British Gas Cancelled Bills Involving Adjustments 29 January at 11:52AM in Energy 14 replies 640 views

crashedandcool

It's about how adjustments work on cancelled bills affecting the statement and live balance.

Seem to have endless billing issues with BG whenever I ask them to do something. I requested a bill after my gas account migrated to the new system(for my own records/schedule). So in the migration it generates a final bill for the old system which was fine. So I thought bill please and I'd get one on the new system. The agent did it wrong and one got generated in the old system for 0 units used and 12 days standing. The next agent fixed it wrong and ended up cancelling the incorrect bill, the migrations final bill and the bill before that. The next agent cancelled that one and billed to correct reads/dates however that bills statement balance is wrong and it's due to adjustments in the bill. The annoying thing is the live balance is correct, but can't be based on what the bill says. Of course now I imagine this bill is part of what forms the balance in the new system.

So how do adjustments work in bills. Basically there has been 3 bills cancelled and replaced, but it looks like each time the previous bills statement balance is added into the new bill as a cost. So instead of just being charged for usuage/standing  with payments taken into account you get that added on and the end balance is not correct.

Dolor

Post a screenshot of your bill with key details redacted. I doubt that there is anything amiss. When bills are cancelled, the charges are added back as a credit. Accountancy conventions can be confusing.

crashedandcool

Dolor said:

Post a screenshot of your bill with key details redacted. I doubt that there is anything amiss. When bills are cancelled, the charges are added back as a credit. Accountancy conventions can be confusing.

This is the latest bill with the adjustments matching final balances from x3 cancelled statements.

Dolor

Sorry - but that is only half the story. How were the adjustments calculated? Is this shown on your bills?

crashedandcool

Dolor said:

Sorry - but that is only half the story. How were the adjustments calculated? Is this shown on your bills?

They are the "your new balance" at the end of each cancelled statement. So the 74.31 was the original final statement balance of the old system which would be brought forward into the new system. Once cancelled that amount became an adjustment on the next bill with balance of 31.53 and when that one got cancelled the 74.31 and 31.53 became adjustments on the bill with balance 0.07. Which got cancelled becoming the 3rd adjustment on the bill I've attached.

lindatoo

I am having the same problem. I questioned my last statement. BG apologised and issued new statement with £154 adjustment cost. No explanation and strangely the adjustment is the same amount as the incorrect previous statement. 

crashedandcool

lindatoo said:

I am having the same problem. I questioned my last statement. BG apologised and issued new statement with £154 adjustment cost. No explanation and strangely the adjustment is the same amount as the incorrect previous statement. 

Is your live/account balance ok as opposed to whatever the statement says it should be?

wild666

When my supplier produces a bill I download a copy of the bill. If it cannot be downloaded then I take screen captures of the bill.

crashedandcool

Anyone else got any thoughts?

ariarnia

one of the confusing things like dolor says is the way the money amounts are presented on the bill and where they got them from. im sure its easy if you have the bills in front of you and have seen them be generated

an easy way to check whats going on is if you have the meter reading from before the system change (on an old bill) and meter reading now. then you can work out your use and what your actual bill/balance should be.  its also the best way to explain to us/customer service the problem to get it fixed. 

so. can you give us a meter reading from when you were on the 'old' system (not estemated and tell us the date it was taken) and today's meter reading? 

if you dont want to do that and are happy you understand the problem then the answer is that in 8 weeks after first telling BG about the problem you can escalate it to the ombudsman. the BG will have to explain whats going on to the ombudsman's timetable and they will produce a report at the end that sets everything out in plain language. 

BooJewels

I recently had an issue understanding how a bottom line had been arrived at on a bill issued to the aunt who I'm looking after her account under an LPA.  The maths on the bill itself made no sense - in fact many things made no sense. 

But I could at least fathom it out when I looked at the payment history in the account - that showed the chronological application of billed amounts and credits (she doesn't pay by DD, so the EBSS is added as a credit, along with warm home discount) - so used alongside the bill, I was at least able to get to the same bottom line figure, satisfied that it was at least correct.  I have no idea why they make their billing so complicated - and migration to the new system is just another complication when it's already hard enough for people to keep a grip on their usage and billing. 

In the process of my migration I had several bills that were cancelled, then re-issued, credits and adjustments moved etc.- it ended up way more complicated than it needed to be.  So have a look at your payment history, see if that adds any clarity.