British Gas suddenly decide I owe them from 2 and a half years ago!!!

SingleMum78

Okay this is a long story and Im hoping someone can give me some advice, 2 and a half yeyars ago I was In a difficult financial situation due to losing my job and splitting up with my husband and got into a large amount of debt with British gas (over 2 thousand pounds for gas and electricity) and the only way out of it was to have prepayment meters fitted, the meters where fitted in #anuary 2010, the following month I happily came into some money and was able to pay off the full electricity debt, the gas took just under a year and a half to pay off. 2 months after the debt was fully paid off and the debt balance said 0 on my meter it started to take money off me every time I topped up 'for debt' I rang British gas and a lady told me that this was a mistake and organised for a refund on the money the meter had taken from me. Several weeks later the meter started taking money again so I again telephoned and was told that this money was for 'non gas debt' apparently it was charges for letters and debt recovery action from the previous year but had never appeared on my meter until now so I argued this and asked to speak to a manager, at this point she hung up on me, half an hour or so later I received a phone call from a manager, I again explained the situation and he said that yes thats what the debt was but due to the fact that id paid them over 2 thousand pounds in the last year and a half that he'd write off the money and not to worry, so I didnt and the meter stopped taking money off me. Anyway yesterday I received a letter from them saying that I owe them £81 and that this will be added to my meter after I top up at the same place 3 times. Furious, I rang them immediately and was informed that an oversight on their part had meant that this money (apparently accrued from the date I agreed to have the meter put in to the date it actually was fitted) was never actually added to my final balance and subsequently to the meter and that this was picked up at the annual review. However this was not picked up at the annual review last year??? I find this very strange, for gods sake this was 2 and a half years ago, how can they have just discovered this??? When prepayment meters are fitted is a final reading not taken by the person fitting it and this added to the balance then and there? Also I was told by this manager a year ago that I owed nothing and he looked into my account thoroughly so I dont see how this can possibly be right, any advise would be appreciated.

Cardew

The advice would be to WRITE to them outlining the situation and asking for a written explanation.

Complex cases like this are rarely sorted out on the phone.

Terrylw1

When they change your account to reflect prepayment, they have to change the meter. So at this point, that debt would be on your account unless they used a lower incorrect reading and its just been discovered and changed.

The Ofgem back billing directive and ERA billing code states they can't bill things like this over 12 months.

They do like breaching these codes trying to get payment though. So, send in a complaint specifying the back billing codes and watch them backpedal.

Failing that if they stick to their guns, raise it to the ombudsman 8 weeks later and let them make the decision. You should be aware that the supplier pays a much higher than charge for that referral than you owe...so will they throw money at you go close it down, I wonder?...;):D