£1039 bill for British Gas - over 1 year late. Options?

[gerbilmore]

Hi,

 

In early 2008 we changed from a pre-pay gas meter to a billed meter. Apparently we haven't paid for gas since then and have recently been charged £1039 to cover the period up to now.

 

We pay for electric to British Gas via Direct Debit so have assumed that our gas was being taken out too. We don't appear to have any paper bills for this period for gas.

 

British Gas are apologetic and realise their mistake yet still demand payment.

 

What are our options?

 

1) Pay up in full

2) Ask for a discount

3) Refuse to pay, citing a mistake by British Gas.

 

Any similar experiences?

 

Thanks.

[Bookworm]

If it's over 1 year and they didn't send you a bill, they can't charge you, well done, you are now £1039 better off thanks to their incompetence.

 

so the answer is option

4) Write back to them quoting this here:

Your energy questions - Consumer Focus

 

in particular this part:

As of July 2006, the main domestic suppliers (those who belong to theEnergy Retail Association) agreed a new Code of Practice which stipulated that, where suppliers were at fault for not billing a consumer, they will not backdate (or back bill) more than two years. This dropped to a one year timeframe with effect from July 2007.

and tell them that actually no, you don't owe them it.

[gerbilmore]

Thanks. The bill goes back to May 2008 right up to February 2009.

 

Based on what you've said, that would still mean we would have to pay from June 2008 (1 year ago) to Februrary 2009, or is the very fact that the first billing date is over 1 year ago enough that we can argue that we don't owe them?

[pelham9]

If they have not billed you for over one year you need only to pay for fuel consumed in the year preceding the bill.

 

So if they billed you on 1st May 2009 the period that they can charge you for is 2nd May 2008 to 1st May 2009. You have to to nothing for gas used prior to 2nd May 2008 (from the date the meter was changed.)

 

Naturally BG do not like this and employ two tricks that lessen the effect so watch out.

 

a) The meter reading they use at the beginning of the year to be paid for has to be an estimate. If this estimate is low (it will be!!) this will have the effect of including gas in the pay for year when it was actually used prior to that. Check that the estimated meter reading at the start of the year is not too low.

 

b) Having worked out the amount that they cannot charge you for they then refund this as a rebate on the bill they sent. However VAT has been charged on this amount and you must make sure that this VAT is rebated also.

[Phat Beamer]

Lived in a rented accomodation and I made a quarterly payment for the time i was there and a month after was still there but I told BG cancel the service and take payment, this was in 2007. Told them to cancel as I moved houses.

 

 

 

Not sure if payment was made through direct debit or post office. I have no reciept at this moment in time as it was a very long time ago however 2 YEARS LATER they have got back to me saying you havent paid.

 

 

Post back if this worked!