British Gas problem - Don't know what to do next

RichCH

So I moved into a flat in October 06 with my girlfriend. I was given which meter was ours by the landlord (who also used to live in the flat so this meter has been the one billed to the address for many years).

When doing some work on the flat, I turned the electricity off, but when looking at the meters, noticed the one that was supposed to be ours, was still going round. So, I got my girlfriend to switch the fuse board on and off again and noticed that the one marked for another flat stopped and started.

So I contacted British Gas (who supply me for both Gas and Electric), and they said that they would send someone out soon to check all of this. Meanwhile the guy across the hall from me, noticed the problem too, in fact he was the one paying for my electricity (around £23 a month was the price he was paying).

This was November 06. They send someone out eventually in January 07. He checks both of our meters and verifies them. My neighbour's gets sorted, but mine doesn't. I contact British Gas and they tell me that the meter details weren't changed for my meter, they would have to send someone out.

I never hear back from them, and after several emails and phone calls I get a letter in June 07 apologising for the lack of service and that they will help me out. They tell me they are going to write to all my neighbouring flats and get them to verify which meter belongs to all of them. Apparently they get one response from 6.

So they tell me to write to British Gas, outlining the problem and say which meter I believe I should be billed for, and which one I am paying for at the moment. So I do this, and I do not hear anything back for a month.

Eventually I get a call from another person in the customer relations department, telling me they are going to send out an engineer to verify which meter is mine. My girlfriend is home at the time, this is October 07 now. They come out, and instead of just verifying which meter is which, they replace the old meter for a new one. Thing is, the replace the one I have been paying for, not the one I believe to be mine.

So, another call to them to tell them they have cocked up... they say they are going to send someone else out to me... I take a day off, they don't turn up.

Eventually in December 07 a guy comes out. Verifies which meter is mine.

So then British Gas ask me to take a meter reading so they can try to work out how much I have used since October 06. I give them it, but now they have their wires crossed because they now think that the meter that was changed is error is now mine.

Confused yet?

So I have to give them the serial number of the meter that I believe belongs to me... again. I do this... but they need to know what the meter reading was when it was installed and what it was when I moved in.

First thing, of course I wouldn't know what it was when I moved in as I didn't know it was my meter. And also, there is no mention on the meter of what the initial reading was when it was installed, or when it was installed (from the look of the meter it was a long time ago).

So over the last few months I gave them some meter readings, and they have used these to estimate how much electricity I have used since October 06 to now.

Yesterday I got a call, telling me it was all sorted, but I owe £480.

British Gas claim that in 18 months I have used £960 worth of electricity.

Now, I live in a small one bedroom flat. We are heated by Gas, we cook electric, and no one is in between 9 in the morning and 8 at night. And they are trying to tell me, we use £52 a month of electricity.

They are saying we can't dispute this as we don't have a meter reading,I have contacted Energywatch, but what else can I do?

I can't tell you how bored I am.... and how annoyed that it has taken 15 months just to make sure I am on the right meter.

Also, they insulted me yesterday by saying if it had been sorted sooner, then they may have been able to save me money by giving me a more accurate reading on my meter... when they are the ones who have taken so long to sort this out.

What do I do?

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.

This situation of wrong meter allocation in flats seems all to common - and of course that is down initially to the developer/landlord.

If you have taken the case to Energywatch, you have done the correct thing; and there is not much you can do until they have reported back; what have they said?

I hope you have kept copies of the written correspondence, and now do everything in writing.

If you keep on at BG long enough they normally cave in and write off some of the 'debt'.

RichCH

I have most of the correspondence....

Thing is I don't want some of the debt written off... In fact by my estimations I should be owed money.

In the past 18 months we have been paying an average of £29 a month on our direct debit. I take regular meter readings and we use around 6kwH per day... which i theory would mean we would pay around the £22 mark.

I haven't heard back from energywatch yet, they are referring my case and are going to write back to me within a week.

I am taking daily readings now and writing them all down, which I was told was not a bad idea.

The guy who was paying for what I was actually using between October 06 and March 07 before his problem got sorted out, he was also with British Gas. But they're telling me they can't access his records to see what his meter readings were. Why????

mute_posting

RichCH wrote: »

The guy who was paying for what I was actually using between October 06 and March 07 before his problem got sorted out, he was also with British Gas. But they're telling me they can't access his records to see what his meter readings were. Why????

