Major gas account error: Where do I stand..? Advice

[shhhh]

Try and keep it brief.

We moved into a new home 4 years ago and have been paying our gas since this date. Initially we started by paying an agreed amount with the gas provider. Each statement showed us as building up more and more credit. I called each time and gave meter readings to ensure we were paying correctly etc.
There seemed to be problems each time I gave a reading and dec 2002 a bill was sent to us showing WE owed them around £1k . A phone call later and I was told this was an error due to the conversion etc and a new bill was sent. They now owed US £800. A credit was returned to us and a new payment agreed. They advised me to pay £5 a month as this was the consumption we were using BUT I felt this was way way to little so increased my payments to around 4x that amount.

Again each bill showed us going from £30 to £60 to £80 in credit and the last bill in July showed me being in credit by £150.

An enquiry with my elec bill made me call them and they took meter readings for gas and elec. Again I explained the issues I have had and again asked them to check all was ok.

WELL.......It turns out our meter is a 5 digit meter instead of a 4 one as they have me down as...all readings I have given have been correct but the idiots I have spoken to each time have simply knocked a digit off to ensure it "fits" into the system correctly... So this is why my bills are around £5 a month..!

So the result is....I'm in credit with my elec BUT....in debit with my gas.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................by.........................................................................................................................................£2500...................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! .

Their suggestion to me today is to accept a 10% discount and to pay this amount off over whatever term..4 years, 10 years, 20 years etc....Thanks..!!! So I will be nearly 60 and still paying my gas bill from 2006..!!!!

I have told them, this is not my error, I have been honest with them from the start (4 years ago) and have pushed to pay more than they suggested. I have told them something was not right but nothing was done. THEY HAVE ADMITTED LIABILITY.......I am however not prepared to pay this off and defo not over an agreed term.

It's with the account dept and they will call me back tomorrow to advise me further.

HELP..!! Where do I stand with this..????? Am I liable or do they have a commitment and a responsability iykwim..?

Sorry for the length .

We're having a huge problem with our gas bills too, in that we don't actually receive one and haven't for the 3 years we've lived here. Our gas company are alternately denying we're their customer or saying 'this is what the problem is and X will phone you to sort it out'. Funnily enough X never manages to phone. It's a problem that affects our entire street from when the houses wre first built but we can not seem to convince them that they do in fact supply us with gas.

However, I have read recently that there has been a new law passed that came into effect in July (I think) that if the suppliers are in the wrong with the billing then they can only backdate the payments for a year. As of next July (2007) they won't be able to backdate it at all. So strictly speaking, they shouldn't be able to charge you for more than the past year. It's all done on a case by case basis though so it's probably worth getting Energywatch involved. That usually gets these companies to sort things out fairly quickly.

It's worth investigating anyway.

Interesting news item from 2003.

We've had MASSIVE problems with British Gas lately. Four accounts opened for the same property - wrong readings recorded - useless customer services etc. Energywatch have been brilliant. They instructed British Gas to freeze our account until it is all sorted properly (British Gas were sending us automated court summons every week - despite them admitting it was their fault). We just went to the Energywatch website and logged a complaint. British Gas have a whole team of people just to deal with EnergyWatch complaints, so it shows how many people have problems with them.

This is thearticle . I didn't get it quite right - bit late at night!!

ive just left british gas because in the few weeks i was supplied by them, they made horrendous mistakes, billed us for gas used by the previous customer, sent court summons etc, this was where i got EW involved, then they tried to stop me changing suppliers.

thanks for the articles. Its a disgrace that companies can get away with such a poor service esp when bills like ours are involved..!!

I have chedk the bills and that only show 4 digits and not the 5 I have given. BTW yes I do have some of the readings over the years but not all....

I need to take it up with them if anyone has actually read our meter over the last 4 years and why it wasn't picked up then.

on another point about companies not even being aware they supply to you....

We are also on a new development and our next door but one neighbour has never been billed for water..!! In 5 years!! He's raised it as an issue but noone seems to want to deal with it.!

Maybe we should connect our water supply to his..! Tee hee..!!!

As a wee bit of support for Shhhh re the "she's used it so she should pay for it" argument.

