British Gas electricity bill arrears due to their miscalculation...advice please.

eric*75

Any advice will be gratefully received - I have read what I could find on this site and am drafting a complaint letter based on this advice (The Back Billing Code etc). However it still seems grossly unfair, in that I have been mis-informed by British Gas ever since their error came to light. I am a very light single user (no washing machine,no dishwasher etc), am on the essentials tariff and I am very used to frugal living.

Long story short(er)...BGas changed me from a pre-payment meter to a 'normal' electronic meter (day & night readings) in 2006, at their request. After this, even though someone would read this meter every month or so on BGas's behalf, my elec bills would always be estimated...I would then ring up and give the correct readings, after which someone would apologise again and I would then receive an 'actual' bill, which I would promptly pay.

Out of the blue, BGas rang in Sept 2011 looking for an outstanding payment of £600 (I had never received a bill for this amount-I still hold all bills since late 2009)...I was then told that their system held incorrect details & that it was clearly their error. In October, I rang back to check why I had not received the reassuring phone calls I had been promised - once again, I was told it was clearly a BGas error and I was given a £30 credit for all the hassle I was getting.

Needless to say I was still receiving outstanding bills by Feb 2012, now reduced to £273, but I had still not received any explanation of how this amount was arrived at...neither over the phone, in the post or via email. I then got a letter saying my elec supply 'was at risk' - I was then told that it was clearly correct (by the person who last year gave me the 'loyalty' bonus). At least she has given me a breakdown of where this figure comes from, even if the dates she has used do not make sense (the largest part of her calculation comes from the period July 2009 - Dec 2010, all estimated of course).

I cannot afford to pay this amount and I do not think that I should pay this amount as I had done everything they had asked a user to do - my other utility bills are extremely low compared with everyone else I know (singles & families), so I do not believe that it should have been obvious to me (in case anyone advises me of that point). However, I appreciate that I may have to pay some of it (based on the advice I have found on the net). As I am first going to complain without paying, is my supply going to be at risk (clearly my credit score is, even though I was assured all along that this would be unaffected)? Is it a case that I could eventually take to my MP?

ANY advice will be gratefully received...

Terrylw1

Its difficult to say since we can't see any real data that makes up the bill but considering they have already given you a goodwill gesture, it seems they are making a mess of it and it may still be incorrect.

Suppliers are not afraid to try it on with debt to see if you will pay or force them to backdown or reduce it. Suggest a complaint to the ombudsman.

elektra

I'm not surprised about this problem with BG.

Difficult for us to comment without all the bill details. Have you a friend who could go through them with you or maybe the citizens advice bureau.

You need to try and work out whether their charge is correct, and then you can find out if back billing code applies and/or ask for a discount on the amount owing ( given it was their mistake) and also time to pay the arrears.

eric*75

Many thanks to elektra & Terrylw1 - sometimes all a person needs is the hope that they are not alone and that they are not bonkers. Any positive advice always helps...

I was about to visit my nearest CAB when I decided to phone Consumer Direct first...their help was fantastic and the offer of future help & support was invaluable. I spoke to two women there and I cannot recommend them highly enough!!!

I was advised to ring the complaints section at British Gas with a number of specific questions (in case my elec supply was at risk etc) - BGas then put a block on any further demands and I was promised a complete re-calculation (though I was promised this in Feb 2012 yet they had merely confirmed my debt of £273.52). It is clear that they were using the 'back-billing code' for their benefit, even though they would not admit it.

Anyway, within 24 hours, BGas get back to me confirming they have cancelled any outstanding bills and have now only billed me only for my last year's total use, minus compensation for all the hassle I have received from them. The problem appears to be that I have an Economy 7 meter but no requirement for Economy 7, so BGas treat it as a single rate meter. I have been assured that there will be no problems in the future, though I very much doubt that.
I think I will have to get BGas to change my meter to a single rate meter as I am worried that any future probs are inevitable, partic if I try to change suppliers.

HOWEVER thanks again - and I hope I have helped someone else with their situation.

elektra

Well done Eric ( and Consumer direct)

Excellent news.

Terrylw1

Nice one!

...and, if you don't have anything wired to the night circuit, get it changed. Nit all e7 meters are allowed to work as single rate charge and some suppliers dodge the cost to change by just changing your tariff. However, when you switch, other suppliers don't work the same and won't be able o bill you correctly until the understand it, change the meter and back bill you on a one off basis to get your charges right. Not all e7s are like this but there are loads in the elec market that were incorrectly set up in the standing data the industry uses way back at deregulation and I know plenty of customers that have suffer due to it.