British Gas

[colour-me-happy]

I'm in kind of the same situation, when we moved in to this house there were pre-payment meters, I eventually got fed up with them January this year and changed suppliers and meters at the same time and I have just got a bill off British Gas for £226.52 not got round to phoning them yet but I really can't see how I owe them that money if it was a "pre-payment" meter!! I will give them a call in the next day or two and let you know how I get on.

 

Hope you get yours sorted!

[colour-me-happy]

I'm in kind of the same situation, when we moved in to this house there were pre-payment meters, I eventually got fed up with them January this year and changed suppliers and meters at the same time and I have just got a bill off British Gas for £226.52 not got round to phoning them yet but I really can't see how I owe them that money if it was a "pre-payment" meter!! I will give them a call in the next day or two and let you know how I get on.

 

Hope you get yours sorted!

 

Just to update....

 

Phoned British Gas, the guy I spoke to couldn't have been more helpful, he said it is highly unlikely I owe this money and it is probably just lost payments, he assured me he has put a trace on the account to track down these payments, he also said I will receive no communication from them regarding this debt while it is in dispute and it will all be sorted out within 28 days. He also told me not to worry..... not that I was anyway

[Tina&Gaz]

Hi All,

 

I'm on a pre-payment electric meter, I've switched over from british gas to manweb as BG were putting thier prices up by 22%, I have recieved a bill from BG for £84.86!

 

I phoned them up, and a man (Callum) said it was because british gas had put up thier prices and not been out to alter my meter to the new rates, I told him that it wasn't my fault then it was BG and that I shouldn't pay for a mistake made by them, he was very polite but insisted I had to pay for the electirc I had used even though (his exact words were) it was British Gases fault for not changing my meter, they should have come to do my meter 3 months ago!

 

I'm not sure but will look into it but I thought the BG rise didn't happen until the 1st may? that's why I switched before it happened, is there anything I can do about this or will I just have to pay for thier mistake?

 

please help!!!!

[dinghy]

IMHO I would imagine that you have paid good value for the electric and it is their problem... But would need to look at any contractual T&C's that may/may not have been entered into...

 

How does the prepayment work (used to have one many years ago and can't remember exactly)

 

When you put money onto the key does that entitle you to X amount of units or £X worth of units ???

 

At what point do you actually have a contract with them ? Is there a contract that you sign when it is installed/you move into the house/flat ? Or do you agree to a contract when you pay onto the key ?

 

Can the key be used in other meters ?

[Tina&Gaz]

thanks for the reply,

 

I had been with BG for about 3 years maybe more, it's not a key pre-pay meter I have it's a token one (£5 + £10 tokens), I only use what I need, I put in about £10 - £15 per week, I can't find the T&C contract that I did sign, but I'll keep looking, if I moved to another house with a meter like mine, I'd just ask who the supplier for that house was and get them to send out a card to buy tokens, I wouldn't have to sign anything.

 

hope that makes sense.

 

I'm pee'd off because no one came to alter my meter, nor did they send a letter saying that the rates were going up in Feb, all I heard was British Gas adverts saying they were putting the rates up by 22% on may 1st, that's why I switched before then. and now they have billed me!

[dinghy]

I would say stick to your guns and tell them where they can stick their bill... If you could find any T&C's that would certainly help with any defense you might need to make against them but wouldn't be any major harm if you can't find them...

 

IMHO you have bought and paid for the electric... If you had been made aware of the change in cost you may have cut back on it... They would need to advise you of the change in price in advance. You can't exactly turn round and say I don't agree with the price... take some electric back please... and any contract (and more importantly in this situation any contract amendments) has to be in agreement between both parties...

 

More just out of interest than I think that it's important... Do you need this card to buy the tokens ? Can you put the tokens into another meter? (ie if a friend had the same meter)

[Tina&Gaz]

Thanks for the help!

 

yes I could buy tokens from my card and put them in any other meter, and vice-versa, I think I need a little help from the CAB on this one though so I will pop in to see them, as the man on the phone was adament I had to pay this grrrrrrrr! even though he admitted it was british gases fault for not coming to change my meter to the correct settings.

[colour-me-happy]

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