British Gas double charging me for the same energy

Mani0208888

Hi everyone

I’m having real problems with British Gas.

 

Back in 2022 I moved from credit meter to pay as you go for my gas and electric and had on going issues with my account being transferred to pay as you go.

 

Long story short I took British Gas to the ombudsman and got it confirmed from British Gas that both my accounts gas and electric are on pay as you go with no outstanding balance.

 

The above was agreed in 2023 March.

 

Then in November 2023 I received a bill £403.70 asking me to pay money for electric usage for months between 18/08/23 to 18/11/24 I phoned up and explained that I'm a pay as you go customer how can you send me a bill for thee dates and charge me for the same energy usage twice.

 

I also asked how your system can send me out a bill when I purchase my electric before I use it, they claimed to have fixed this error.

 

Now I have received a bill that is dated 19/11/2024 – 19/02/24 stating that I owe £385.66 I have phoned up again yesterday the advisor told me that they had escalated this to their manger.

 

The agent said they would call me back but no has

 

I then started an online chat and the advisor could not help me.

 

Any advice on how to move forward with this would be very much appreciated.

2childmum2

I'm on pay as you go. I receive a bill after I've used the gas and electricity - so in your example the bill you received in November would pay for the energy used between 18/8 to 18/11. Then the next bill is for energy used between 19/ 11 to 19/2. So I pay in arrears for the energy already used. Are you sure this isn't what you are doing? Or are you paying a certain amount (monthly? Quarterly?) and then this bill is on top?
I've never heard of paying in advance, apart from paying a set amount each month.

Mani0208888

I can confirm I had no outstanding balance before I moved over to pay as you go.

I'm not in arrears, I just top up my electric each month via the British gas app £200.00 a month.

t0rt0ise

2childmum2 said:

I'm on pay as you go. I receive a bill after I've used the gas and electricity - so in your example the bill you received in November would pay for the energy used between 18/8 to 18/11. Then the next bill is for energy used between 19/ 11 to 19/2. So I pay in arrears for the energy already used. Are you sure this isn't what you are doing? Or are you paying a certain amount (monthly? Quarterly?) and then this bill is on top?
I've never heard of paying in advance, apart from paying a set amount each month.

You've never heard of pre-payment meters? Pay as you go is the modern pre-payment meter. It's not what you're on yourself.

To the OP: You need to raise another formal complaint. Hopefully then you'll get someone more sensible who knows what to do.

Mani0208888

I know what a pre-payment meter is because my gas is pay as you go as well, and I never get a bill asking me to pay money why is that?

Mani0208888

I have even had emails asking me for meter readings which as a pay as you go customer is not required.

t0rt0ise

Mani0208888 said:

I know what a pre-payment meter is because my gas is pay as you go as well, and I never get a bill asking me to pay money why is that?

I know you do. I was responding to somebody else's comment. See the quote!

The bit that says 'to the OP' is to you.