British Gas robbing me blind?

Robin9

The reading of 22639 on 7 April looks very wrong - could it be 26239

Your overall consumption is fairly high at about 25 units a day

cfcboy97

It just does not make a blind bit of sense to me

2014 paying £87 a month
2015 paying £65 a month (i was paying too much and also had some credit)
2016 paying £65 a month
2017 paying £215 a month

Ive not changed anything.. up until 2016 i was working from home! 2017 no one is in all day and it shoots up x3!? Sorry to bang on but im just dumbfounded by it

Cardew

Robin9 wrote: »

The reading of 22639 on 7 April looks very wrong - could it be 26239

Your overall consumption is fairly high at about 25 units a day

I suspect that the 22639 reading on 7 April was an estimated(under-estimated!) and the next reading on 29 June was a correct reading.

This would lead to a 'catch-up' bill and a huge hike in the DD to pay off the debit balance.

OP, BG must inform you of an increase in your DD. You will probably find it at the foot of a bill - many people tend to miss seeing it as it isn't very prominent. Your £215 DD will only be that high until you have paid off your debt

cfcboy97

I didnt have any letters or emails, the only reason i saw a change was from looking at my bank balance!

Robin9

OP Have you any readings prior to April 7 ?

cfcboy97

There was on the account but everytime i go to check it online i get "opps something went wrong".
I guess due to closing the account maybe? Surely i must have access to the historical data?

NineDeuce

You havent explained why BG have upped your costs nor why they are demanding more payment before terminating your contract. There could be a number of possibilities here.

1) Your monthly payments were based on an old tariff and the new payments were to bring yourself up to date.

2) Your consumption rose and over time, your debt accrued and your old payments did not account for this

3) Your contract ended and you went on to deemed rates

4) You had under-estimated bills for some time and an actual read was submitted showing you owed more than your payments

The extra payment could be that you locked yourself into a contract and BG are charging you an early termination fee.

cfcboy97

There were no early exit fees on my contract.
My consumption has stayed the same as far as hardware is concerned. Ive not added anything out of the norm like a hottub or a generator in my back garden....

To breakdown my usage this is what i use per day:

Morning - Bedroom lights on, misses hair straighteners, kettle for a coffee, kitchen lights (led x4 for half hour)
Day - Nothing as not in
Evening from 6pm - PS4, x2 TV, washing machine and dish washer for an hour, laptop for a couple of hours , oven for an hour, 12 lights inside for a few hours, two outside lights for 3-4 hours).

Possible rate change but an extra £1800 per annum?
I own a mobile repair store with 3 x the electric running all day and its only £75 per month.

NineDeuce

You should be in control of your bills. Request historical billing or set yourself with an online account which should give you access to this. Look at the readings on each bill and compare your annual consumption, noting whether any estimates have taken place.

Alternatively, ask BG for the reason. They cant just charge you because they feel like it. They need to give you a breakdown/explanation.

Its all very well getting angry about BG but you need to have a leg to stand on and you have been a bit vague on what the charges might be for. All of my possible suggestions above still stand.

cfcboy97

If i could get access to them then i would lol

My Gas readings per month read like this:

07 Oct 2017 Estimated 04389 558.0
31 Jul 2017 Estimated 04339 382.0
29 Jun 2017 Meter Reader 04305 568.0
07 Apr 2017 Estimated 04254 1616.0
05 Jan 2017 Estimated 04110 4778.0
08 Oct 2016 Estimated 03682 1190.0
28 Jun 2016 Meter Reader 03577 448.0
07 Apr 2016 Estimated 03537 7152.0
28 Dec 2015 Meter Reader 02898 3595.0
08 Oct 2015 Estimated 02576 1974.0
24 Jun 2015 Meter Reader 02401 26600.0

So one would assume the electricity has been estimated in the same month frames..
I will email BG asking for a full monthly breakdown of the leccy and go from there.

Thanks for the help