British Gas Refund for credit on Deceased Son's Account

Grey_Mare71

My son died on 29 February leaving credit on his gas and electric accounts of £235.89. I contacted British Gas who sent cheques for this amount to my address (in Scarborough). I contacted them when these cheques never arrived and they cancelled them and reissued a single cheque for the above amount.  When this too failed to arrive I phoned them again.  An advisor told me the cheque had been posted to my deceased son's old address (in Whitby) as this is where the account was ie for that property which was by then occupied by another tenant. They said that they would cancel and re-issue again.  When this third attempt failed to arrive either I phoned once again to be told the previous cheque (issued on 19 April) had been cashed on 8 May.  They said they would be able to trace where and by whom the cheque had been cashed and they would get back to me. They never did.

I complained to British Gas and subsequently to the Energy Ombudsman. British Gas once again told the Energy Ombudsman that they would ascertain where/who cashed the cheque. However they eventually stated  they were only able to divulge that the status was 'cashed' and no mention was made of sending it to the wrong address. All of this has spanned 10 months at a time where I was grieving and found it very distressing to keep chasing this but that amount of money would have meant a lot to his 2 children. I reported it to the police and (Removed by Forum Team) contacted British Gas only to be told the same - they couldn't ascertain WHERE it was cashed.  The police's Economic Crime Team won't pursue an investigation as the amount is so small.  My own bank can't help.  There is nowhere for me to turn to pressure British Gas to disclose where the cheque was cashed.  I strongly believe that is because it may have been cashed by someone in the communal block of flats where my son used to live and by divulging this they would have to admit they sent it to the wrong address. I'm appealing to any influential 'body' such as yourselves at Money Supermarket who could perhaps get this information from Nat West (British Gas's bank). I have a photocopy of the cheque with account details and serial numbers but can get no further with this on my own. It would seem even the police can't get this information! Having googled information about cashed cheques it seems that a bank can request a copy of a cashed cheque which will show which account it was paid into. Are you able to help please to enable me to have closure on this matter?  I also wonder how many more deceased persons' accounts are making a profit for British Gas?

Gerry1

Welcome to the forum.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/money-claim-online-user-guide

Try contacting your MP.

Also consider the Radio 4 programmes Moneybox and You & Yours.

born_again

Grey_Mare71 said:

My son died on 29 February leaving credit on his gas and electric accounts of £235.89. I contacted British Gas who sent cheques for this amount to my address (in Scarborough). I contacted them when these cheques never arrived and they cancelled them and reissued a single cheque for the above amount.  When this too failed to arrive I phoned them again.  An advisor told me the cheque had been posted to my deceased son's old address (in Whitby) as this is where the account was ie for that property which was by then occupied by another tenant. They said that they would cancel and re-issue again.  When this third attempt failed to arrive either I phoned once again to be told the previous cheque (issued on 19 April) had been cashed on 8 May.  They said they would be able to trace where and by whom the cheque had been cashed and they would get back to me. They never did.

I complained to British Gas and subsequently to the Energy Ombudsman. British Gas once again told the Energy Ombudsman that they would ascertain where/who cashed the cheque. However they eventually stated  they were only able to divulge that the status was 'cashed' and no mention was made of sending it to the wrong address. All of this has spanned 10 months at a time where I was grieving and found it very distressing to keep chasing this but that amount of money would have meant a lot to his 2 children. I reported it to the police and PC Ed Chatland contacted British Gas only to be told the same - they couldn't ascertain WHERE it was cashed.  The police's Economic Crime Team won't pursue an investigation as the amount is so small.  My own bank can't help.  There is nowhere for me to turn to pressure British Gas to disclose where the cheque was cashed.  I strongly believe that is because it may have been cashed by someone in the communal block of flats where my son used to live and by divulging this they would have to admit they sent it to the wrong address. I'm appealing to any influential 'body' such as yourselves at Money Supermarket who could perhaps get this information from Nat West (British Gas's bank). I have a photocopy of the cheque with account details and serial numbers but can get no further with this on my own. It would seem even the police can't get this information! Having googled information about cashed cheques it seems that a bank can request a copy of a cashed cheque which will show which account it was paid into. Are you able to help please to enable me to have closure on this matter?  I also wonder how many more deceased persons' accounts are making a profit for British Gas?

The only people that can do that are the police with a court order.

A bank can request a copy of the cheque, but that does not tell them where it was paid in, as it is all automated now & they physical cheques are destroyed.

Did your son pay via DD or was it a credit meter?

If DD than they should have refunded via that method back to his bank account.

ellalli

BRITISH GAS REFUND.

Hi, i have similar problem with British gas, my stepfather died earlier this year, which i was the executor of the will, i sent his last meter reading in and received a cheque, but it was made out to him, i phoned British gas and spoke to them, sent all relevant paperwork, the will, death certificate, this was at the end of April and since they i have contacted numerous time about the check, but keep getting told they are sending it to the refunds department, i have tried raising a complaint, but i cannot as i am not a customer, does anybody know how i can escalate this or any information how i can get this sorted, its like begging and quite embarrassing phoning all the time, thanks for any advice given. 

t0rt0ise

ellalli said:

BRITISH GAS REFUND.

Hi, i have similar problem with British gas, my stepfather died earlier this year, which i was the executor of the will, i sent his last meter reading in and received a cheque, but it was made out to him, i phoned British gas and spoke to them, sent all relevant paperwork, the will, death certificate, this was at the end of April and since they i have contacted numerous time about the check, but keep getting told they are sending it to the refunds department, i have tried raising a complaint, but i cannot as i am not a customer, does anybody know how i can escalate this or any information how i can get this sorted, its like begging and quite embarrassing phoning all the time, thanks for any advice given. 

If you can't use the online complaint form, use the general enquiries form and say that this is a formal complaint etc. I have done that and they did open a complaint.