British Gas HELP - Unauthorised entry

Mummy2211

Anyone able to advise..

Basically after losing my job late last year, we have gotten a little behind on some bills, Mostly all sorted apart from British Gas, Im not looking to be shoot down on the debt I owe, as I know this already BUT, In Febuary they told me that they would be taken me to court to get a warrant to put a pre payment meter in, I went online and spoke to an advisor to explain the situation I was in at the time, and that I would be greatful for a payment plan, I was awaiting for this to be set up, When I then had a letter to say that there was a warrant and on the 5th March they would come to the house to change the meter, I just gave up with trying to phone them to sort it out, The 5th March came, I was in all day waiting, No one turned up, I called them at 6pm to be told they have up to 8pm to attened, Still no one attended, I then called again and they said someone would call to arrange a new date.

Fast forward until last week, I got a letter for en electric bill (even though I am on a pre payment meter for that) So I called them up regarding that. that's the last letter I had got from them at all.

So today to my horror my neighbour calls me to ask who was in our house, I said no one as I was 70miles away from home, Only for her to say there were two men in the house said they were from British Gas and they had a warrant to change the meters, I spoke to them and said this was meant to have be done on the 5th of March, Anyway by this time they had near enough finished so I couldn't do anything.

I have got home and they have taken all the stuff out of the cupboard where the meter is located, Gone into my Living room (which isn't by the meter) put half of the stuff on the livingroom floor and left more in the hallway also, then left the letter on the bottom step of our stairs.


I have contacted British Gas to have advised they wrote to us on the 16th April to tell us they were coming, and also sent someone around on the 20th December, No one came to the house because I was in, I wasn't working and my kids where home also. And we never had a letter in regards to today, I was told that I have had the letter, and I was just ignoring the fact they were coming.. Even though I have been waiting?

The fact is now, I have come home to all this mess they have left, and been told by BG that it is not their responsibility to replace all the stuff they removed that would be down to me?

JJ_Egan

Its not unauthorized it has a warrant to enter .
Mess if you believe its bad write a letter in pen and ink registered mail to BG head office .

House_Martin

As JJ Egan says, the warrant was authorised and they could legally enter .
Did they use their locksmith to get in and change the lock as well ? Its a great pity you was nt in at the time they came because it may have cost you an extra £300 on top of your original debt
The cost of the warrant, about £150 is billed to you and so is the cost of the locksmith.Anyway, now you have two prepayment meters . They would have installed the prepay gas meter with the debt to be repaid at between £3.50 and £16 a week.
You can check the amount of the whole debt and the weekly repay amount on screens 26 and 27.Press and hold the red button till it beeps. You can then scroll through the various screens.
Prepayment rates are now slightly lower than standard/variable tariffs.
These debt warrants are the last resort. BG do not want to use them but if the occupants do not take their debts seriously and start to make frequent payments , they have no option.

welshmoneylover

Mummy2211 wrote: »

Anyone able to advise..

Basically after losing my job late last year, we have gotten a little behind on some bills, Mostly all sorted apart from British Gas, Im not looking to be shoot down on the debt I owe, as I know this already BUT, In Febuary they told me that they would be taken me to court to get a warrant to put a pre payment meter in, I went online and spoke to an advisor to explain the situation I was in at the time, and that I would be greatful for a payment plan, I was awaiting for this to be set up, When I then had a letter to say that there was a warrant and on the 5th March they would come to the house to change the meter, I just gave up with trying to phone them to sort it out, The 5th March came, I was in all day waiting, No one turned up, I called them at 6pm to be told they have up to 8pm to attened, Still no one attended, I then called again and they said someone would call to arrange a new date.

Fast forward until last week, I got a letter for en electric bill (even though I am on a pre payment meter for that) So I called them up regarding that. that's the last letter I had got from them at all.