If she had known how much what she was using was really costing she could have a) looked at changing suppliers and getting a better deal and/or b) made a conscious effort to use less.

thanks for the support PB but the issue with me isn't the fact of how much it's cost it's more of the issue that they have messed up iykwim.!!

We looked into changing supplier BUT the last check said we were with the cheapest for both.
Also although we could cut down, we are using what is needed. Neither dh or I see the point of doing without to save money..BUT obviously we are not excessive with use. Remember this amount has resulted from 4 years usage and from the fact that the payments we made were refunded years ago..around £800 worth..!!

BTW for ohers interested, I spoke to energywatch today. They are shocked at this issue and have told me I need to fight for a drastic reduction in the bill and possibly for it to be written off. They said it's the suppliers fault as I have been free with my payments and with supplying readings. The fact that the readings were entered incorrectly is not my fault but theirs. It was out of my hands. They also supported the fact that why wasn't this picked up by a meter reader ages ago. Apparently legally your meter has to be read x1 in 2 years ( I think thats what was said). I'm now awaiting a call back from yesterday from the suppier...

bloody hell Shhh, i work for what was Transco, the gas company and the difference between a four and five digit meter is absolutely fundamental, a 4 digit mtr measures imperially and a 5 digit one is metric. For employees to have "knocked off" a digit to make it fit is negligent, if the gas supplier had reason to believe the details you were providing didn't fit with the details on screen there are clear processes in place for this to be investigated - I know because that is what I used to do. Things have changed because there have been massive changes in how the gas industry works but there should still be procedures. You have given them the correct information at all times and it is the company that are in error, have you put a complaint in via energywatch? they can handle it all for you. Also as you said, a meter reader should have recognised immediately that the type of meter you have is not what is on the record. To be a complete metering dweeb, i would guess you are down as having a "U6" meter when in fact you have an "E4" or a "G4", one of my first jobs in the company as a temp was correcting these mistakes! I think if you push hard enough via energywatch & ofgem they should write more off for you.

THANSK JUSTAMUM..!!!Just the comments and advice I needed ..!!!

I spoke to them yesterday and they have come back with a discount of 25%. I have told them No chance as it's not my error and I have done all I can to correct this over 4 years. What do they want me to do..? Go to their offices and input the reading myself..? Although what I know about meters is dangerours but again I probably know more than those guys working there ! LOL..!!!

Anyway they asked me what my resolve would be. I told them straight. To clear the debt. Not asking to much is it..! Told me they thought I would want that..what did they expect.?!
Noone there is disagreeing with me or arguing with me, infact they are behind me 100% which gives me even more power really.
They wanted to know what energywatch advised BUT tbh thats between me and them NOT my gas company. I told them ew support me 100%.

I have been to ew but I want to see how I can manage it before I go to them. If I don't get an offer i AM HAPPY WITH i WILL GO TO EW FOR FURTHER ADVICE AND FOR THEM TO TAKE IT FURTHER. btw EW are 100% behind me, they are shocked and says I am totally in the right. I have provided them with the info, they have meter guys to do readings and if they failed to enter the correct reading it's their error. They have told me to do all I can to clear the debt.

My suppliers are due to call me back again this afternoon to discuss my conversation from yesterday further. I will update once I know more.

ps sorry about the cap's back there....got carried away .

Right...UPDATE............
It's taken 6 weeks to sort and numerous bills ranging from £2500, £1400,£900 and the last one at £750. They suggested a discount of 25%, then 50% and I refussed all offers. They offered (only after my questioning) to refer it to timeout/lockout which is a department who deal with major issues that can't be resolved BUT I was told that they NEVER agree to wipe the dept. Anyway I had nothing to loose so asked for this referral.

Guess what........................They have completely cleared the debt. They agree it's not my error and that it's down to them and that I have been messed around for 4 years and now it's taken 6 weeks to finally resolve.

I am glad it's been agreed. Its not sorted 100% as I still got a bill on Monday saying I was in debt of £750 BUT apparently this is because they are having problems authorising such a large amount BUT have assured me it WILL be cleared.

I am just glad its sorted and glad we didn't have to pay a penny back.Its once less worry. Still concerned though what would have happened had I started to pay back the original £2.5K...

Thanks to those of you who gave advice. xx