I haven’t paid for any gas for 3 years. How to get out of it?

[Gastheif]

I know I have been unreasonable, looking for advice.
had a smart meter fitted 3 years ago since then and despite the company sending out meter readers all bills I have received for gas say £0 usage.
I want to get out of this situation, ideally without having to pay it back and before the price hikes mean that I may have a debt I can’t even afford, also before government help starts.
if I switch supplier, do you think this will fix itself?
WWYD?

They have probably got meter numbers mixed up. This happened to me for a short period when I switched to Sainsbury Energy (I hadn't realised it was British Gas operating under an assumed name, so I switched again as soon as I was able to). I was paying someone else's gas bill; I don't know whether anyone was paying mine. It did get sorted out but it was difficult to get them to acknowledge what had happened.

First step is to check whether the meter number on your bill matches the number on your meter.

ideally without having to pay it back

also before government help starts

I’m not bitter, far from it, but why start thinking about 3 years down the line when there’s suddenly some government help.

But OP sounds like they’re still expecting the shitty energy grant.

Anyway, it seems like this is a common occurrence, thinking it’s free is just ridiculous, someone pays for it somewhere down the line

Same happened to us. We swtiched to a smart meter which worked for a bit, then stopped. We phoned multiple times to the energy company to ask them to send someone out and they wouldn't because of Covid. It did start working again after about 18 months, but we only started paying again in about April of this year. We have not been charged for gas when the meter wasn't working as they have no way of knowing how much we consumed.

I would keep money aside each month and just keep fingers crossed that they don’t notice you.

Fwiw I moved into a rental property last year and it has been one error after another on their part to the point where I started to charge them for my time dealing with it all.

At one point they turned my meter off. No idea why. It was obviously still running but the screen to show the metre reading was blank so I couldn’t tell what energy I was using.

Because my energy company is so useless I did start to look into rules and regulations and I did notice that if a charge relates to an amount over 1 year old then they can’t charge you. It is something called back billing.

i think the idea is if you tell them the metre reading today which covers the last 3 years you can divide it by 3 and argue that they cannot charge you for the first 2 years.

TBH I wouldn’t say anything if the most they can charge you for us 1 years amount.

We once moved into a house and it took us 3.5 years to realise we were getting gas bills but no electric bills.
We hadn’t realised because I always thought Dh was dealing with that bill and vice versa.

Honestly, don’t rock the boat. I lived in a flat in London for years, nobody on the whole road ever got a bill.

Yes, you both look petty and exceptionally mean-spirited. The error is not the OP's. People who judge others, wanting to bring them down to their own (very low) levels, annoy the shit of me.

OP... as you've already notified the energy provider, just leave it. It's for them to contact you now, not you them.

If you wanted to celebrate your good fortune, pay it back to food bank donations, Help the Aged or similar charity. Don't pay the energy company without their requesting payment. Modern day Robin Hood... that's the way to go!

I meant the government help would make me feel worse.
I don’t think it’s true that someone will pay, certainly not an individual. It will come
from the company’s profit

Judging on how the energy companies are screwing individuals, families and businesses whilst making record profits I don't think the OP has to worry too much about her morals!

Ach dry your eyes will you!

When I read about energy companies profits I have NO sympathy for them!

OP I hope you get many more years not having to pay. You'll only ever have to pay one year back. You're doing nothing wrong despite what some of the pearl clutchers on this thread say 😂

People like you should be fined. You'd be arrested if you stole from a shop.

Wow.

True but I wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t be arrested if I was mischarged.

The smart meter reading says zero. Just checked the actual meter and it just looks dead, like it isn’t switched on!

If you google the make of the smart meter there will be a Youtube video of a nice man telling you which buttons to press to get readings. I am going to start checking ours monthly to make sure we are paying for what we actually use.

So you condone theft? The OP has not paid for a product they have been using for 3 years. And you think this is fine because the energy companies earn too much? That's not how the world works. You pay your way like the rest of us. I have no sympathy for the OP either. They're a thief.

No they aren't. OP has been in touch with the gas company. Did you bother to read their posts or was your pitchfork jammed so far up your nose that it obscured your vision?

You've gone too far by calling OP a thief and you need to apologise for that.

My energy company started to send bills to my daughter.

She isn’t even on the tenancy agreement let alone the electric bill

I have read they have a habit of sending bills to neighbouring properties if someone isn’t paying

I wrote them a long email rant earlier this month (which I charged them for) to say that if I get my bill for the period July 4th - August 3rd and on the same day receive a notice from the collections department to say that they have attempted to contact me for over a month for this outstanding bill which is now more than a month over due. THEY ARE LIARS.

Especially as I didn’t have an account with them till August 2nd.

I was supposed to be on monthly direct debits but there is no way I would let them have access to my bank account.
They could charge me for all the houses in the street that haven’t paid.

I do not trust them.

Put money aside each month and don’t say anything.

We have a saying “thought waved travel” so don’t even think about it.

This happened to me years ago, way before smart meters.

Despite me constantly sending readings in in the 3 years we were there we never did get a bill......id set aside money each month so ended up with quite a lot that we ended up spending on a holiday after moving. I figured they owed money for the stress and worry!!

Awww thanks tbf I have named myself gas thief! And I haven’t explicitly told them but I feel giving them yearly access to the meter should amount to them realising their error

If what people say about only being required to pay 12 months is correct then I’d leave it but start saving an amount each month for If/when they do notice.

I’d not feel much moral dilemma about it given you’ve tried to tell them and given most people are being rinsed for gas/electric and it’s only going to get worse.

If the company have been taking meter readings, that's in your favour as they should be picking up that something isn't right. However, you've known for a long time you haven't been paying your bills - if I were you I'd do the right thing now, phone them, tell them you've been looking at your bills and have noticed you haven't been charged for gas. If they agree, and you get a large bill, I'm sure they'll set up a plan so you can pay what you have now, and pay the rest over coming months - you've known this is coming, so no great surprise if they ask you to repay. Also, if you switch supplier, I can't believe your present one or a new one won't pick up something iffy, as meter readings have to look right on both sides at switch. Also, I'd do it now to ensure what you have used used is charged out at today's rate, not the October - it may take a few days to sort.

I’d just carry on as you are, making sure you add a small amount each month to the 12 months money you already have set aside in case they come hunting for a yrs usuage. If you get any energy help from the government, as pp said-donate to food bank if it makes you feel better.

It's astonishing to read how often this happens? Couldn't happen to a nicer and more worthy sector either.

Tells you how much they are making doesn't it ? Similar to the water companies who have fuck all incentive to fix leaks while we pay for them.

Whether or not you think energy companies are "making enormous profits" - and many aren't actually - is a completely separate issue to whether the OP has the moral and legal responsibility to pay for the the gas they have used.

To which the answer is - of course they should.

Why does it bother you? It doesn't affect you in any way...