So today to my horror my neighbour calls me to ask who was in our house, I said no one as I was 70miles away from home, Only for her to say there were two men in the house said they were from British Gas and they had a warrant to change the meters, I spoke to them and said this was meant to have be done on the 5th of March, Anyway by this time they had near enough finished so I couldn't do anything.

I have got home and they have taken all the stuff out of the cupboard where the meter is located, Gone into my Living room (which isn't by the meter) put half of the stuff on the livingroom floor and left more in the hallway also, then left the letter on the bottom step of our stairs.


I have contacted British Gas to have advised they wrote to us on the 16th April to tell us they were coming, and also sent someone around on the 20th December, No one came to the house because I was in, I wasn't working and my kids where home also. And we never had a letter in regards to today, I was told that I have had the letter, and I was just ignoring the fact they were coming.. Even though I have been waiting?

The fact is now, I have come home to all this mess they have left, and been told by BG that it is not their responsibility to replace all the stuff they removed that would be down to me?

Yes it would be your responsibility to clear up. Cheapest option is to request a meter to be put in, you would have avoided the additional court costs.

C_Mababejive

Leaving the OPs situation aide, a lot of people think it is ever going to happen or that if they are not in, they will just go away.

The preamble to obtaining warrants goes on for months and months. Letters are sent,people knock on doors etc.

I know that energy companies do all possible to avoid warrants. Many do not pursue them during the winter period. They dont want to be seen as oppressive or to get bad press.

Bottom line though, if money is owed and the debtor isnt responsive, well eventually they can and will act. At that point the bill goes up as more admin has been done, they've been to court, they have to hire a baillif,a locksmith and engineers. It all costs and it all gets added to the bill.Cant pay,take it away,,

SwanJon

Ignoring how the meter was fitted for now, there may be a way to clear the balance (and fees).
The British Gas Energy Trust is a charity that can help (it's funded by BG but independent administered).
https://britishgasenergytrust.org.uk/


(They also administer similar schemes for other suppliers:
http://www.charisgrants.com/)

macman

You seem to be more concerned about having to put a few things back in a cupboard than clearing the debts. If your possessions were obstructing access to the meter,s then what else could they do? Did they actually damage anything?

Mummy2211

Yes i have the debt and i haven't once said i didn't, I KNEW the meter was going to be installed but that was back in March, They didn't turn up on that day, I called them and they said they had till 8 pm to turn up, but still never showed, When called to ask why, they didn't know and were going to get in contact with that team and get back to me to rearrange - But nothing, I then had a letter on the 16th April for an Electric bill but I'm on a pre payment meter for the electric anyway, and that's the last letter I have had from BG..

I have been in contact with BG since October last year to say that I had lost my job, and also my daughter was battling awful mental health issues, as in she was trying to commit suicide, So I was struggling, I was promised it would be a problem and we could sort something out, But nothing ever was, When they wrote in Feb to say they were going to court I actually phoned I just though oh well just do it, Partly because I was in a bad place with my daughter, Simply didn't have time to argue or spend on the phone.. So Its not about having a meter, at least the debt is getting paid, and its relevantly small anyway.

What my issue is, the fact that I didn't know about this warrant yesterday, and the fact they have left my house in a state, they've walked through my house, and opened my living room door and just chucked it in the middle, and also left stuff in the hallway too, Why not put it all together, and yes i do expect them to have put it away, it was ok for them to move it out the way, and they didn't even need to remove it all either, the cupboard is huge!

Im not getting away from the debt and i havent ignored it either, Unfortanlty life chucked us things we are not sure how to handle, and my daughters health has put everything on the back burn to make sure she stays alive!

I have even told british gas this, and also of my ill health too.

PennineAcute

Trouble is, what done is now done. Yes, you should have been notified of the date of the court date (for the issuing of the summons), but for whatever reason, you were not.

All you can now do is take it on the chin and begin to move on (which I know is easy to say).

