Ive lived in a flat between 4-5years where I have only ever had estimates to my electric bills at first I was paying them normally as you should, but they seemed to be very expensive for a 1 bedroom flat, I hardly used any electric!!

The reason why they was only estimates was because the electric box wasnt in the flat, it was in the shop behind me which was closed down, I was unable to get any readings and rang british gas to come out and get a reading as I couldn't get 1, but instead kept flooding me with estimates and threats, I rang them on numerous occasions explaining my problem but they didn't want to know,

anyway I made a small payment of £39 off the estimated of £638.32 and refused to pay the full amount untill I had the actuall bill.

4 months later I moved out, without paying the bill and aquired a different address still using british gas, since then they have passed me the old address debt to a company called buchananclark + wells which now amounts to £2146.83,

I rang them and asked them how they got to that amount, they couldn't tell me. I explained my situation and they said that unless I had a meter reading there was nothing they could do, If I don't pay it they will pursue the case!!

So is it right that I have to pay a bill that has been made on random figures, do I not deserve some sort of i itemization or even an explanation?

what are rights?, what is the law? what will happen?

any help will be much apperciated with thanks

craig

billyboom:

Two wrongs don't make a right which is a pity because you are as much in the wrong as British Gas. Since the debt has been passed to a collection company its really important to go to the CAB a soon as possible to get proper debt advice.

I say this for the benefit of others. BG were not in the right initially, the billing issue could have been dealt with, possibly to the customer's advantage, but BG are not wrong to take action now to recover a debt which was allowed to arise (and then left behind).

I know I was in the wrong, I thought that taking this action would get them to do something about it. Instead it made it worse

Thanks for your advice, I will go to the CAB see what they say.

Thanks again

billyboom:

I know I was in the wrong,

Well done, by acknowledgeing that you've passed the test.

So the initial focus is to (hopefully) get the debt action stayed with the help of the CAB.

Other approaches more focussed on BG and the electricity consumed is to see what Consumer Focus would advise.

In addition Google for something called the Code of Practice for Accurate Billing (and the FAQ). Originally I believe BG would have been in breach of the spirit of the Code by allowing estimated billing to continue for so long. Though you share some responsibility for this you don't own the meter. Actually BG probably don't own it either (will be owned by the regional distribution network operator (DNO)) and would have been attempted to be read by a third party meter reading organisation. Already you will be able to see the scope for confusion. The underlying issue is what was made of the meter readers inability to gain access.

What BG have absolute responsibilty for is managing your account including ensuring that statutory meter reading has taken place. IMHO they have failed that and should be called to account for that failure. So obtain the BG code of practice on complaints and see if you can construct a complaint around their failure to manage that issue - in breach of their legal obligations. You will see from their complaints code of practice what referral rights you have if you remain dissatisfied after 8 (or 12?) weeks. Keep the complaint to that issue. Submit it in writing, do not take calls about the issue unless you are confident you won't be sidetracked onto what you didn't do right.

In these circumstances it's often well worth making a £10 Subject Access Request of BG requireing the provison of all your held data including all bills, call logs, call transcripts etc. This may or may not prove that they behaved reasonably but there is always the chance it will prove they behaved unreasonably.

Only partialy right Jalexa, Given that as the OP mentioned the shop was closed, it is very likely that the data collector's were also unable to gain access to read the meter. What you'd need to discover and will undoubtedly have trouble doing is wether or not BGAs sent any form of communication to the property, or offices of anyone responsible for the property requesting a meter reading.

If they have done this then there's not much more BGAS could have done, equally if they haven't then there are some very clear grounds to at the very least have the balance owing reduced. However as I said this is going to quite tough to prove one way or the other.

Mynewt:

Only partialy right Jalexa,

Not quite sure what you are saying but I think it's something to do with the difficulty in accessing the premises to read the meter.

I think the OP reported (1) the meter was in the shop and (2) the shop was closed (down). I didn't allege that the meter reader never turned up to read the meter, what I hinted at was that the process either failed to bring to the suppliers notice that access was impossible due to the premises being closed (down), or failed to bring to the attention of the DNO that the meter was inside a closed (down) premises or that the information was brought to the supplier's attention but the supplier ignored the information.

Whatever the responsibility lies, and I don't argue that the customer was totally blameless, something the customer accepts in retrospect, the customer does not have formal or statutory responsibility for managing the meter issue and does not own the meter.

I would be happy to debate your point if you clarify exactly what you mean.

Sorry if my explanation wasn't clear enough.

What I attempted to tusggest is that it would be very difficult to prove that british gas had failed in this case. In general terms if it is difficult/impossible for a customer to acess the meter the same conditions apply to the meter readers, although commen sense does tell us this can depend on the situation.

In this case with the meter being in a property that is clearly closed//abandoned there is very little that can be done by the supplier to get a meter reading. All they will need to do is prove that they have done everything in thier power to get a reading. This includes sending letters to the property (or any known alternate address of anyone responsible for the property). If they can prove that this has been done, and that they did not recieve a response they are fully entitled to expect and demand that the full balance be paid.

Mynewt:

Sorry if my explanation wasn't clear enough.

I totally agree with your point and generally the difficulty in a customer proving anything said in a recorded phone call after the records have exceeded the data retention period which could be 6 months to 2 years max (probably).

What I would do in these circumstances is to do a Subject Access Request and look for loopholes in the process. Of course there might not be any....., but hey, it's BG.

Also in this particular case the OP (I stated and the OP accepts) the case has been made very difficult to fight by stopping payments and moving on. However in any David v. Goliath case I know who I will offer my support to.

One other thought. While this case was electricity, and I assume the fuseboard was within the domestic promises, what if it was a gas meter and the gas-*** (ha ha this technical word (c*ck) is being asterisked!) was within the closed (down) premises. I think that would be a serious safety issue for a supplier to ignore. I maintain the causal issue has been a total lack of ownership of the access issue.

Anyway pretty much in agreement with you.

I completely understand yourviewpoint and infact applaud the work you do, I'm just providding the opposite stance a supplier may take so that hopes aren't unduly raised just to be dashed. Better to think the worst and get something better than the other way around IMHO.

As for the issue with the gas, I beleive that there were building laws (can't guarentee this as its not my area of expertise but i do vaguely remember something along these lines) that prohibited gas supplies from being installed where residents did not have 24/7 access to the gas stopcock, which would and should stop the events you describe from being a problem.