Bill: KwH price is exceeding the Price Guarantee for Gas in April 2023: is that allowed?

Annemos

It does not say anything at all about the tariff name throughout the bill. It is quite astonishing! 

All it says is " smart meter reading at price change" on October 1st 2023 and January 1st 2023. 

And "You called us with meter reading at price change on April 1st, 2023"  (When it went to 12.29)

Annemos

Friend has just told me of another case with people advancing in years. British Gas. For Donkey's years..... lady has a home. Gent lives with her. He pays half the expenses. The bill is in her name. 

So 2 cheques always sent in, paying half each. One for him and one for her. Paper-clipped to the bill and posted in with a little note.  

Several months ago she was accused of having an outstanding debt because "they could not find any other cheque". 

(This has maybe affected her credit rating, because she did not pay the other half over again first and only then fight the case to get it back?? So the supposed debt was still left outstanding after several months.)

Only got cleared up when they got through to someone very high up at British Gas and the mystery cheque was finally located.  

QrizB

Annemos said:

It does not say anything at all about the tariff name throughout the bill. It is quite astonishing!

Do you have her complete gas bill as a pdf? does it look like the one in this article?
https://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/guides/how-do-i-read-my-british-gas-energy-bill/
(I'm not a current BG customer so I don't know if they are still using that template for their bills.)

Annemos

I am going to try and take am image of it. (Delete her details.) And attach it. One moment. 

Annemos

Sorry that took ages. Hope you can see OK. (I can see it when I open it as a JPEG properly..... zooming in on it works.) 



As I say, it only says at the bottom of Page 1    Your Gas Tariff/ Your Electric Tariff


Standard Variable      Standard Variable    Estimated annual usage: 24795.00 kWh Estimated annual usage: 815.99 kWh Estimated annual cost: £2070.37 Estimated annual cost: £476.50

Qriz B.... NONE of that extra information in Orange in your example, is included on her bills at all. 

(For interest,  as to the size of that gas leak, which the repairer has registered as "off the scale!"  That last quarter from April 1st to June 25th..... she was out of the country for two months of that!!) 

Qyburn

Do they just send one bill per year?  

But just from that bill it would appropriate to ask why they're charging more than EPG starting from 1st April

Gerry1

Annemos said:

As I say, it only says at the bottom of Page 1    Your Gas Tariff/ Your Electric Tariff

Standard Variable      Standard Variable

That's the answer, hidden in plain sight !  SVT for Gas, SVT for Electricity.

Annemos

And if that is indeed correct, Gerry1, why is her rate 12.29 for the last quarter? 


(Prior bill to this was  the 13 Feb 2022 to 22 Sept 2022 and that was on that Fixed OCT23v1 tariff thing.)

So although she did not realise it, she must have gone onto a  standard variable tariff from September 22nd, 2022. And perhaps that is why a bill was issued on Sept 22, 2022. Then this one is complete Standard Tariff.  

They don't seem to have applied any exit fee. Perhaps they did not, as they realised that those tariffs were far too high for people. 

Thanks again everyone for all your help..... I will ask why she has not received the 9.75 rate?? 

Qyburn

If remember correctly, for customers on fixes that were about the EPG that was to come into effect in October 2022, suppliers were offering to swap them onto SVT without penalty.

For the period Oct to June it wouldn't have made a difference, but from 1st July she is better off on SVT. You have probably seen posts from people who fixed last Summer, benefited from EPG discount but are now seeing their prices rising.

So the crux is really that incorrect price, and if you can get BG to fix that she should be good.

Medium  to long termshe should really review her use more than once a year. Maybe she'd let you access her Smart Meter data to help.

Annemos

Yes Qyburn I totally agree she should now stay on the Standard Variable Tariff,  for at least a little while. To get the new July Cap. But also while we work though this leak issue and stabilise her bills and direct debits. 

In the last two weeks, before I intervened, she was so worried, she had called British gas twice and kept changing her tariff. So she has just had a couple of letters thanking her for changing tariff. She had basically done a Yo-yo between Standard to Fixed to Standard. All within a couple of days. 

It is in a knot and needs to come to stability. 

Yes I have her account now. So I can go in and see at least her monthly readings. I will do that in the background. 


Re older people with no family: 

Incidentally everyone, I have just contacted Age Concern, They have told me from now on, always to give her the Age Concern telephone number to contact. (Staffs in her case). They have mechanisms in place to help older people in her position. They can help her with anything and they have all the local contacts like plumbers and gas engineers. They can arrange rides to hospital, too.