British Gas big problem

Nudgemod

I need some help i hope this is the right forum to ask in. I moved in my house in December 2006 the previous homeowner had british gas for the gas which was on a quarterly meter and British Gas for the electric which was on one of the charge keys, seen as i dont like these i called British Gas and set up a new Gas and Electricity account with them and i requested for a meter change to a normal meter for the electric, anyhow i thought that this was done correctly as a week or so later the meter was changed for me.
I can remember getting a bill for the electric after the first quarter which i paid in full, but since that it went out of my mind until Friday last week when i got in from work and there was a letter from British gas addressed to the owner/occupier and inside was a bill for £555.00 for your first electricity bill.
on the back there are 6 readings that 5 are estimated and one that says we read your meter, that one was for 25th Jan 07. I called British Gas up and was told that for them to be able to deal with me i need to set an account up, i totally disagreed with this as for one i did set an account with them and secondly if i did this i would have all the debt in my name straight away. I want to know why it has taken them 14 months for them to send a bill to the house and what i can do about this matter as i cant afford a debt like this to pay off. In my eyes it is British Gases problem for not doing there job properly, not sending me any bills before estimated or not. Has anyone got any help or advise for me as what to do.

thanks

Nudgemod

also noticed that on the bill there is discount for dual fuel, why if i dont have an electric account set up with them then why am i getting dual fuel discounts. is something fishy going on?

Pixie28

Strange that they changed your meter etc without having an account set up in your name. You should get the account set up in your name anyway. They will have an actual reading from the day they installed your credit meter, and you will be able to provide them a current meter reading to bring your account up to date.

Obviously it is without a doubt that you will owe the debt, whether it be £555 or less (or more). You used the electricity and have not paid for it. Personally, if I had only received one bill since 2006, I would have chased it up. It is after all, my responsibility to pay for the goods that I consume.

Nudgemod

agree in principle but when you have got work 3 kids 2 dogs and a baby on the way then things go out of your head and why should i have to chase them up for your bill, if there was an actual reading done then why wasnt a bill produced?

Pixie28

Nudgemod, ring them up, set the account up in your name and give them a reading so you know exactly where you stand in terms of what you owe. Perhaps even put it in writing to their complaints department, questioning the reasons why the account was not set up correctly when you initially contacted them, and why you did not receive any bills.

They may give you a goodwill reduction, and will negotiate a payment plan breaking down the amount you owe into monthly payments. Its best to go onto direct debit if you can.

The longer you leave it, the more electricity you use, the more of a pickle you are going to get yourself into.

Good luck though....I hope you get it sorted.

ScoobyCanDo

Nudgemod wrote: »

agree in principle but when you have got work 3 kids 2 dogs and a baby on the way then things go out of your head and why should i have to chase them up for your bill, if there was an actual reading done then why wasnt a bill produced?

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Sorry ................ but sounds like another typical BRITISH excuse

We ALL have responsibilities and going on your last 'excuse' ........ "a baby on the way" .............. seems you had time to GET IT ON!!!:rolleyes:, but not to keep an eye on you finances?

In all honesty it only takes a couple of minutes (at most) to read your meter and then to phone it through to your supplier, so there's no real excuse for anyone to suddenly get a SURPRISE LARGE BILL.:eek:

So B4 you blow a gasket at the lack of sympathy, your going to have to put in a bit of effort and either speak or write to them, gathering up all the info you have to hand.

Firstly when the meter was changed and your Original account was set up, you would have been sent some paperwork, etc ............ next check YOUR current meter reading against their estimated one and see how accurate it is (you have not said one way or the other?), if it way out, supply them with your reading and ask for a revised bill.

If they still insist you do not have an account, ask them WHO had the meter changed? ............. and if this does not bear fruit, set it up again in your name and go from there.

At the end of the day, any out standing bill will have to be paid for and from the sounds of it ("it is British Gases problem for not doing there job properly") you are hoping someone else will settle the bill for you ....................... I'm afraid to say, this is not going to happen .................... it's your bill!

If there will be a problem with you paying it off in one go, you'll have to ask them about Deferred Payment Plans, but pay it off you will have to, as you are the one who has used that energy.

Sorry if this is NOT what you wanted to hear, but with the lack of helpful Fairy Godmothers & Money Trees, we are all in the same boat when it come to paying our way!:cool:


Scooby:A

SwanJon

If they honestly havn't billed you for over 12 months, they will onlty charge you for the last 12 months.
This doesn't include bills lost in the post or bills sent in another name (e.g. The occupier).
So you might have got two (winter) months for free already.