BEWARE....British Gas

supermassive

This happened to me with British Gas, too.

They requested something I did not owe, and when I asked them to only ask for what they were owed, they look their sweet time in doing it.

I couldn't afford the £400 bill they'd sent me. No way.

So I got a big red mark against the account on my credit file.

A Month later they sent me a correct bill - for £80.

Was I about to pay them more than 4 times what I owed just to keep the wolves at bay? No. They're a company that provide a service, and get paid for what they provide. I'm not a bank that gives them loans and they just hand back what they don't need. It doesn't work like that.

So I took them to court. They paid. I had it removed from my file and got £1000 for my trouble.

You know why? Because assaulting someone's credit record when they don't actually owe you the money you're pretending they owe you is fraudulent - whether you're British Gas or not.

Then again, I might be a unique case, because I also just won a case against Lowell Portfolio who tried to issue me with a CCJ for a 7 year old debt. Now it's being completely removed due to my counterclaim for harrassment over 7 years for debt I don't have. Apparently, nobody wins against Lowell.

matttye

supermassive wrote: »

This happened to me with British Gas, too.

They requested something I did not owe, and when I asked them to only ask for what they were owed, they look their sweet time in doing it.

I couldn't afford the £400 bill they'd sent me. No way.

So I got a big red mark against the account on my credit file.

A Month later they sent me a correct bill - for £80.

Was I about to pay them more than 4 times what I owed just to keep the wolves at bay? No. They're a company that provide a service, and get paid for what they provide. I'm not a bank that gives them loans and they just hand back what they don't need. It doesn't work like that.

So I took them to court. They paid. I had it removed from my file and got £1000 for my trouble.

You know why? Because assaulting someone's credit record when they don't actually owe you the money you're pretending they owe you is fraudulent - whether you're British Gas or not.

Then again, I might be a unique case, because I also just won a case against Lowell Portfolio who tried to issue me with a CCJ for a 7 year old debt. Now it's being completely removed due to my counterclaim for harrassment over 7 years for debt I don't have. Apparently, nobody wins against Lowell.

Well done.

I opt for the easy life route, although if I genuinely couldn't afford the £400 bill id do the same.

BikingBud

matttye wrote: »

Well done.

I opt for the easy life route, although if I genuinely couldn't afford the £400 bill id do the same.

So is it a monetary threshold and easy life rather than a principle?

So how do you explain £400 going out when they do the mortgage assessment? Oh no it's an error by BG but it's OK i'll pay it for now.

Shows the problems we have to deal with then and why we continue to get trampled upon.

Someone living close to the bone does not have £400 and then their world collapses as they try to pay a widely inaccurate bill that they needn't stress about because the system should look after them.

Where's the social justice in that?

matttye

BikingBud wrote: »

So is it a monetary threshold and easy life rather than a principle?

So how do you explain £400 going out when they do the mortgage assessment? Oh no it's an error by BG but it's OK i'll pay it for now.

Shows the problems we have to deal with then and why we continue to get trampled upon.

Someone living close to the bone does not have £400 and then their world collapses as they try to pay a widely inaccurate bill that they needn't stress about because the system should look after them.

Where's the social justice in that?

Paying £400 wouldn't cause me financial difficulties hence why I wouldn't risk not paying it and then having to battle with British Gas for ages to get negative information removed from my credit file.

If it did cause me difficulties then I would fight it.

BikingBud

So it's still about the value/cost rather than the principle?

Shame really that you and others seem to think it ok and we should allow ourselves to be rolled over.