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

Gerry1

That consumption bar chart is highly misleading.  It makes the extra consumption look like 25% whereas it's almost 650%.

born_again

For anyone interested. This is a follow on from this thread

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6456233/british-gas-gas-leak-behind-gas-fire-i-advise-you-to-keep-old-bills-and-take-photos-of-meter#latest

Annemos

You are absolutely correct. I have been so busy looking at her actual numbers, I did not focus on that bar itself. 

If anyone was just looking at the bar, they'd miss the huge scale of the problem. 

Annemos

In fact Gerry1, as I am on hold at British Gas, it occurs to me that the bar might be stopping at a limit of about 5000? 

If it carried on further across with no limit, her use bar for that bill would be going across my computer and out the window!!

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Anyway: Long call with British Gas in South Africa.... a very good Customer Advisor with a lot of empathy. 

One important thing has come out for anyone else on British Gas Standard Variable Rate. Check your gas bill kWh rate from April 1, 2023 to June 30, 2023. 

This was apparently a System Error. They are going to rectify it to the lower ENG rate. I think hers should be about 9.75. 

Reading between the lines, the BG lady had her down as being on a "Standard Variable Tariff: Higher Fixed Tariff Rate". I had to argue this and say that this is a contradiction. It does not exist that you can be on both at the same time, in my opinion. 

(Bear in mind, that they were apparently treating her as being on Standard Variable Rate in the prior quarterly periods before April 1, 2023 and were applying the ENG, I think, even though she had originally been on Fixed Tariff some time back that was due to end Oct 23.) 

The BG lady was saying that the CAP was being applied.... but not the ENG which was lower. (I have not checked if that makes sense.... I have not investigated the Cap level to see if it was about 12.29.) 

Gerry1

It's just bad software.  The bar chart should be zoomed so that the higher usage bar always uses the maximum  available width.

Annemos

Bad Software. Like their system error on Billing kWh Rates?

SwanJon

Aside from fixing the billing (which should be done), when you come to look at the extra consumption it may be worth seeing if the BG energy Trust can give a grant to help clear that.
https://britishgasenergytrust.org.uk/grants-available-2/

They can't help with ongoing consumption, but if she's back to a normal level of use now it's worth asking.

Annemos

Thank you very much for that. ( That is a something I have never heard of.) 

I am just waiting for a call-back too, from British Gas, to see if they would consider a Goodwill gesture, in light that this went on so long. It is with the Managers. 

When the lady telephoned twice, nobody treated it as a potential gas leak or looked at her age. She was just put in the system for someone to look at some time. (So not even directly to send an Engineer out.) And nobody told her to get the Gas Pressure checked out as a priority. 

(Have just had this discussion with someone. There is a possibility that with Smart Meters, everyone starts to focus on the Smart Meter going rogue, or the battery running out and it needs to be tested.... but the fact we are dealing with GAS, might be being overlooked.)