British Gas credit refund delay after final bill - Has anyone resolved this successfully?

Ball3rina_123

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping someone might recognise this situation or share how they managed to get it resolved.

I switched from British Gas to Octopus Energy on 15 December 2025, after months of inconsistent information and general frustration with British Gas’s handling of my account. Following the switch, I received my final bill on 29 December 2025, which should have triggered a credit refund of £320.36 within the 10 working days required under Ofgem’s Guaranteed Standards.

Because of the amount of misinformation I’d been given, I raised a complaint on 7/8 January specifically about the refund. I was told the cheque had been “authorised on 8 January,” supported by a confirmation email from a senior complaints handler, but no proof of dispatch has ever been provided and nothing has arrived.

When the refund still hadn’t appeared and the timelines no longer aligned with the Guaranteed Standards, I raised a second complaint on 19 January, this time relating to the compensation due because British Gas is now in breach of the standard.

As of today, I’m 23 days past the final bill date and still waiting, with British Gas advising me to wait until after 22 January before they can take further action is considered. 

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s had similar delays with British Gas refunds and what finally moved things forward for you. Did you escalate to the CEO office, involve your MP, go through the Ombudsman, or find another route that worked?

Thanks in advance for any guidance or shared experiences.

bristolleedsfan

Worth noting it is possible to get £40 x 2 = £80 compensation, best not to contact energy supplier until second deadline has passed.

Ball3rina_123

Thanks for the tip — much appreciated. My situation’s a bit different because the refund doesn’t seem to have been issued yet, so I’m just trying to get that part sorted first.

Interesting point on the compensation side though. GSOP does have two stages: one payment if the refund isn’t made within the timeframe, and another if the compensation itself isn’t paid on time. The structure is definitely there, but in practice British Gas don’t tend to apply GSOP automatically — you usually have to chase them for it. Hopefully once the refund is actually processed, the rest will follow.