British Gas - LAte Payment Charges

[3010gareth]

Hello to All

I am new to the site and looking for some advice.

I have just got hold of the list of charges that British Gas have applied to my account over the last 2 years.

My question is, can I deduct them when I make my next payment when I get their invoice?

I was thinking that as long as I paid teh fuel fees but not the charges could they cut me off for not paying their late payment charges?

Cheers

Gareth

[JOSH_IOU]

They can not impose a charge that is higher than what they have lossed. i.e. they can not charge a late payment charge.

This is an unfair term.

The Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1994

[submissiveguy]

is there a template or a letter that someone could send to british gas? please?

[billsters]

They've charged me 50 for a late payment! and tell me this is in their terms and conditions!

[3010gareth]

Its wrong that British Gas even try to charge for late payment.

When I paid my last bill I deducted all past charges for late payment. Can I do this? if some one knows.

They have since told me that they are allowed by their regulated bodys to charge these fees for late payment, can some one confirm if this is true?

[3010gareth]

Originally Posted by JOSH_IOU

They can not impose a charge that is higher than what they have lossed. i.e. they can not charge a late payment charge.

This is an unfair term.

The Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1994

Thats very good info, Thank you. I have deducted all past late payment charges when I paid my last bill, can I do this? or is it a case I would have to pay them and tehn go to court like credit cards?

[Sirensinger]

Hi, well BG have bn charging me since 2006 in this way, since I had a big bill and didn't 'make an arrangement to pay' by which they mean agree to pay a given amount on a given date of the month. I made regular payments, just not same amount or same date, and kept phoning them to make sure they could see how it was reducing, until I'd cleared the original bill and was up to date with payments - this was within a year, which I'd told them wd be the case - but by that time over £100 in charges had been added - so of course, BG then reckoned I still hadn't cleared my bill, and continued to add charges to the charges.

I'm writing my preliminary request letter now, and I'm a bit confused too - not sure if it's exactly the same as the bank charges one or not. Looking at JOSH_IOU's post, I gather we're going down the Unfair Terms route,not penalties then? Or are they both? Surely if BG say 'you're getting charged because you're paying late' then it'd be a penalty wouldn't it? And do the OFT rules apply tothem? What about things like Administration of Jusice Act? Consumer Credit Act wouldn't, would it? Are there any other documents I could mention in my letter to frightn them??

Let me kno how the rest of you gt on - there don't seem to be many of us fighting this one yet!! Good luck all,

Sirensinger

(successes so far: HSBC Judgment set aside and charge taken off house, HSBC now to provide real Consumer Credit Agreement, otherwise I escape £7,700 debt - on tenterhooks; Sirensinger v Nastywide Credit Card unstayed n they've entered no Defence,haha!! Judgement awarded to meeee; Tesco've knocked charges off sneakily without telling me n sent remainder of debt to new DCA BUT just realised their CCA not valid, haha again!! watch this space..)

[Sirensinger]

Hi 301Gareth

just noticed what you asked about whether they can cut you off if you pay the gas but not the charges - I'm involved in this situation too, and someone on here earlier, I can;t remember who, said that they can't. My situation's been going on since 2006 and they havent cut me off yet, but keep threatening - once they apparently sent someone to do it - but all I got was a card thru the door cos I was out! (I didn't think they had to get in to cut you off tho?) When I phoned the guy, I told him the situation and he said it must have been a mistake that he got sent, n he would get back to me when he'd found out the details ... you can guess what happened ... nothing. BUT I later found they'd added £50 to my charges fothis 'mistaken' visit!

As I understand it, if you make it clear the account is in dispute, they can't do anything. But because they don't seem to heed the warnings, I'm always afraid they'll do it anyway... I think you should write and make sure there's a big heading that says 'ACCOUNT IN DISPUTE', then at least if they do do anything untoward, you can point it out in court.

Do post what happens, as I'm in exactly the same situatio, and constantly worry that this time I'll come home n find no gas ... n somehow the satisfaction o being in the right doesn't really compensate too much for having no hot water, does it?

[DonkeyB]

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