Being taking to court for extortionate Gas and Electric bill - please help.

MP1995

LuisDiaz said:

In terms of the next steps, is it wise to speak to BG ?
Should I call them ? Or email ? 
What should I be asking ?

I just don't understand how they have made such a huge bill and taken this to court...especially when they set me up on a new payment plan earlier this year... and which was because they had moved to me to a new system which cancelled the previous plan and DD. 

What date was the money claim online sent asyou cannot ignore this.

Others have suggested talking to citizens advice 

I would raise a complaint with BG over the billing detailing the money claim you have received and that you believe this could be a system error from their old system to the new system and this is causing you a great deal of stress.

However you must realise now it is a money claim online you have to deal with the dates for reply that you should find on the back of the paperwork sent 

LuisDiaz

BarelySentientAI said:

LuisDiaz said:

In terms of the next steps, is it wise to speak to BG ?
Should I call them ? Or email ? 
What should I be asking ?

I just don't understand how they have made such a huge bill and taken this to court...especially when they set me up on a new payment plan earlier this year... and which was because they had moved to me to a new system which cancelled the previous plan and DD. 

I would be ignoring almost everything prior to May 2023.  It's only going to confuse you.  Everything before that has usage and payments (that broadly match) and is nothing to do with the debt.

They have made "such a huge bill" because you are, according to your meter readings and bills, a heavy user of both gas and electricity (there's no evidence at all that they have 'hiked' anything) and they haven't credited any of your direct debit payments to the account since May 2023.

Ask BG where your direct debits have been going.

And bear in mind the timelines that fatbelly pointed out.  Ignoring court dates is a bad thing.

Thanks BarelySentientAI - my usage levels haven't changed very much over the years, we have nothing new installed or being used, hence my surprise in the increase of the monthly payments taken by BG. But I do take on board what you are saying. 

EssexHebridean

I'd also suggest that the first thing you need to do is gain access to your online banking - then you will be able to go back through your account statements month by month and check when (and indeed if) the DD's have gone. As said previously - it's not for you to prove which account they have been sent to - the very nature of a Direct Debit is that the supplier pulls the money from your bank - so they are the ones who are supposed to send it to the right place! You just need a month-by-month list of the DD's - dates and amounts. 

LuisDiaz

I've been looking around the BG site and found some transaction history (it is limited) but it does show a colossal amount of ''2440.87'', which looks to have been added onto the account with no explanation ? What could this lump sum charge be ? Is this an error ?

And looking through some of my BS statements I've found, the DDs show my bills as, costs have creeped up towards end of 2022, though my usage levels have not changed, so I am not sure where the consumption would be coming from ? 

119 Nov 2021
119 Jan 2022
119 May 2022
266 Nov 2022
391 Dec 2022

Scot_39

There is from the notes on telecon discussion re lost bank account details and re-established DD some confusion as to whether they were in fact taking payments immediately after the switch to new accounts system.

The OP should be able to ask in branch - for them to do a quick search on a specific payment - if doesnt have or want app or online access - I know somecwho don't trust either.

But just a warning, when after payment holiday, to clear excess credit, SP failed to restart DD, despite a letter saying they had - their 1st line of defence was "you should have been checking your bank statements more carefuly".

BarelySentientAI

LuisDiaz said:

I've been looking around the BG site and found some transaction history (it is limited) but it does show a colossal amount of ''2440.87'', which looks to have been added onto the account with no explanation ? What could this lump sum charge be ? Is this an error ?

And looking through some of my BS statements I've found, the DDs show my bills as, costs have creeped up towards end of 2022, though my usage levels have not changed, so I am not sure where the consumption would be coming from ? 

119 Nov 2021
119 Jan 2022
119 May 2022
266 Nov 2022
391 Dec 2022

That's the £2440 explained on the bill that you posted earlier.  And "with no explanation" is clearly wrong, because it says "Energy charges" next to it, just like all the other entries that refer to usage.

You remember?  The one where you were asking if £2200 of direct debits was extortion?

Not a colossal amount.  Not an error.  The usage from the bill that you have already shown.

And look - your balance after that charge is £170.  Exactly as I calculated when I explained that bill to you.

Stop looking at the old (pre May 2023) things.  You are confusing yourself and will get nowhere.

Scot_39

The usage charge bill from Nov 2022 to 3 May 2023 posted earlier matches exactly.


And what is going on with the 2 returned DD payments in May 23. 

Is that how BG normally handle a small credit after a recent usage charge added to balance.



Try to do the simple table or spreadsheet summary history if easier for you - it can help you spot things quicker than going back through years now of bills and bank statements repeatedly.

When I was doing the calcs earlier for 2024 year- I had to write a simple date vs reading history to pick figures from rather than go back via pages of your posts and different bills - it can help (well helps me anyway).

LuisDiaz

LuisDiaz said:

I've been looking around the BG site and found some transaction history (it is limited) but it does show a colossal amount of ''2440.87'', which looks to have been added onto the account with no explanation ? What could this lump sum charge be ? Is this an error ?

And looking through some of my BS statements I've found, the DDs show my bills as, costs have creeped up towards end of 2022, though my usage levels have not changed, so I am not sure where the consumption would be coming from ? 

119 Nov 2021
119 Jan 2022
119 May 2022
266 Nov 2022
391 Dec 2022

I was thinking there should be a breakdown of such a large figure, the ''energy charges'' didn't explain enough for me, but maybe its the way I am reading it - so does that mean this amount has already been paid (and how has it been paid) - you're right, it is confusing.

LuisDiaz

Scot_39 said:

The usage charge bill from Nov 2022 to 3 May 2023 posted earlier matches exactly.


Try to do the simple table or spreadsheet summary history if easier for you - it can help you spot things quicker than going back through years now of bills and bank statements repeatedly.

When I was doing tgh calcs earlier for 2024 year- I had to write a simple date vs reading history to pick figures from rather than go back via pages of your posts and different bills - it can help (well helps me anyway).

Thanks Scot, I will do this, a few kind posters also have suggested this and I will begin to put something together now. 

BarelySentientAI

So, very simply, to try and stop you distracting yourself.  Ignore every reading, every payment, and every bill before September 2023.

Your balance on 23 September 2023 was -£539.  Electricity reading 99909, gas reading 19948.

On 23 June 2024 (267 days later), your electricity reading was 07764, gas reading 21476.  No payments are recorded between September 2023 and June 2024.

267 days of standing charge is about £215.
7855 units of electricity is about £2350.
1528 m3 of gas is about 17000kWh, and costs about £1200

That makes your debt on 23 June 2024 about £4300.