British Gas supply erroneously taken over by a tenant

masonic

Thanks for the update. These industry communications and flows don't seem to work as well as they should in general. I do think BG is somewhat responsible both for the supply being taken without your knowledge in the first place and now for not responding. Good luck!

gm0

Sorting this stuff out is very situation dependent. 

Variations include communal single supply separate from flat supplies. Sub-metering or not if a single supply is split.  N+1 - separate bills (supplies and meters) - one each and one addiitonal common one (landlord) recharged to long leaseholders etc.  Or a single supply to a single dwelling splitting a bill via landlord recharge (as per some park homes and the specific rules on that). Or just embedded in rent.  HMO - bills inc. One property, multiple short tenancies.  No independent supplies.  Liability and who can do what varies across these.  And not everyone follows the rules setting these up anyway.

People do the weirdest things so it may be "causing trouble" as stated.  And if you know the history of the supply or supplies and how they got created - the following may be of interest to others with erroneous switch but not apply here.

But on supplies that have never switched - in flats where there ARE multiple meter points (gas and electric) - the national database of MPAN/M number - metered points of supply that are switchable can be wrong.  Labelling if there is any - in cellars and cupboards can be missing or eccentric.

Is this meter with this plate number on this pipe/wire connected to and associated with this unique address and competitive market ID

We have had erroneous switching - innocently - in our block due to a "tenant" calling up and switching the wrong supply.  Because they wanted to change supplier and access a tariff.  All very normal. For a flat dedicated supply.

Yet the wrong tenant got the "sorry you are leaving message" from old supplier.  Erroneous switch.

Record problems sometimes arise with "plot number" and "flat number" being different.  Developers (and temporary supplies) often use PLOT 1....N.  And those numbers don't always read across to the ultimate "numbers" allocated to permanent flats.  Which is unhelpful.  So it is possible for the one labelled 16 sample building, anytown (in fact plot 16) - to be a different numbered address later on - Flat 14 sample building anytown. If there is a PLOT 14 the number that becomes as a FLAT can then cause some excitement.   The address record and which meter is which records get crossed over.  This can go unnoticed for a long time - until a supplier switch is attempted

The person being switched in error doesn't like it.  And the person wanting to switch and it not happening doesn't like it.  An erroneous switch dispute starts.  And yet the details "look" correct.  

Nothing is easily resolved until either one of the two customers or a metering specialist at one of the suppliers gets involved enough. 

With access to the property the actually connected supply is determined - (add load, heating, kettle then remove it.  The meter that spins faster and then slows is the connected one.  Its details - plate number, type and the as known today address of the flat are what "should" be on the national DB.

Front line staff who don't know metering well or site situations at all - have scripts and processes to follow that suit the majority.  And a propensity if not explicit direction to believe what the computer tells them rather the fairly random things customers can say on the phone.  A lot of the time this is sensible.  Some of the time it is not.  Wisdom comes in being able to detect the difference and act on it without months of irrelevant complaint handling on other topics and trips to FOS before eventually involving a metering specialist.