I was astounded when British Gas billed me £6,700 after installing a smart meter – I was threatened with debt collectors
A BRITISH GAS customer was left in shock after being wrongly billed £2,500 for his gas and electricity and threatened with debt collectors.
John Spink, from London, received a letter from British Gas in April saying he owed the large sum after months of seeing his bills spiral up to £6,700.
It came after the 79-year-old had a smart meter installed which shows you how much you are paying for energy in real time.
British Gas said it had billed Mr Spink the wrong amount based on estimated readings from when he had a traditional gas meter.
After the energy firm received a meter reading from him, he was sent a bill which he contested and was upheld after a review by British Gas, meaning the £2,500 he was billed would be reimbursed.
But the £2,500 credit was not applied due to an "advisor error" and he was sent letters threatening him with debt collectors.
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Mr Spink and his neighbour Angela repeatedly phoned British Gas to contest the £2,500 bill but kept getting pushed back.
He : "I was absolutely astounded (by the bill).
"I have lived in this house now for nigh-on 30 years now but I have never had bills for more than £60 or £70 for a quarter.
"They said in one letter they were going to come round to my house to see what the situation was and if anyone had come round I was going to read the riot act to them… what the hell do you think you're playing at?"
Mr Spink first received a bill of £4,000, which spiked to £6,700 by Christmas last year.
It fell to £2,500 in April, when he received the first message from British Gas saying his details would be passed on to a debt collection agency because he had not paid it.
The pensioner does not have access to the internet or a phone and was only able to complain to the firm after help from his neighbour Angela.
Mr Spink said he felt the situation was handled "appallingly" by British Gas and he was being "fobbed off" for months.
A British Gas spokesperson said it had agreed to credit back the £2,500 that was billed to Mr Spink and a £500 compensation payment as an apology.
The spokesperson added: "This has now been resolved, we’ve been in touch with Mr Spinks to say sorry and have sent him a goodwill gesture in light of what’s happened."
What energy bill help is available?
THERE'S a number of different ways to get help paying your energy bills if you're struggling to get by.
If you fall into debt, you can always approach your supplier to see if they can put you on a repayment plan before putting you on a prepayment meter.
This involves paying off what you owe in instalments over a set period.
If your supplier offers you a repayment plan you don't think you can afford, speak to them again to see if you can negotiate a better deal.
Several energy firms have grant schemes available to customers struggling to cover their bills.
But eligibility criteria varies depending on the supplier and the amount you can get depends on your financial circumstances.
For example, British Gas or Scottish Gas customers struggling to pay their energy bills can get grants worth up to £1,500.
British Gas also offers help via its British Gas Energy Trust and Individuals Family Fund.
You don't need to be a British Gas customer to apply for the second fund.
EDF, E.ON, Octopus Energy and Scottish Power all offer grants to struggling customers too.
Thousands of vulnerable households are missing out on extra help and protections by not signing up to the Priority Services Register (PSR).
The service helps support vulnerable households, such as those who are elderly or ill, and some of the perks include being given advance warning of blackouts, free gas safety checks and extra support if you're struggling.
Get in touch with your energy firm to see if you can apply.
How to challenge a bill
There are a number of reasons you might be incorrectly billed for your gas and electricity.
It might be that your firm has sent you an estimated bill that is wrong, or your energy supplier has put its prices up.
It might also be that you are being charged for the wrong meter, your meter is faulty or your energy supplier has simply made a mistake and overcharged you.
If you think you have been overcharged because your supplier has made a mistake, you should contact it as soon as possible.
Provide it with all the information you can, including photos of meter readings.
Make sure you keep all the messages you send to your supplier too, so there is a paper trail of your communications.
If you dispute a bill with your supplier and they don't agree to credit you back any money or compensate you, you can take your case to the Energy Ombudsman.
It is an independent and free-to-use service which looks at your case and comes to a decision which it thinks is fair.
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If the ombudsman decides to uphold your complaint, it usually asks the energy supplier to remedy the situation for the customer within 28 days.
This may include compensation worth up to £10,000.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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