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Original poster

British Gas backbill

103 replies

Ryderneedsus · 17/03/2022 11:21

I sold a house on the 18th of March 2021
We received a refund cheque of £30 in April 2021 for a credit on the electricity account.
On the 14th of March 2022 we were sent a bill for £667 for unpaid electricity.
British Gas are insisting we pay this. We have had no correspondence from them before this. It sounds wrong.

OP posts:
BambinaJAS · 17/03/2022 12:51

Just a bit OTT:

But I have noticed over the last 6 months that the enforcement departments of the various energy suppliers are starting to really dig into the last 5 years or so of bills. The frequency of these "you owe £x" due to an under-estimate over the last year demands have definitely increased.

Squeezita · 17/03/2022 12:52

I have phoned them again and they (unfortunately seemingly correctly) state that we have not paid for electricity at all between 2011 and 2021.

So you’ve had free electricity for 9 years?

I’d be happy with that.

ThereIsNoSuchThingAsRoadTax · 17/03/2022 12:54

@youdoyoutoday

Based on the back bill rule, you would owe for 4 days of electricity.
That depends upon whose mistake it is. If BG failed to bill despite the property being registered with them for electricity supply, they can only back bill for 12 months - so 4 days in this case. If the owner failed to register the property for electricity supply, they are liable for everything they have used. A town council local to me has just discovered they never registered the gas supply in an office they have occupied for the past 17 years. They have set aside £35K to settle the bill...
Original poster
Ryderneedsus · 17/03/2022 12:55

@Squeezita you would be happy thinking that you had been paying for electricity and then suddenly be landed with a bill for £677 that you can ill afford?

OP posts:
DisforDarkChocolate · 17/03/2022 12:57

I am sure they can bill you for that time period. Only thr last year or something like that?

Perhaps look on MSE?

Original poster
Ryderneedsus · 17/03/2022 12:57

@ThereIsNoSuchThingAsRoadTax we must have been registered for electricity because they sent us a refund cheque for £30 for electric and £59 for gas.

OP posts:
Calennig · 17/03/2022 12:59

Surely the prevous British gas bills will have stated what you were paying for - so I'd dig them out and see if electricty was on there if they were who you were buying electrity through.

Otherwise just paying for the last year of electircty and getting all previous years free doesn't sound so bad.

I would check though as my DP have found Bristish gas isn't great for knowing what it's been paid and what has not. We've never used them but when we bought first house previous owners pushed date back but left it empty for two weeks - took meter readings when they left - and then BG tried to bill us for those two weeks we didn't own the building threatening bill collectors - they got short shrift as we'd never had any account with them and didn't own building at the time.

(I'd also check phone number is same as one of website and not just the letter to avoid fraudsters)

Mamamia7962 · 17/03/2022 13:00

In the last 10 years you must have received paper bills, so did you not think it was strange that you were only receiving a gas bill?

Calennig · 17/03/2022 13:00

sent us a refund cheque for £30 for electric and £59 for gas

Dig out that letter, last meter readings and last few bills and try and see why they suddenly think you owe this money.

OnTheBenchOfDoom · 17/03/2022 13:01

Was the house brand new in 2011?

They are required to carry out visual checks on meters which is why even when you are on a smartmeter they still come and look. That applies to both gas and electric for safety reasons.

So either this meter was never activated live and had zero readings taken or there has been some massive fuck up somewhere. I used to work for a utility company.

I would want to see a copy of the bill that they are chasing you for to see the period they have charged and to check your meter readings yo provided on move out. Start with that.

OnTheBenchOfDoom · 17/03/2022 13:06

[quote Ryderneedsus]@ThereIsNoSuchThingAsRoadTax we must have been registered for electricity because they sent us a refund cheque for £30 for electric and £59 for gas.[/quote]
Definitely ask for a copy of the bill. I would also want in writing the opening reading that took place from 2011 too. Tell them you are disputing the bill.

Have you got details of the refund cheques at all?

The fact that they have refunded you and are now chasing you is strange. The only time I can remember dealing with something like this is when someone gave a meter reading and added zeros to the front meaning we billed someone a ridiculous sum of money that should have been stopped as there are parameters within the system to prevent this.

I would want as much information in writing as possible. Get them to explain it to you in a letter/email alongside the bill, plus the refund bill too.

starfishmummy · 17/03/2022 13:09

[quote Ryderneedsus]@Squeezita you would be happy thinking that you had been paying for electricity and then suddenly be landed with a bill for £677 that you can ill afford?[/quote]
But didn't you notice that you had no bills - we are with BG, pay by direct debit, but they still send us paper bills? Which we check. We would also notice if money was not going out of the bank.

While you are waiting for them to provide you with the evidence maybe check your own records.

loislovesstewie · 17/03/2022 13:14

@ThereIsNoSuchThingAsRoadTax Ah yes, I know exactly where that is!

Chely · 17/03/2022 13:19

You can't give enough detail on here for a good answer. Take all the documents you have relating to this to citizens advice and see what they think.
It may be best to pay the money to protect your credit ratings.

Original poster
Ryderneedsus · 17/03/2022 13:21

We had no idea we were not paying electric. We assumed the direct debit covered gas and electric. Our bank statements show we have never paid for electricity.

The house was from the 1920s.

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 17/03/2022 13:25

You normally make 1 payment that covers both. What do your BG statements show?

Squeezita · 17/03/2022 13:25

[quote Ryderneedsus]@Squeezita you would be happy thinking that you had been paying for electricity and then suddenly be landed with a bill for £677 that you can ill afford?[/quote]
Not happy I guess but it sounds like you have saved around £6,000 over 9 years. A silver linking maybe?

PinkiOcelot · 17/03/2022 13:27

Did your DD not cover both gas and electricity? You must have been paying it surely if you got a refund.

LIZS · 17/03/2022 13:31

If they have not billed you for gas there is a limit as to how much they can backdate it. Do you have any statements or bills from previous address?

Original poster
Ryderneedsus · 17/03/2022 13:31

I have just found the letter that came with the £30, unfortunately it was compensation for not sending a final bill.

OP posts:
Original poster
Ryderneedsus · 17/03/2022 13:32

@LIZS we paid for Gas not Electricity. I assumed the direct debit payments were for both.

OP posts:
LIZS · 17/03/2022 13:34

Sorry my mistake. Same applies as pp said, they can only backdate bills for a year www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/problems-with-your-energy-bill/you-havent-received-a-gas-or-electricity-bill-in-a-while/

mumwon · 17/03/2022 13:35

you get a single statement & dd if you pay for dual fuel with BG not 2 bills
We have dual fuel (is it duel or dual???)

dementedpixie · 17/03/2022 13:37

Its dual. Is a duel not a fight?
Do the statements not show how payments were allocated? Its normally 1 payment for both fuels

Original poster
Ryderneedsus · 17/03/2022 13:38

Just to clarify:

  1. We did not pay electricity for 10 years
  2. We did not know this. BG didn’t spot this
  3. We sent BG payments for Gas that we thought were for both.
  4. We sold the house on 18th March 2021.
  5. On March 14th 2022 BG have sent a demand for £677
  6. Do we have to pay this? Considering that they still have not issued a proper bill and the rules on back billing.
I am not interested in peoples view of if I should morally pay it. Does anyone know if I have to legally pay it?
OP posts: