British Gas Payment Problem (2024)

16 November 2023 at 11:09AM

The BG billing system is an absolute shambles which is the main reason why I left them. In my case they only produced a proper bill once every 6 months which meant that I could logon and check my balance to find that I was over £1k in credit but this would plummet once they had produced the six monthly bill. I paid by monthly direct debit so not the same as you.

Trying to work out how you stand with your monthly payments when you are only correctly billed on a six monthly basis is a nightmare. I'm now with Octopus who are light years ahead with their billing system.

You've paid them what they requested and that's all you are required to do.

la531983 Posts: 1,839 Forumite

16 November 2023 at 11:13AM edited 16 November 2023 at 11:14AM

Yup if your mental health is that shaky, British Gas are 100% the wrong provider to be with.

Move to Octopus. Today.

ByTheSea123 Posts: 3 Newbie

16 November 2023 at 11:53AM

16 November 2023 at 1:22PM

BG are moving to a new billing system. You may be in limbo if they're moving you at the moment. It'll take a few weeks to settle down.

Better to pay by DD, it's cheaper. Better still to switch to Octopus with bills that couldn't be clearer.

ElaniArtin Posts: 62 Forumite

16 November 2023 at 4:02PM edited 16 November 2023 at 4:11PM

ByTheSea123 said:

I received my British Gas Bill on the 14/11/23 and paid it online on the 15/11/23 using my debit card via the new British Gas App. The payment went through and I received an email saying thank you for your payment ect. I have also checked my debit card statement and it says the money has been taken by British Gas. I have just checked my online account and it says my account is 'in credit' (+) with the amount I paid, but it looks like my bill has not been paid even though I have paid it. Any ideas what could be wrong? This is the first I have paid using the new British Gas app. I suffer badly from mental heath problems, including severe anxiety and I'm just not sure that I can handle dealing with British Gas for the next few weeks / months about a bill I have already paid. Many thanks.

Ditto with Scottish Power. And, I first came to MSE forum with the exact same situation! I have ADHD and asking people to figure out their convoluted billing is just wrong. I have been in a frantic state for a very long time because people seemed to be assuming it was my fault. How they get away with this when it affects so many of us(with the money they make) is my question. I think the answer is that we are not a threat, and so they have no motivation to care about how they bill us.

HappyAlison Posts: 1 Newbie

17 November 2023 at 2:26PM

I do sympathise with you, ByTheSea123, and hope you are able to remain calm in your phone calls to BG.

My problem relates to a final bill settling my Mum's estate. I could reconcile the amounts until February this year - then they sent another bill which added an unexplained/unreconcilable £1266.85. The change was in the "outstanding balance" shown before the usage/standing charge amounts.

I've also received a threatening letter from them saying they will outsource to debt collection service (although after phone calls they have sent me a text, but not letter, to say that they have removed the bill... although the text contains no 'reference numbers' that I can use to identify specifically what is going on).

I've had several long phone calls with them over the last few weeks to say that I am happy to settle the final bill so long as it is correctly calculated, but that I want a letter from them revoking the threat and providing the correct final balance.

One call was 1h 9m and the following one took 1h 42m, and several around 40 mins. All calls begin asking me for the customer reference number or phone number connected with the account - neither of which are recognised by their system even though they are valid.

All the calls have ended reasonably positively - with the impression that some action would be taken. Indeed one of the people I dealt with recognised that the issue was the change in billing system. They explained that although the account had been migrated to the new systems, there were 'reversals' that had not and thus this explained the difference. They promised that the correct amount would be calculated and sent to me and that they would call me to 'follow up' if I heard nothing. They even gave me their individual email at British Gas. I heard nothing in the promised time and I followed up with two emails to that person with attached evidence/bills/meter reading info. I then called again (thus the 1h 42m call) and had to "tell the story" all over again - and this person promised that they would contact the 'other person' and ask her to contact me. Again I have received a text message from them that is reasonably positive but not quite specific enough - nor am I able to reply to that message.

I still haven't had the debt collection threat rescinded nor have I had the correct final bill.

I dread to think what people who perhaps don't have my persistence nor arithmetic skills to spot the mistake would do in this situation. What about all the people who have been hit with incorrect bills since the billing system migration and simply not spotted the change in the 'previous outstanding balance'?

Annemos Posts: 713 Forumite

17 November 2023 at 6:40PM

I have been monitoring my friend's BG account for an Ombudsman's case.

She has smart meters but is still on the old BG billing system.

I was particularly monitoring her "Direct Debits in the List of Payments (Transaction History)"....... and her actual "Summary Account Status (Overall Credit)".

The Ombudsman case took many weeks.

I would often notice, that the Summary Account Status Credit was up to date straight away after she had a direct debit taken out of the bank account.

But it could take two, three or four days before the actual direct debit payment showed up in the Listing of payments (Transaction History.)

It was quite disconcerting /annoying at times. (I was trying to compile evidence for the Ombudsman and always had to put a note reconciling the discrepancy!)

Maybe your bill payment will have shown up within 3 or 4 days. I do hope so.

ByTheSea123 Posts: 3 Newbie

18 November 2023 at 11:18AM

Marksfish Posts: 267 Forumite

18 November 2023 at 1:22PM

Billing is diabolical. I have my first bill after insisting on it, but unable to download it online or receive it by post. The executive office finally sent a "screenshot" copy which showed a £140 overcharge on my old meters. I think their calculator is wrong as I can't even see how they came to that amount!! New smart meters in for the EV tariff, now they are mis- reading. My meter readings now are twice what they were previously, I think the installer has put my solar PV in so they register as import and not export on the meter. Neither Gas nor electric appear to be registered at the DCC according to the DCC checker, but BG say they are receiving readings. Hugo think they have registered them only on their system and not the DCC, which is against smart metering rules.

It's s shambles. I am going to leave, but not sure how it will affect my ombudsman case if I leave before it is sorted.

Annemos Posts: 713 Forumite

19 November 2023 at 4:32PM

Yes BTS123.

I think that is probably a good strategy for you, because presumably that brings your balance on the old account down to NIL.

As their whole aim when they switch us over is to bring us to NIL on the old account, before they transfer us over, your strategy should mean you have done it for them. And there will be nothing left to track going over to the new system.

(In your place, I would also prefer not to see any balance owing on that old account. One could take the position that they will do the proper flow-through after a couple of billing cycles as the new system catches up.... but you never know....!!

It took me 3 billing cycles to get my own Credit back, from the old system, before it eventually showed up on the new system. As it was a credit, there was no risk I could be gone after for any non-payment.)