I just got a gas bill for £864 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[leglebegle]

After I picked myself up from the floor and finished a very sweet cup of tea for the shock, I phoned British Gas up. They agreed that was a huge amount for a 4 bed house and we would have to have the heating on full blast with the windows open to justify this. I have been told to monitor the meter for a week and we will discuss it again this time next week. Has anyone else had this sort of bill? We have one of those gas flame effect fires but I only had it re-connected before Christmas and its hardly on. I am staggered!

OUCH !

I got a bill like this once (we're with Atlantic Gas and Electricity who are way cheaper than BG btw) but it was just because one of the digits was wrong on the meter reading! Mine was about £900 I think!!

Was previous a reading or estimated bill and which is this one ? Presumably you have checked the meter reading against the figure on the bill in case it has been miscalculated.

Yes, sadly the meter reading is right. They said we might have a leak. God I hope we have a leak. I know we all get bills after Christmas but this really takes the biscuit!!

leglebegle,

How long is this bill for?
Is it an estimated reading?
Was the start reading for the period an estimated reading?
HAve you checked the reading against the actual read on the meter?
Call BG back and say you want all debt recovery on this bill held until the situation is resolved.
Get the name of the person you spoke to and keep ho;d of it, they are notoriously bad for not doing what they say they will.
IF you are not happy with any of the responses you recieve ask to speak to the supervisor.
Also say if they don't tell you how THEY are going to resolve it, tell them that you will be getting in touch with Energwatch, (which should get them to take you more seriously) Energywatch complaints are what the industry uses as a guide and are published.

Also would consider changing to a cheaper supplier, they are currently the most expensive gas suppliers in the country and have put up their prices 3 times in the last 8 months (I think).

Meters do go wrong...was the previous reading an actual one or an estimate?

OUCH is right

Must be wrong. I have quite often had the heating on all day recently as have been at home on maternity leave, plus cook a lot etc. Our bill is one hundred and something a quarter.
Do you check the real reading each time you get a bill to make sure the estimate isn't miles out?
Mind you even if they have been undet-estimating they'd have to have done so for about 4 years without ever reading the meter to run up this kind of bill.
You must have a leak or a faulty meter.

Have the neighbours been using your gas as well? or do you have a small factory to heat? British Gas told us one day that we owed them a fortune, followed the next day by a cheque for overpaid direct debits! We are no lomger with them - much cheaper deal elsewhere!

kalex thanks will do. yes its an actual reading not estimated although previous was an estimate and was £50. we have been here for only 8 months though which would mean in 8 months we had used £910 worth of gas ! there must be a fault. thanks to all for help.

Another thought, If you have only been in the property for 8 months, did you contact them when you moved in with an opening read?
Any chance you still have it.
Is the property rented, if so get in touch with letting agency and ask if they have it, if you don't.

I have seen old tenants giving riculoulsly low end reads, and then leaving the new tenants to pick up the pieces.

leglebegle, sounds to me like there wasn't a real reading, (but rather an estimate) done when you moved in. We live in a 7 bedroom house in London and my gas bill is about £90 a month and I leave the heat on all the time and use loads of hot water.

My friend has also just had one of these bills and Scottish Gas said it was a mistake. Theirs was for £850 for a 2 bed semi bungalow. Take a reading if you haven't already done so and let them know.

Message withdrawn

this happened to me: I refused to pay as the first reading had been cocked up.

Never did get it sorted out. left the country instead.

hi leagle
we had something similair happen with british gas nearly 6 yrs ago now. We were in a 2 bed flat with combi boiler central heating and they sent us a bill for a 3mth period of £295...obviously not right and they agreed sent someone out to check and ended up sending bill upstairs to one bed flat..who obviously couldnt have spent that much either...anyway bill was bounced back and forth between the 6 flats in block then we moved out after about a year of this thinking no more of it....then we had BG man knock on our new door and ask us to go with BG obviously dh said no due to messing around...2 weeks later we got a letter from a debt collection agency saying we owed BG the money...dh being good with bills had actually kept the bills and showed company who agreed it wasnt ours so they referred back to BG...this still happens now and at least twice a year various debt collectors send a letter for BG to try an collect the amount...so whenever the nice men knock on the door trying to get us to change a bill usually follows a couple of weeks later...so would never go with BG now...obviously this shouldnt happen to you but stick to your guns and i wouldnt trust them as far as i could throw them....