04-07-2025
I got a British Gas letter out of the blue asking for £3k – I had always paid my bills on time
Q. My gas and electricity is supplied by British Gas.
I make sure to pay my gas and electricity bill on time.
1
I don't have a direct debit set up. I'm disabled, and my carer takes me food shopping where I pay my bills at the same time, which are £28.77 for gas and £20.50 for electricity.
But 18 months ago I got a letter out of the blue which said that British Gas had made a mistake and I now owe £3,000.
I was given no explanation as to how I racked up so much debt.
British Gas said I now need to pay £30 a month in arrears on top of my fortnightly payments of gas and electricity.
I am consumed with worry about how to pay.
A. It can be a big shock getting a surprise bill from your energy supplier.
Your case required a little untangling to get to the bottom of what happened, because British Gas has a different story to yours.
British Gas said it told you that you had built up an energy debt back in January 2021.
Your monthly payments were not enough to pay for your energy usage, and you were £878 in arrears.
It set up a payment plan for you, and said you agreed to pay £36.21 every fortnight to pay off the debt.
British Gas said you struggled to keep up with the payment plan, although it sent reminders to you to pay.
By March last year, your debt had snowballed to £2,495.
British Gas said it doesn't recognise the £3,000 figure you said was in your surprise bill.
It also said you did make some payments to pay off the debt, and that you now owe £1,740.
Usually, you can't be charged for energy you used more than 12 months ago if you haven't been sent an accurate bill for it before, even if you asked for one.
But these rules don't apply to you as British Gas said it did let you know that you were not paying enough.
You both have very different versions of events, and clearly, there seems to have been a breakdown of communication somewhere along the line.
It can also be difficult to keep track of your bills if you do not have an online account, as in your case.
I asked British Gas if it could do anything for your case, as you are a vulnerable customer and clearly are struggling to keep up with your bills.
It agreed to add £1,000 credit to your account as a gesture of goodwill.
You still owe £740 and have agreed to a payment plan to help cover the remaining amount.
when it reopens in September.
Squeeze team total: £224,150.
