Beware British Gas.

[Canary42]

In spite of the fact that I have used no gas for many years now, British Gas recently saw fit to send me a bill for over £350.

After much hassle they eventually admitted the error and apologised.

But today I discovered they have registered it as an unpaid debt against my record with Experian Credit Agency. I have protested this calumny in the strongest terms.

This allegation, unlike theirs, is true and factual.

[sunny-dave]

Write to your MP - BG are definitely not flavour of (anyone's) month at the moment and your MP will delight in a reason to publicise their ineptitude.

BG's press office will then move like brown stuff off a digging implement to get the error corrected. Tell them you want some costs for your inconvenience too.

[gness]

I don't doubt you, Canary.....many, many years ago they sent me a bill for gas I could not have used.

I gave up trying to explain to a rude lady but I was very nice to the kindly man who came to cut off my supply......I invited him in and told him I'd make tea while he searched for the meter in my all electric house with no gas...and no meter.

Did I get an apology....what do you think?

[Buenchico]

350 quid? That's a tiny error! The Woolwich Building Society once tried to repossess my house because of an error 100 times that size! They managed to lose a £35,000 payment which should have paid off the mortgage. When they finally tracked it down they then tried to charge me an extra 200 quid because of the interest that had built up through their own error. When, after me threatening to take the matter to the press, they eventually backed down and I thought that everything was sorted out. A decade later I tried to sell part of my garden to a neighbour, only to find that there was still a charge registered against my property by the Woolwich!!!

Anyway, if you've got a gas meter at your property (even though you don't use gas) you might find that you'll be getting bills in the future anyway. OfGem have forced British Gas to get rid of their tariff which had no standing charge and replace it with one that does. So, through a decision taken by OfGem 'in the interest of consumers' my gas bill is to rise from around £30 per year to about £130. Thank you very much, Ofgem, for 'acting in my interests'!!!

[Canary42]

I wrote to Ofgem about it - the answer was a bland disclaimer that it had anything to do with them. Another useless overpaid quango.

[DTCwordfan]

Keep a record of expenses incurred in all of this and send BG the bill.

Contact the Credit Agency as you have done - it will probably be showing on others like Noodle too....contact BG 's Residential Director, Ian Peters. Copy in Michael Uzielli, their Finance Director.

[pixie373]

I gave up on them 15 years ago. We moved house, asked to set up a direct debit. They supplied the gas, but refused to let us pay, as they had the house registered under previous owner (or something). We rang daily asking to pay, sent documents to prove when we moved in. In the end, i said "fine- we won't pay, but don't send me a massive bill in 6 months". Of course they did and added in lots of late payment charges- even though we had never had a bill from them.

[galasalmon]

I was in the same house for 30 years when british gas informed me I hadn't paid my gas bill despite having no gas , I informed them of this . A week later a chap from gas board arrived at my door to say he had come to cut my gas off , I told him he was welcome if he could find it . He had a look and said no you haven't and went away embarrassed . That was the last I heard of it , no apology.