It may be worth talking nicely to your neighbour and asking him to write a letter stating his (old?) BG account number and giving his permission for them to access it to sort your billing out?

MP

UtilityMan_3

"Thing is I don't want some of the debt written off"....... OK I will have it then!

Unbilled charges cannot be chased after 12 months. You notified them of the meter problem, therefore if they carry on billing you for it, it is their loss! You are due back all you paid. Reason being, it has been established you have been paying your neighbours meter

The most plausible reason for your neighbour not having a billing history, is the meter was only registered when it was "found". They have then estimated the usage and billed accordingly. If that is the case, then it is your meter that has been "found" and you are the one that has never been billed.

They use their legal "rights" to break into your house and disconnect your supply. you owe it to Society as a whole, to claim back what is rightfully yours!

RichCH

Bit of a mistake from me... I meant to say I don't want some of it written off, I want all of it written off and my money back for the overpaying I have been doing!

Well, my meter just hasn't been 'found'. For a long time, my meter was actually being paid for by someone else and they were even a British Gas Customer.

The people's meter I have been paying for, they haven't received a bill in 18 months... I wonder why...

So, hang on sec.... you're saying that I can claim all my money back? How does that work?

UtilityMan_3

OK, we have established that fundamentally, you have been paying the invoices for your neighbours meter?

Where are your invoices for your meter?

See the thread regarding unbilled accounts. If you don't get billed for a year, you don't pay, it's that simple.

This is a slightly grey area, as "unbilled" in the literal sense means no bill at all. You had a piece of paper with writing on it, but was it worth anything?

I would call them and state the 12 month unbilled rule, it is well known through the industry, but obviously they don't advertise it!

RichCH

Okay, I am with you now...

Technically I have never received any paperwork relating to the meter that is actually connected to my property. I do everything online and pay a fixed monthly direct debit.

So, they are actually in the course of finding out if they have any meter readings for my actual meter on their records, as the person who was paying my meter was with British Gas also.

So even if they find out a meter reading and re-align my bills accordingly, their actually not allowed to do that? Or is it a case of they are allowed to do it, but I have to tell them not to and I ask for my money back?

RichCH

So a little bit of an update.... I looked at my Bill online today....

My estimated meter reading on the 17th of January was 3286.

My actual reading on the 18th February was 3914.

Took a reading yesterday (15th April) of 4382.

So, in the last 57 days I have used 468 units.

According to British Gas, between Jan and Feb, in 32 days, I used 628 units...

Nearly 2 and a half times the electricity in the last 57 days.

UtilityMan_3

This is getting twisted!

They can only base their estimates on the daily/weekly/monthly reads you have recently supplied. Therefore your estimate and theirs can hardly vary?

Unless...... they are using the actual historic data from the previous (neighbours) meter still.

You have to get a breakdown invoice from them and a written explanation of how they arrived at the figure.

The whole thing had to be done manually, so it's not asking much.

I still feel that as you have not been billed for 12 months, you should fight your corner on that angle.

I would pay for your ongoing usage, now the matter has been resolved. Hold back what you have paid (as a credit for the disputed amount) and put the ball in their court.

I have no vested interest in any of these cases regarding the unbilled for 12 months issue. It is just that it needs clarifying. If people are not prepared to fight, then we might as well all give up!

Unfortunately for me, all my bills come regularly, I phone reads through, I have the cheapest rate available and pay by direct debit.

I have over 15 years experience in the industry, and feel it is time someone answered back, instead of letting these people walk all over everyone.

RichCH

At the moment they have no previous readings from my neighbour.

I have got the breakdown, and it only shows one meter reading on the bill, which is the one I gave them in February. So it seems like they have plucked my figure from thin air.

I had a look into the 12 month rule... unfortunately it doesn't apply to people who pay by direct debit... so that's out for me.

Don't worry though, I am fighting this. By estimations, based on how much I have paid and how much I believe I have used, I should be owed a small amount of money.

If this all works out and it goes in my fabour, what is the likelihood of me also getting compensation for the failings of British Gas and all the time and phone calls I have put into them?

I have had my letter back from energywatch, so 9 working days to go, if I'm not happy with what British Gas tells me, I'm off to the Ombudsman.