We live in a small, one-bedroom apartment in central London. Roughly 45 m2 with fairly good insulation. Our bills for 2014 were 49, 64, 37, 36 and 34 pounds for a total of a bit over 200. So far this year, our bills are £467 and £236 - the second bill alone being higher than the 2014 aggregate. We have contacted British Gas for an explanation after the £467 bill which they told us was a retrospective adjustment as our use was higher than they expected, but this doesn't seem very credible, especially with the next two months coming in at £236. Is there anyone we can contact to have this investigated? Is there anyone with experience with this - is their claim even plausible or is someone stealing our gas?

Hi all, My boiler (Ideal H30 - 6 years old), has been ruled beyond economical repair. They tried to sell me a new install, cost = £2900. I have their formal quote in writing. They recommended a Wocester Bosch (model 30si) for this house in quote. After this - I did research. We infact, do qualify for a free boiler replacement. We meet all the conditions. Spoke to them - they confirmed, you are entitled to free boiler replacement. My question: For the free replacement, they want to use a different boiler than the one recommended in the quote. As my current boiler (ideal HE30) is no longer manufactured, they want to replace it with the closest model (Ideal Logic 30HE). Ideals boilers , get very poor ratings when I've looked (e.g Which? Gas boilers owners' views score = 59%). It has a low reliability rating (below 60%). I would like to get a different boiler fitted. I would like to know what my options are, and what my rights are. 1.How could I viably challenge their choice of the replacement ( now an Ideal H30 instead of the Worcester that they initially recommended). (Preferred). 2.If not, how can I get them to make xxxx funds avaliable, I chip in more - to get the one I want- i.e. their costs remain the same ,but, I make up the difference.(Acceptable). 3.If not what approach can I take take, to get them to send me cheque instead for the value of the boiler - I will chip in more and buy a new one myself.(Worst case). I'm not bashing BG. Nothing like it. Just want to create a win win solution. Thanks all.

All help / advice/ support / sympathy gratefully received. Apologies for the length etc. I'm new here, In Sept 2005, my friends and I moved into a shared flat. Being the organised one, I was in charge of bills. I rang up British Gas to sort out a gas account. As the flat had recently been converted from industrial units, we ended up being with BG Business, despite being residential occupants and pointing this out to them at length. This led to BG never quite getting our address correct on correspondence. Out of the blue, in about April 2007, I received a final bill from BG Business, confirming that we had closed our account. We hadn’t, and I (and another flatmate) queried this with BG over the ‘phone on more than one occasion. We continued to receive gas. I moved out of the shared flat into a place of my on on 1st Sept 2007. As I was in possession of a final bill from BG Business and the issue of the account was still in limbo, I left it to my friends to sort out and set up a new account for gas and electric with BG at my new address. In late 2008 (possibly 2009) after a further house move, I was contacted on my mobile, out of the blue by BG who alleged that I owed them for gas from the original shared address. I pointed out that I had a final bill from them. They asked if I knew the names of the tenants who were living there after I left and I passed on the relevant details. Fast forward to late 2011, I am just about to become a dad and have moved house again. Having had no further contact from BG, I start receiving post redirected from my previous address from a DCA (I forget which one). Having been spooked by the first couple of letters, I took to carefully removing the redirection stickers and returning the letters to sender (no such person) and scrawling ‘please update your records’ across the front. Fast forward to now. It’s 2014. I’m in another new house. And suddenly, I have received a couple of letters from Advantis to me (my full name) at this address. The first one was the traditional phishing message (‘we have an outstanding business issue with [my name]’); the second says I owe BG Business £3k for gas at the 'not correct' address (as mentioned above) My question is: can I continue to ignore these letters? Do I need to send a ‘prove it’ letter? Is the debt ‘statute barred’ since it relates to 2007? What is my next move??

6 weeks ago I asked BG to install 4 radiators which I bought in Wickes. They said an engineer would first have to come out and assess the work and give me a quotation. A week later the engineer came out and I showed him where the existing pipework was and he said it was a quite straightforward job and the workman should carry it out in 3 hours and the cost would be £285.00. I asked him if this was an estimated figure and he said no, the price is £285.00 and that what BG stick to as he has assessed the work. The only other remark he made was that the piping was not the standard 15mm but as it's a 1930's house, the piping is a micro bore 10mm but the workman should have no problem in fitting the radiators. He also said that they weren't too busy, so it could be done in a couple of weeks. However when I rang back to accept the quote, I was given a 5 week wait because they only had 1 engineer to fit radiators! In the meantime I went back to Wickes and bought 4 10mm universal push on radiator valves. The engineer came out today and the first thing I showed him were the valves. He looked at them and said he didn't know what they were but they were the wrong ones, so I told him I would get the right ones in 15 minutes, so he showed me on the Wickes catalogue which ones I would need. I told him Wickes were near me so I would be back in 15 minutes. He said don't worry, he would go home in the meantime and come back by the time I returned. I came back in 15 minutes and he arrived back 10 minutes later! He started fitting the first radiator then messed about with the valves the said he couldn't fit it because it was still the wrong size. He then rang his office and they told me because of the problem with the pipework they would have to re-quote but it would be most likely a 5 hour job, not as previously quoted! I told them about their policy of sticking to a quote and their reply was that after looking at the job more closely, they can no longer apply the original quote. What do I do now?

HI I will try and make this as short as i can.. i am behind on my gas and electric bills (britishgas who supply electric too) about 800 pounds on gas and 600 on electric I have received today and "Notice of Disconnection letter that says my account has now been passed to a collections agency stating that they will call around in a "few" days and that "if" you dont resolve the debt in the next 7 days you "may" lose your enegy supply I obviously called british gas and got talking to their "overseas" department and explained that we are moving house on the 12th of april and that in four weeks time when we move i will have more than enough money over to repay all that i owe in one go (about 20k over from sale of the house). i also made a token payment of 160 pounds saying that in four weeks i will clear the rest. the opperator said she couldn't stop the letters or the people calling round my house but that they would read the notes that she would put on her system about me moving and paying in four weeks.. my question is that this is my first leter/notice of dissconnection i have received whats the timescale before they issue a warrent to fit a meter? the call centre opperator said it was pointless her organising a pay meter instilation as we are moving in four weeks. this is my first notice of disconnection letter to say my account has been passed to the collections agency will I have four weeks before they get a warrent from now?

Are British Gas just thugs - or are they just complete idiots? https://www.facebook.com/groups/236931403038408/permalink/492277307503815/