British Gas owe me £3149.66. What are my legal rights?

Mr_K

You take them to the small claims court. Get a decision your favour, then turn up to one of their offices with bailiffs and start removing their gear.

A customer did this to Scottish Power a few years ago - it was very funny and office equipment started to be removed.

spiro

One thing that lots of customers overlook is that for lots of suppliers including BG it is in their t&cs that you submit a meter reading twice a year.
Also has already been said a refund of this size will have to go several levels of sign off higher than your average £100 refund.

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

undaunted wrote: »

So when did it become 5 years for electricity. I'm sure I've read in the past that was also 2 & Govt information sites are currently still suggesting so, eg

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/electricity-meter-accuracy-and-disputes

Personally I don't know how they are allowed to get away with passing the buck - their meter & bill not the customers so why shouldn't they be expected to read & bill it as any other business would?

According to the BG employees on here, BG have been piloting 5 year reads only for electricity. Sasquacco (sp?) that posts has definitely alluded to this, and there are others whom I can't recall.


As a customer is now reporting this, I think it's fair to conclude that it's policy, not just hearsay.


As for their meter their bill....I can see what you're saying, but in that case they should be allowed to force smart meters on all of us (it is their meter after all!) - something the tin foil hat brigade detest.

undaunted

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays wrote: »

As for their meter their bill....I can see what you're saying, but in that case they should be allowed to force smart meters on all of us (it is their meter after all!) - something the tin foil hat brigade detest.

Perhaps someone more in the know will clarify this but strictly speaking I think the meter is licensed to the supplier by someone rather than owned by the supplier? It certainly isn't the customers though.

As to forcing smart meters upon us all I didn't realise there was any doubt about that. Once they get organised with them I'm sure they will role them out increasingly & there will come a point (even if years away right now) that we do all have them like it or not.

[Deleted User]

I have been told that BG have the "option " to go as long as 5 years for both gas and electric ( I made a personal objection to OFGEM about this when the objections were asked for ) The main reason BG was rewarded with this length of time was their excellent record in uncovering energy theft which showed up how bad the rest were.80% of all energy theft finds were found by British Gas.The rest of the motley crew could only muster up the remaining 20%..shocking !
In practice BG are still the best of the lot at actually achieving 2 year must inspects. I do hundreds of them every month.I also work for EDF and Scot Power..I do the odd one now and again for them, and so do my mates .They virtually ignore the two year must inspect rule in my opinion.
Undaunted, most of the gas meters have it written on them "property of National Grid " I think the suppliers own the meters in a way as they rent the meters from National Grid and the DNOs, customers certainly don t own them. Smart meters, one day in the far distant future, may get to something like 80% roll out then financial pressure will be put on the refusers in the form of a refusers levy