ignore the readings when they choose to do so !

Whatever next - daily readings and daily direct debits allowing customers to buy gas on the 'spot' market !!

SwanJon

MillicentBystander wrote: »

Unless you actually work for British Gas, how can you be absolutely sure, though?

Millie, your alter egos know I work for British Gas, so I assume this is a dig, but don't know what you mean.

What am I absolutely sure of, seeing as I work there?

Mike, I'm glad you say that you don't think that BG have fiddled the computer program, but if you look back at your first post you can see why people thought that was what you are suggesting.

As to not using estimated reads, it has been an issue for people in the past - I was on EnergySmart for a while, and somehow whenever I submitted a read it was a day or two early, so they would estimate a reading for the right day. Enough accurate reads going in and their estimates are never far off. Just keep putting them in and challenging anything you don't think looks right.