I recently received a gas bill from British Gas of more than £1,600 after a meter reading (by G4S) at the end of 2015. You can imagine my horror at receiving such a bill shortly after Christmas, which was a huge increase from the past five years. I have been with British Gas since I moved into my house in 2009. After renovations a new meter was fitted and has been used ever since.
After hours on the phone with two separate individuals, the response has been that it is not British Gas’s fault, as G4S is responsible for taking readings.
I then asked how they managed to estimate my previous bills and what this was based on. The response was that they were based on when my account was opened in 2013, yet I have been with British Gas since 2010.
We have been lulled into a false sense of expenditure, thinking we could afford our current usage when we have not been given the proper and correct information. I also receive my electricity bills from British Gas, and a meter reading was taken at the same time, yet the latest bill was for £175, which is in line with what I have always paid. GC, Cobham, Surrey
We get loads of complaints about mismatches between estimated and metered bills. If you haven’t taken a reading for a while and have received an unexpectedly large bill, it can indeed have a negative effect on your cash flow.
But if your bills have been estimated for a long time – and it could be many years – you may not have been paying for all the energy you’ve used (or, indeed, have overpaid). What we don’t understand is why you were not able to take meter readings yourself.
British Gas checked its records and explained: “In December 2012 we sent GC a gas bill for £49.30 which was based on an actual meter reading. Subsequent quarterly bills were estimated because G4S, the company contracted to read meters, could not gain access and GC did not submit any readings.
“These visits took place every quarter until 31 December 2015, when G4S did gain access. The subsequent bill was £1,600 because more gas had been used between 2012 and 2015 than the estimated bills had covered. When we send bills, we do make it clear if they are estimated and encourage customers to submit meter readings if they have not recently had one taken.”
We realise this isn’t good news, but British Gas has contacted you with a range of options to help settle the bill.
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