British gas admitted overcharging for 6 years, then denied. How can I deal with this

[eamonndus]

I discovered two years ago that for 6 years I had been paying day time rates for my E7.

 

They admitted and promised to refund within 7 days. A tear later they were denying it and saying there had been no error. By this time the records had been destroyed forever after a system upgrade. I had calculated around 2000 in overcharges in the 6 years and stopped paying them until they sorted it out and refund me whatever I had not gotten back that way. After a few months I sent details to the ombudsman who acknowledged my complaint, but then lost it and never acted.

 

I then became suspicious when I was turned down for a job and found that BG had defaulted my credit record every month and had me down as heavily in arrears.

 

They used that false information to illegally get a warrant rubber stamped by magistrates and turned up one Saturday morning and began drilling my door lock to break in and fit a coin meter. (This pushes the cost up considerably apart form the inconvenience) I had to pay them most of what they demanded there and then to get these heavies to clear off. The following Monday I received their letter threatening to break in if I didn't pay.

 

I then got the ombudsmen involved again and they apologised did noting and eventually sais they found in favour of BG, but gave no grounds for that decision.

 

I am determined not to be bullied but they continue threatening and sending make believe debts to debt collector firms..

 

I am paying 2000 a year to heat a two bedroom flat and I cant switch because they claim I owe them money. I find it hard to believe they could be given such power to ignore normal law.

 

I simply said, send me a statement proving what fuel I used and how much you charged me for it and if that is correct I will not argue. They are unable and unwilling to do this and seem to be able to use to the system to simply make up a sum and demand it with the backing of the state.

Does anyone know the true position?

 

I cant afford to employ lawyers, but at this point the principal is as important to me as the money.

Any suggestions?

 

I eventually got them to clear my creit file

Edited September 30, 2014 by citizenB

[king12345]

Send an email to ceo explaining the situation.

Mark it as formal complaint.

Explain that as they can't provide an accurate bill, they need to drop the request for money which you find unjustified, harassing and intimidating.

Explain that asking for payment not due for financial gain could be interpreted as fraud which you intend to report.

Ceo office sorted my complaint for non existent debt (on a pre-pay meter) in less than a week.

Good luck

[eamonndus]

Send an email to ceo explaining the situation.

Mark it as formal complaint.

Explain that as they can't provide an accurate bill, they need to drop the request for money which you find unjustified, harassing and intimidating.

Explain that asking for payment not due for financial gain could be interpreted as fraud which you intend to report.

Ceo office sorted my complaint for non existent debt (on a pre-pay meter) in less than a week.

Good luck

 

 

I did that and got nowhere. Surely there must be a legal recourse?

[king12345]

Fraud

.

 

 

 

(1)

 

A person is guilty of fraud if he is in breach of any of the sections listed in subsection (2) (which provide for different ways of committing the offence).

.

 

(2)

 

The sections are—

.

 

(a)

 

section 2 (fraud by false representation),

.

 

(b)

 

section 3 (fraud by failing to disclose information), and

.

 

©

 

section 4 (fraud by abuse of position).

 

I think (and I might be wrong, opinions please) they are committing fraud under all sections.

That's what I highlighted in my email.

I also sent them a link to the fraud act.

Harassment and intimidation are the other two key words that can get things moving.

After all, they don't have any documentation related to your debt (or are hiding it) and they're bullying you into paying a random figure (?!?!?!)

Write again to the ceo and if you don't get a result, arm yourself with all the written request of payment, default on your credit record, email exchange,etc. and report them to the police.

You will have to say that you feel intimidated and harassed.

The police would probably try to send you on your way by telling you that it's a civil matter.

Just ask the officer if it would be ok for you to send requests of money and intimidating letters to random people to gain money.

If he/she says yes then you can always start doing that

When I emailed bg ceo I told them that if they didn't resolve within 14 days I would have started charging them £32.50/hour for my time + any other expenses.

As said they sorted it in less than a week.

[eamonndus]

In principal, I agree with all of that, but in practice, I cant see them caving in so easily.

 

 

My gut feeling is that before demanding payment, just like me, they should have to provide a detailed invoice and be able to justify it.

In reality, they have already duped a magistrates court and got away with that in order to send heavies around.

Now they employ debt collection firms to write threatening letters.

 

 

If I want to move supplier, I wont be able to, or so it seems.

 

 

Surely there must be a simpler way to stop them behaving like this and ideally without shelling out to lawyers?

[2Grumpy]

Do you still have the bills? They will show what rate you were being charged at ...

[eamonndus]

Not all. When I discovered the problem and they were not paying up, I demanded copies. They only had two years of records. What they had ex just cottons of Sap screens. I'm in the It world and I know this is not what I used but estimates. All records had been lost when that system was j stalled. My view was and is that they are sending the bills it is down to them to prove it rather than me

 

 

 

Do you still have the bills? They will show what rate you were being charged at ...