British Gas

brumding

British Gas have sent my daughter what I believe is an incorrect bill. We have tried to rectify this through chat, phone conversations and email on about 9 separate occasions and they just keep insisting they are right, without any explanation as to why the figures do not reflect what she has paid. 
 
Can anyone advise as to what recourse we have to get an independent body to look at the matter?

la531983

Why do you believe it is incorrect?

wrf12345

You have to raise a complaint first and hope it lands on the computer of someone with a modicum of intelligence...

Robin9

brumding said:

.......................................... the figures do not reflect what she has paid. 
 
 

By this do you mean what she has paid by DD ?   A DD is only a contribution to the cost of the energy  -  she may be over paying or underpaying.

Are the meter readings by Smart or does she submit monthly readings ?    Are the readings on the bill followed by the letters A C E S or our read/ your read 

Gerry1

Welcome to the forum.

You need to raise a formal complaint.  You can then go to the Energy Ombudsman upon receipt of a deadlock letter, or after eight weeks if they don't send one.  You may already be at this point.

However, the Energy Ombudsman doesn't investigate, they look at the evidence submitted by each side and then decide.  You need to make absolutely sure your evidence is clear, concise and complete.

Try posting a draft on the forum (redact personal info, meter numbers etc) and forumites will help you to make the best case.  You need to be very specific about what's incorrect, stick to hard facts and avoid anything vague or based on emotion e.g. 'it's far too expensive' or 'it's twice what my neighbour pays'.

Scot_39

As above, most people paying  by DD pay an amount based on estimated annual usage not monthly actual.

And when real readings are then used to work out a real bill - it can be higher or lower.

My heating use was 20% higher this Dec Jan than last - so seasonality and harshness of winter / spring / autumn matters too.  And disrupts even suppliers annualised estimates.

I didn't use my heating at all last April - but some are forecasting snow even here in midlands  - so weather matters.

Normally that correction is fairly minor (10-20%) and so thry just adjust  the estimated bill and so the annualised DD level going forward.  Especially if smart meters reliably sending readings.

EOn Next recalculate my annual estimate every cap change - and review my DD level if need be as often now - so 3 monthly min - several years ago it was once per year.

With older meters if you fail to submit (or in my own mum's case S Gas ignored submitted for 2 years 2 family reads and 2 by meter readers when on 6m paper bill cycles but paying by annualised DD) they issue estimated bills - a tiny little (E) against the readings in the detailed calcs.  And if those estimates are too low then can end up with huge catch up bills - mum's case  c£700 nearly a years use at time - seen other post catch up bills in this forum in the £1000s after years of estimated bills.

The other issue is many suppliers are now moving annualised DD plans onto full year credit basis - and so generating much higher DD levels to adjust accounts that were partly in debit at one point in year.

So as above short post - payment mode (annualised DD, standard credit - pay on bill receipt) meter type and readings used for recent billing - Actual, Smart, Estimated etc.

Or simply assuming bills were on trrack at some recent point in past in her time with B Gas - how does the final reading on latest bill compare to actual meter reading now.