British Gas / Scottish Gas - check your account for "missing" payments

LoveParasite

Since late Dec 2023 we’ve been trying to trace payments made to British Gas / Scottish Gas (ostensibly the same company).  Our bills were paid in full, yet we received constant demands from Scottish Gas stating the full amount was in arrears?  Scottish Gas wanted full payment, again.

We were able to provide documentary evidence, in the form of a bank receipt (a payment made directly by Royal Bank of Scotland staff in-branch) that those same funds were paid into our Scottish Gas account.  Scottish Gas would, we were told, investigate – it even supplied an investigation reference number. Scottish Gas carried out no investigation.

We contacted it again and again and again.  It ignored us.  No further communication other than automated responses confirming receipt of the issue we raised and then the complaint and escalated complaint we submitted. Not a peep from Scottish Gas.

Scottish Gas was aware that the account holder was deemed a vulnerable adult.  It subsequently made matters worse by sending the disputed amount directly to the account holder by cheque. The cheque was presented by the account holder to the bank. The cheque bounced. Leaving this vulnerable adult embarrassed and confused – feelings that made them think that they were stupid and could no longer comprehend bank payments.  It transpires Scottish Gas had also paid the returned funds by CHAPS so it cancelled the cheque without notification and then, as if it hadn’t messed up enough, it requested full payment again?  It is difficult to adequately describe how this made the account holder feel and how confusing it was.

After almost 12 weeks of this we contacted the Energy Ombudsman.  Scottish Gas made a financial offer to settle which we were not impressed by – to say nothing of the other ‘remedies’.  In its own submission Scottish Gas acknowledged payments we had made were “missing”.  A fact we had alerted Scottish Gas to weeks previously.  Scottish Gas would now return those funds – not as we requested to the account holder’s bank account – but to the Scottish Gas account?  Scottish Gas was flexing muscle it didn’t have and it was pitiful.  Even at such a formal stage of investigation Scottish Gas felt it could withhold funds from a customer?  It wasn’t acceptable. The funds will now be sent to the account holder’s bank account

I’d urge anyone who has had a similar issue to contact the Energy Ombudsman.  The process to submit, isn’t the most user friendly (more geared towards staff in my opinion) but if you’re in a loop of frustrating communication and you think money is “missing” you could, very much like us, be correct. If you’re being asked to pay a bill you believe you have paid and Scottish Gas will not communicate with you – contact the Energy Ombudsman.  Had we not contacted the Energy Ombudsman Scottish Gas would still not have communicated with us. We could have very well lost close to £1,000 to the unscrupulous Scottish Gas!!!

The Energy Ombudsman can only get involved eight weeks after you have first contacted the energy supplier.  Keep all correspodence. I’d strongly recommend communication in writing only.  If you are at a stage of complaint I’d suggest avoiding calls entirely.  Some peple feel they have worth. They could be right. I feel calls add ambiguity – i.e. what was actually said on the call.

If you support a vulnerable adult, I’d absolutely urge you to ask if you could check their utility bills just to make sure that they are not paying and repaying energy bills in fear that their supply may be cut off.  That money then conveniently designated as “missing” by the energy supplier.

Check your bills.  Do not rely on British Gas / Scottish Gas.  If you need to, contact the Energy Ombudsman.