House_Martin

Mummy2211 wrote: »

Yes i have the debt and i haven't once said i didn't, I KNEW the meter was going to be installed but that was back in March, They didn't turn up on that day, I called them and they said they had till 8 pm to turn up, but still never showed, When called to ask why, they didn't know and were going to get in contact with that team and get back to me to rearrange - But nothing, I then had a letter on the 16th April for an Electric bill but I'm on a pre payment meter for the electric anyway, and that's the last letter I have had from BG..

I have been in contact with BG since October last year to say that I had lost my job, and also my daughter was battling awful mental health issues, as in she was trying to commit suicide, So I was struggling, I was promised it would be a problem and we could sort something out, But nothing ever was, When they wrote in Feb to say they were going to court I actually phoned I just though oh well just do it, Partly because I was in a bad place with my daughter, Simply didn't have time to argue or spend on the phone.. So Its not about having a meter, at least the debt is getting paid, and its relevantly small anyway.

What my issue is, the fact that I didn't know about this warrant yesterday, and the fact they have left my house in a state, they've walked through my house, and opened my living room door and just chucked it in the middle, and also left stuff in the hallway too, Why not put it all together, and yes i do expect them to have put it away, it was ok for them to move it out the way, and they didn't even need to remove it all either, the cupboard is huge!

Im not getting away from the debt and i havent ignored it either, Unfortanlty life chucked us things we are not sure how to handle, and my daughters health has put everything on the back burn to make sure she stays alive!

I have even told british gas this, and also of my ill health too.

What did the letter say about the prepay electric meter ? They do send out a statement every now and then showing the years usage details.
Possibly you have not been crediting the electric meter so it has fallen well behind on standing charges owed.
I have seen prepay electric meters with over £200 standing charges owing if the occupier has nt been crediting the meter for a couple of years.
British Gas should compensate you every time they do not turn up for an appointment and for something as important as an installation of a prepayment meter the compensation should be much more than their standard £30.
BG not appearing for the appointment may have led you to think they were not serious and when they do eventually turn up you are not at home and it may have cost you £300 in warrant and locksmith fees
.BG should at least scrub these fees .
I think you have a valid cause for a complaint and I would send your complaint to the Energy Ombudsman after informing BG. It is a disgrace that they can enter your house and leave it like that. They should have left it neatly with a letter of explanation.
Usually when they enter a property with the occupier not present they leave a letter with a phone number to contact them so you can get the new lock keys to your property.

Mummy2211

So after all of this yesterday, I returned back home for the night tonight ( We came home yesterday but it smelt of gas and i didnt want the kids in the house, BG told us it was normal for it to smell for a while) Went to run the kids a bath this evening, and we have no hot water, Called BG and they sent National Grid out, Well thank god they did, because BG did not install the meter correctly and left us with a gas leak :mad::mad::mad:.. NG have fixed the leak, and waited to make sure it was all safe, and checked the boiler, but he couldn't get that to work, And said that it should have all been checked even the meter before BG left yesterday, He asked us for paper work that should have been left yesterday, but we just had a piece of paper that said, our account number and that we had emergency credit on there and would be paying £6.50 a week charge... Nothing about who did what or anything, No last readings nothing. So we are still without hot water, and now BG are saying its down to me to get this fixed, not them.. Well it was working just fine on Wednesday morning when we had hot water..

I have been onto them so many times, its unreal - They are not allowed to put the stuff away they took out due to health and safety! Not sure how that changed from when they had to take it out.

Had i of know this was happening yesterday I would have been home, Well actually I would have asked them to sort the dam payment plan out do it didn't get that far. But had i been here i would have opened the door and even asked if they wanted a cuppa (Im not always grumpy)

So now i am down credit on the meter but £6, No hot water and BG telling me its down to me to fix...


In regards to the Electric No one could tell me why I had a charge for the electric, they tried to tell me it was the usage for electric before the meter was installed, but I had already had the meter in the property before I changed over to them, and I had to go and get a key from the shop with the account number. I top up the the meter as and when its needed, haven't used the emergency as of yet. So it cant be that I am not topping it up enough. But thats the least of my worries at the moment.